Facts about Fungi

1. 06

   Baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae shares 60 percent of its DNA with humans and has been used in biotechnology since 1857 to produce insulin and other therapeutic proteins.

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2. 05

   Spores from the fungus Cryptococcus can travel through the air and remain viable for months, making it a significant cause of meningitis in immunocompromised patients worldwide.

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3. 04

   Mycorrhizal networks connect tree roots underground through fungal threads, allowing nutrient and carbon exchange between plants up to 100 feet apart in a phenomenon called the wood wide web.

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4. 03

   Certain fungi can survive extreme radiation doses of 5,000 gray, over 200 times the lethal dose for humans, due to their efficient DNA repair mechanisms.

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5. 02

   Penicillium notatum fungus produces penicillin, the antibiotic discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 that revolutionized bacterial infection treatment.

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6. 01

   The honey fungus Armillaria ostoyae in Oregon spans 2,384 acres and weighs approximately 6,000 tons, making it the largest living organism on Earth.

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