Latest news with #fungus
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
The tiny ‘eggs' in this field bird's nest fungus are spore-bearing structures
What is this? I found it in my garden in Westmeath at the beginning of July. Karen Williams This a fungus – Cyathus olla – the field bird's nest fungus. It is very small, the 'nest' is only 1.5cm tall and 1cm in diameter. The 'eggs' inside are the spore-bearing structures. When they are struck by large raindrops they are dislodged from the 'nest' and become attached to grass stems where they burst open and spread their spores. They grow on soil, twigs and other organic debris and the fruiting bodies form in the summertime. Harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis var conspicua. Photograph: E Maloney I found this ladybird in my garden last week. Is it a good guy or a bad guy? E Maloney, Dublin There are melanic forms of the benign two-spot lady bird which are black with red spots. Although in its normal form the two-spot (which is a good guy) is red with two black spots, in the melanic form it is black with either four or six red spots. This one that you found is just another iteration of the dastardly harlequin ladybird – Harmonia axyridis var conspicua. So, it is a bad guy. It will eat the larvae of any native ladybird species in the garden. READ MORE Male blackbird with leucism. Photograph: Antoinette Donohue I saw this strange-looking bird at a bus stop in Maynooth. Has this bird stuck its head in a bucket of paint, or is there another explanation? Antoinette Donohue, Maynooth Indeed, on first glance it does look like that, but if you look closely, you will see that it is a male blackbird with the orange bill and characteristic stance. This bird has leucism which is a genetic mutation that causes white patches by preventing melanin being sent to some of the bird's feathers. Generally these birds do not succeed in getting mates and reproducing, so the mutation arises afresh each time rather than being inherited. Caterpillars. Photograph: Alison Kennedy Could you identify these caterpillars who are eating their way through my red currant bush? Alison Kennedy These are the caterpillars of the gooseberry sawfly – so called because it most often feeds on the leaves of gooseberry bushes. But it is not above dining on the leaves of currant bushes too and in fact a heavy invasion can strip the bushes bare. They will recover when the replete caterpillars drop off on to the soil where they pupate, overwinter and become adult sawflies. Adults feed mainly on pollen and are not often noticed. It is the larvae that get all the attention. Violet sea snail. Photograph: Anna Lopez I found this on the coast past Spanish point, Co Clare. Thought it is so beautiful and how it looks like it's knitted. Anna Lopez I spotted this blue shelled sea creature on the shoreline at White Strand Beach, Renvyle, Co Galway. It was 3cm to 4cm in diameter approximately Any idea what it is? Jane Bruton Both of these queries refer to the violet sea snail – Janthina ianthina – which lives on the surface of warmer oceans, floating on its raft of bubbles and feeding on siphonophores (jellyfish-like creatures) such as Velella , the by-the-wind sailor. It produces mucus which it agitates with its foot to mix it with air, thus filling it with bubbles. This creates a bubble raft which keeps it afloat on the surface of the sea, upside down with its shell hanging downwards. The remains of this is shown here in Anna's picture. Violet sea snails, which get detached from this raft, sink to the bottom and die soon after. The empty shells eventually get washed ashore and this is what Jane has photographed and submitted. They are quite fragile and are rare jetsam on our beaches. Please submit your nature query, observation, or photo, with a location, via or by email to weekend@
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Dutch elm disease found in tree in Alberta Avenue
Leaves that turn yellow, brown and curl up on an elm tree are a sign of the fungus that causes Dutch elm disease. (Photo: Government of Alberta) Several trees will be removed from Alberta Avenue after a confirmed case of Dutch elm disease. The infected tree was found during a planned assessment in the neighbourhood and was confirmed by a lab on Wednesday. The case is the first this season and sixth since the deadly fungal disease was discovered in the Killarney and Yellowhead Corridor East neighbourhoods last August. All trees within 20 metres of the infected tree will be removed, while all trees within a one-kilometre radius will be closely monitored, the city said in a Thursday press release. 'City arborists, urban foresters and the pest management team remain vigilant as we continue implementing the established Dutch elm disease management plan, including intensified surveillance of elm trees. This additional confirmed case does not change our approach as we continue assessments, removals and testing in coordination with the province and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,' said Mark Beare, director of infrastructure operations. 'While any positive test is disappointing, we remain confident that this collaborative approach is helping to limit the spread of the disease.' About 22 per cent of trees on city-owned land in Edmonton are elm trees, numbering about 90,000. The fungus is spread by bark beetles, so diligent pruning is an essential part of the city's strategy. To help stop the spread of Dutch elm disease, residents are asked not to bring firewood into the city from another jurisdiction; properly remove and dispose of dead, dying or diseased elm branches; and report cases of the disease to 311. More information about Dutch elm disease is available online.
