How a Carnivorous Mushroom Poisons Its Prey
Scientists have known for decades that oyster mushrooms feasted on roundworms—and they’ve finally figured out how their toxins work
Stories by Jennifer Frazer
100-Million-Year-Old Seafloor Sediment Bacteria Have Been Resuscitated
The evidence mounts that bacteria can be effectively immortal
Tsunami May Have Seeded a Fungal Outbreak in Pacific Northwest
A bold hypothesis could account for the perplexing presence of multiple fungi
If It Smells like Dirt, Fire Ants Are Interested
For these swarming, stinging insects, it’s the aroma of home sweet home
Viruses Can Be Delicious as Well as Deadly
They’re not exempt from participation in the food web
The Moss That Lives under a Rock
If you lived in a desert, you’d probably want to live under a rock, too
Mining Rare-Earth Elements from Fossilized Fish
Strange as it might seem, a 2,500-square-kilometer zone south of one tiny Pacific island could supply four substances that are crucial to modern electronics for centuries
The Brittle Star That Sees with Its Body
It turns out that eyes aren’t necessary for vision
Farewell, Amoeba Fans
This blog, though not its author, reaches the end of the line
![Contagious Amoeba Vampirizes Gum Cells [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/blogs/cache/file/11AFA678-847A-4868-81647DF1A4A6C46F_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Contagious Amoeba Vampirizes Gum Cells [Video]
An amoeba spread by respiratory droplets, kisses and eating utensils may be a serious (and creepy) gum disease pathogen
Scientists Waited Two and a Half Years to See whether Bacteria Can Eat Rock
The mystery of dirt’s origins is a thorny experimental problem
Dirt Doesn’t Smell like Dirt
It smells like bacteria. But why?
![Travel Down a Borehole into Antarctica's Lake Mercer [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/blogs/cache/file/A85FD7DD-260B-434A-8F721848AA7B0D60_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Travel Down a Borehole into Antarctica's Lake Mercer [Video]
Beautiful new footage ventures into a lake that is among the most remote on earth
![Feast Your Eyes on Australia's Newly Explored Depths [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/blogs/cache/file/1EC5023D-6014-415B-94BF48FADDDBD038_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Feast Your Eyes on Australia’s Newly Explored Depths [Video]
Take a few moments to enjoy stalked barnacles, googly-eyed glass squid and other oddities of the deep, where it is cold, dark and 100 percent coronavirus free
Marine Microbe Performs Animal Trick
A cup of cells can both bend and “see,” feats rarely seen outside of animals
Slime Molds Have Been Oozing around Earth for at Least 100 Million Years
Stunning new fossil reveals that at least one Cretaceous slime mold—an “intelligent” giant amoeba—looks identical to one alive today
How a Tiny Pit Decides a Pine Tree’s Fate
Live fast, die young and leave a good lookin’ stump
Did the Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Inadvertently Help Lichens?
The leafy lichens seem to have picked up where a lot of incinerated plants left off
New Shipworm Eats Rock, a First for Animals
Like lichens, these animals mine stone. What they do with it is another question
Striped Maples Can Change Sex Repeatedly
Unassuming tree has unusual sex life
