Fascinating fungi....From microscopic mould spores to kilometres-long mycelium under the forest floor, members of this distinct biological kingdom — neither plant nor animal — are incredible, and highly worthy of more attention.   Most of us may not think about them beyond the mushroom slices on our pizza, but fungi figure prominently in our everyday lives. Do you eat bread? Thank the fungus we call yeast. Do you enjoy beer, wine or whisky? Raise a glass to your fungal friends responsible for the fermentation that brings them to life. Every time a round of antibiotics helps you recover from some form of infection, remember that a mould gave us the compounds that became penicillin and its many derivatives. Fungi are incredible chemists. They make many compounds that humans cannot easily replicate in the lab. Some make compounds that can affect behaviour.  Yet while we can access an array of medications to cure bacterial infections such as pneumonia and strep throat, there are only four known compounds available to rid ourselves of fungal infections. Three are available in the various over-the-counter powders, sprays and ointments we use to treat common fungal infections. The fourth and newest class, echinocandins, is reserved for hospital settings, where the consequences of fungal infections can be deadly.       We are working to find ways to limit the potential harm humans face from fungal infections. We also seek to understand how we can use their abundant and as-yet barely tapped potential to make new antibiotics before we lose the waning power of penicillin and its derivatives. global research organization CIFAR’s Fungal Kingdom: Threats and Opportunities program. We are working to find ways to limit the potential harm humans face from fungal infections. We also seek to understand how we can use their abundant and as-yet barely tapped potential to make new antibiotics before we lose the waning power of penicillin and its derivatives.        https://theconversation.com/the-fungus-zombies-in-the-last-of-us-are-fictional-but-real-fungi-can-infect-people-and-theyre-becoming-more-resistant-200224?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%2024%202023&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20February%2024%202023+CID_555a5e8d5797bc4fe42c4178cf6fc526&utm_source=campaign_monitor_ca&utm_term=The%20fungus%20zombies%20in%20The%20Last%20of%20Us%20are%20fictional%20but%20real%20fungi%20can%20infect%20people%20and%20theyre%20becoming%20more%20resistant