Scientists are taking their cues from fungi in the digestive tracts of cows, goats and sheep in the search for new ways to create sustainable fuels and medicines.
A genetic modification in fungi is more common than has been thought, offering scientists a new tool as they explore the use of fungi to convert biomass to fuels, chemicals and enzymes.
Working with researchers with Tokyo Tech's World Research Hub Initiative in Japan and Canada, Xantheas will combine laboratory methods with computational explorations to study the biological functions of serotonin and nicotine.
Organic matter found in vast quantities in oxygen-starved floodplains would yield only minimal energy for hungry microorganisms, which spurn the meal, researchers show in a study in Nature Geoscience.