Latest Mycology Stories
Einstein research offers theory on protective effect of being warm-bloodedThe fact that they eat a lot "“ and often "“ may explain why most people and other mammals are protected from the majority of fungal pathogens, according to research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.The research, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, showed that the elevated body temperature of mammals "“ the familiar 98.6o F or 37o C in people "“ is too high for the vast...
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- TOPICA Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held biotechnology company, today announced positive results from its Phase 2 clinical study evaluating luliconazole, one of the most potent and broad spectrum topical antifungal agents, in patients with tinea pedis (athlete's foot). The study was designed to assess the effectiveness of 1% luliconazole cream applied once daily for 14 days compared with once daily for 28 days. The study met its primary efficacy...
Lichen study has implications for ecosystem researchLichens are the classic example of a symbiotic relationship. Both the fungal and photobiont components of the lichen benefit from the relationship and often are unable to survive without each other. Recent research by Dr. Robert Lücking (The Field Museum, Chicago), Dr. James Lawrey (George Mason University, Virginia) and a team of colleagues from around the world has put a new spin on this relationship.In a paper published in the August...
Using pathogen genomics, Professor Paul Birch from the Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee (at Scottish Crop Research Institute - SCRI), alongside researchers from Warwick HRI and the University of Aberdeen, is looking at how the most significant potato pathogen, Phytopthora infestans causes disease and identifying essential pathogen virulence genes that may be durable targets for host resistance proteins.Costs associated with crop losses and chemical control of blight exceed...
The disease blamed for the Irish potato famine in the 1840s is infecting tomato and potato plants in the eastern United States, agricultural officials said. A press release from Cornell University, New York state's land grant college, warned home gardeners and commercial farmers that late blight is killing the tomato and potato plants. Meg McGrath, associate professor of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology said late blight has never occurred this early and this widespread in the U.S....
Stores in several states are removing tomato plants from their shelves as an infectious and destructive plant disease makes its earliest and most widespread appearance ever in the eastern United States.Late blight occurs intermittently in the northeastern U.S., but this year's outbreak is more serious, as rainy weather has hastened the spores' airborne spread and infected plants have been widely distributed by large retail chains.Although the disease, the same one responsible for the 1840s...
Scientists in China are reporting development of a low-calorie, low-sugar vegetable juice custom-designed for millions of individuals with diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions that involve abnormally high blood sugar. They reported on the new drink at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.Heqin Xing, Ph.D., and Xiuqi Liu of Jilin University in Changchun, China, described a cost-effective method of preparing a special type of vegetable drink using lactic acid-producing...
Canadian scientists say they've created a new class of green fungicides to provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fungicides. The University of Saskatchewan researchers led by Professor Soledade Pedras say their new fungicides -- called paldoxins -- can duplicate the work of conventional pesticides in helping protect corn, wheat and other crops that are used for food and biofuel production. But the scientists said their new fungicides also can help fight the...
Exploiting a little-known punch/counterpunch strategy in the ongoing battle between disease-causing fungi and crop plants, scientists in Canada are reporting development of a new class of "green" fungicides that could provide a safer, more environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional fungicides. They will report on the first pesticides to capitalize on this unique defensive strategy today at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.Developed with...
Phenomenon seen among spores dispersed by air flow, but not among animal-borne sporesThe reproductive spores of many species of fungi have evolved remarkably drag-minimizing shapes, according to new research by mycologists and applied mathematicians at Harvard University.In many cases, the scientists report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the drag experienced by these fungal spores is within one percent of the absolute minimum possible drag for their size....
