Out of Sight, 'Dark Fungi' Run the World from the Shadows
Researchers have found mysterious "dark fungi" with unknown DNA fragments, likened to dark matter. Despite being prevalent, these fungi remain unidentified, challenging scientists to understand their ecological impact. Advanced sequencing technologies aim to unveil their secrets for potential scientific breakthroughs.
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Researchers have discovered mysterious "dark fungi" lurking in various environments, with DNA fragments that cannot be linked to known organisms. These elusive fungi are compared to dark matter and dark energy for their hidden yet influential presence in ecosystems. Despite their prevalence, these dark fungi remain unidentified and pose a challenge for scientists to understand their role in the environment. Taxonomists have only described a fraction of the predicted millions of fungi species, with many potentially belonging to the realm of dark fungi. Through environmental DNA sequencing, researchers have identified thousands of genetically distinct species that have never been observed. The study of dark fungi is crucial as they likely play vital roles in nutrient recycling and ecosystem functioning. Efforts to uncover the secrets of dark fungi continue to expand with advanced sequencing technologies, offering a glimpse into the intricate world of these enigmatic organisms. Scientists hope that exploring dark fungi further could lead to valuable discoveries in chemistry, biology, and ecology, ultimately contributing to a better understanding of conservation and biodiversity.
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8 commentsIt's not just fungi that are difficult to culture. The (vast?) majority of bacteria, virus, and archae species are undocumented because we don't know how to grow them in a laboratory or even stain them so that they're visible on a microscope slide. Except for the occasional glimpse on an electron microscope slide, most of them are completely invisible to science.
We mostly behave like we have our basic every-day experience pretty much covered - yet, there are such vast areas - across basically all of sciences - that we just utterly don't understand, and who knows how much more additionally that we don't even know is there.
If you like it, the next level is growing your own mycelium in liquid culture (basically in honey water).
If that works out will, use it to colonize your own substrate.
Then, you can produce your own (storable) spore prints from harvested mushrooms. Which you can use to create new mycelium liquid cultures. And the cycle can be repeated indefinitely, with tons of harvest!
"" It’s a comparison to the equally elusive dark matter and dark energy that make up 95 percent of our universe and exert tremendous influence on, well, everything. ""
Then in my ignorance I googled it, and it appears to be true.
How in the world can the dominant theory for the universe be based on it being 95% filled with mystical shit that we cant prove, but makes our math happy.
That sounds insane, like religion.
Clearly examining models of the universe that dont depend upon 95% mystical stuff may be an avenue worth exploring.
If they want to move forward shouldnt thry do boring full sequencing? Then they can make real comparisons, not estimates?
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