Comments on: Freedom From Fungus: Why Don’t Humans Have Chestnut-Style Blights and White Nose-Style Syndromes?

By: Bjorn Button

Bjorn Button — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:17:32 +0000

having a tree succumb to dutch elm disease is devastating because a lot of these trees are hundreds of years old. The wood isn't good either and has to be completely burned to prevent spreading the disease.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 20 May 2012 21:10:12 +0000

Aspergillus infections have associations with the development of asthma. That’s a pretty serious problem.

By: Brian Too

Brian Too — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:55:36 +0000

And yet I’ve heard that fungal infections are difficult to treat in people because fungal biology is too similar to our biology.

Perhaps the temperature difference was an adaptation of necessity? One of the few evolutionary choices available? Of course warm-bloodedness has a variety of consequences, including higher metabolic rates, higher energy requirements, and so forth.

By: starr

starr — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:53:19 +0000

What will if anything protect these bats from fungi?

By: terrance

terrance — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:26:31 +0000

don’t forget tea tree oil and sulfur soaps !

By: jld

jld — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:33:39 +0000

“So it seems we have warm-bloodedness to thank for protecting us from most pathogenic fungi,”

Or… Shall we have the fungi to thank for having pushed us to warm-bloodedness which has other advantages?