|
|
Article: The FUNGUS among us; Fungi share a common ancestor with humans, and like many distant relatives, it's the traits we share that can make getting along difficult.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- July 9, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
One of your distant cousins is a fungus.
It could be one of the several that can cause mild skin irritation and itching, fatal meningitis or destruction of your your lungs, or produce the life-saving antibiotic penicillin.
Or it could be one of scores of harmless fungi, molds or the yeast that causes bread to rise - or the mushroom in your salad.
You and the fungi, including the thousands that live in your gut, have a lot in common, according to biologists.
About 2 billion years ago, fungi and animals shared a common ancestor in the primordial ooze. As a result, while the cells of humans and fungi don't look alike under a microscope, ...