Fungi likely precedes the Dinos by 100's millions of years
A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
11–20 of 71 posts
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#12These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
> Trees, for example, have separately evolved at least 100 times. Can you explain more? Sounds interesting
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#13These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
> Trees, for example, have separately evolved at least 100 times. Can you explain more? Sounds interesting
Trees are barely a firm category of plant at all. It's basically just tall plants with woody stems. Plants can gain and lose woody stems without too much trouble (relatively speaking, over evolutionary time). So any time a plant species currently growing soft stems can benefit from being really tall, they have a good chance of evolving into "trees".
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#14These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
I recently visited the national history museum and finally got a sense of the _weirdness_ of prehistoric trees. No bark, a green trunk (utilizing photosynthesis), tall like a palm tree. I'd love to see something like that now.
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#15These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
I recently visited the national history museum and finally got a sense of the _weirdness_ of prehistoric trees. No bark, a green trunk (utilizing photosynthesis), tall like a palm tree. I'd love to see something like that now.
That sounds awesome! The oddest trees I have come across had big thorns like roses all over the trunk. Kind of hard to see because the trunk is so big, but you'd very quickly notice leaning against it.
That was in a botanical garden in Australia. No idea what they were or how common they are. Blew my mind.
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#16These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
My favourite tree evolution thing is the forests in the Galapagos being evolved from dandelion seeds blown in on the wind from South America.
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#17These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
I recently visited the national history museum and finally got a sense of the _weirdness_ of prehistoric trees. No bark, a green trunk (utilizing photosynthesis), tall like a palm tree. I'd love to see something like that now.
> visited the national history museum
what nation?
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#18"You want Zombie Apocalypse?! Because THAT's how you get Zombie Apocalypse!"
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#19These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
I recently visited the national history museum and finally got a sense of the _weirdness_ of prehistoric trees. No bark, a green trunk (utilizing photosynthesis), tall like a palm tree. I'd love to see something like that now.
Well, bamboo comes to mind as a really weird tree. It's not a tree, but it's the size of one..
Re: A glob of 99M-year-old amber trapped a zombie fungus erupting from a fly
#20These aren't necessarily related to today's Ophiocordyceps fungus. Fungi that take control of arthropods and cause them to climb to disperse spores have convergently evolved more than once, including Arthrophaga myriapodina, which affects millipedes, and is in a different Division (the level above Class) from Ophiocordyceps. Convergent evolution is more common than you might think. Trees, for example, have separately…
I recently visited the national history museum and finally got a sense of the _weirdness_ of prehistoric trees. No bark, a green trunk (utilizing photosynthesis), tall like a palm tree. I'd love to see something like that now.
> prehistoric trees
I suppose you are actually talking of a time preceding prehistory by a fair lot!