Unearthing the Secret Superpowers of Fungus In the fight against warming, a formidable ally hides just beneath our feet. Specific knowledge of the power of these networks, said Tim G. Benton, a biologist at Leeds University who isn’t involved in Dr. Kiers’s work, is “very patchy.” “More information would be very valuable,” he said. “Mycorrhizal networks,” Dr. Kiers said, “are …
Katharina Ribbeck’s lab collects mucus—the often gooey substance present in places like the mouth, gut, reproductive tract, and intestines. “Once you remove particulates and microbes, it’s a beautiful, beautiful clear gel—like egg white,” says Ribbeck, a professor of bioengineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It’s really gorgeous.” Ribbeck cares about spit because she’s trying to deconstruct how glycans, tiny …