Fox News
02-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Breads to avoid and body fat warnings, plus dangers of bee stings
FROM CURSE TO CURE – Ancient 'pharaoh's curse' fungus shows promise in killing cancer cells. Continue reading… UP IN SMOKE - Disposable vapes are more toxic and carcinogenic than cigarettes, study shows. Continue reading… Fox News LifestyleFox News Health
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-07-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Zombie Fungus-Infected Fly Encased in 99-Million-Year-Old Amber
Some of the most intriguing science fiction springs from eerie, real-life phenomena. Case in point, the mutant parasite in the video game series 'The Last of Us,' CNN said on Monday. Creators of the franchise, which includes a show on HBO, got the idea from a type of fungus that hijacks the brains of ants and releases a flurry of lethal spores. (Both HBO and CNN belong to the parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.) In 'The Last of Us,' the fungi can infect humans, snaking tendrils through their skin. No one can stop the spread of the disease as it spurs each host, bursting with mushroom-like fruiting bodies, to keep infecting others. The actual fungus group Ophiocordyceps lives off a variety of insects — but the rest of the plot is pure sci-fi. This week, a new find is shedding light on just how long mind-controlling parasites have plagued the insect world. A glob of 99-million-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly, preserving one of the oldest examples of a fungal parasite hijacking an insect's body before killing it. The fungus and its host likely lived alongside the dinosaurs. The fly, as well as a second specimen of an infected ant in its cocoon, or pupal stage, shows the complexity of ancient ecosystems, in which fungal parasites could 'prey on' insects, said Yuhui Zhuang, a doctoral student at the Institute of Paleontology at Yunnan University in Kunming, China. Both amber-encased specimens could help scientists figure out whether the fungi are the ancestors of the parasites that enter the vulnerable heads of today's carpenter ants.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Zombie fungus-infected fly that likely lived among dinosaurs is preserved in amber
Editor's note: A version of this story appeared in CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. Some of the most intriguing science fiction springs from eerie, real-life phenomena. Case in point, the mutant parasite in the video game series 'The Last of Us.' Creators of the franchise, which includes a show on HBO, got the idea from a type of fungus that hijacks the brains of ants and releases a flurry of lethal spores. (Both HBO and CNN belong to the parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.) In 'The Last of Us,' the fungi can infect humans, snaking tendrils through their skin. No one can stop the spread of the disease as it spurs each host, bursting with mushroom-like fruiting bodies, to keep infecting others. The actual fungus group Ophiocordyceps lives off a variety of insects — but the rest of the plot is pure sci-fi. This week, a new find is shedding light on just how long mind-controlling parasites have plagued the insect world. A glob of 99 million-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly, preserving one of the oldest examples of a fungal parasite hijacking an insect's body before killing it. The fungus and its host likely lived alongside the dinosaurs. The fly, as well as a second specimen of an infected ant in its cocoon, or pupal stage, shows the complexity of ancient ecosystems, in which fungal parasites could 'prey on' insects, said Yuhui Zhuang, a doctoral student at the Institute of Paleontology at Yunnan University in Kunming, China. Both amber-encased specimens could help scientists figure out whether the fungi are the ancestors of the parasites that enter the vulnerable heads of today's carpenter ants. Axiom Space Mission 4, a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launched on Wednesday after an extended delay due to a long-standing leak issue at the in-orbit research facility. Air has been slowly escaping through tiny cracks in a tunnel that connects Russia's Zvezda module to a docking port for spacecraft carrying cargo and supplies. The steady leak, identified in 2019, recently stopped, however, raising concerns that the entire space station is losing air. In a joint European Space Agency and NASA mission, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft has captured never-before-seen footage of the sun's south pole, which could help scientists understand more about how space weather affects Earth. The first cosmic imagery from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has arrived — and it's mind-blowing. Taken with the largest camera ever built, the images and videos feature over 2,000 newly detected asteroids, millions of distant galaxies and stars, and details of stellar nursery nebulae that resemble colorful cotton candy. This initial glimpse of Rubin's capabilities — test observations from just over 10 hours — is only a preview of what the observatory will produce over the next 10 years: a cinematic view of the universe and how it changes over time. Drone footage captured a distinct population of orcas in the Northeast Pacific's Salish Sea doing something never witnessed before in marine mammals: using a tool for grooming. Michael Weiss, research director of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Washington, spotted the Southern Resident killer whales detaching strands of bull kelp from the seafloor and grooming each other with it in a practice dubbed 'allokelping.' These kelp 'combs,' which the orcas rubbed on each other for up to 15 minutes at a time, could serve two purposes: exfoliating dead skin and deepening social bonds. Catch up on these fascinating stories: — 'Super coral,' which are naturally more resilient to environmental changes, could be the key to saving Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Conservation scientists have already found dozens of these hardy species growing in a hot, acidic habitat. — Routine dredging of a river in the Netherlands turned up an incredibly well-preserved, nearly 1,000-year-old sword decorated with spiritual symbols. — Fossils unearthed in Colorado belong to a previously unknown dinosaur species about the size of a Labrador retriever that has long hind legs built for speedy running. — Scientists say they have identified Earth's oldest rocks in Quebec. The outcrop reveals details of an unknown chapter in our planet's history. Like what you've read? Oh, but there's more. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt and Jackie Wattles. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.
