plant species fungal partnerships survival 400 million years

Most plant species depend on fungal partners

More Than 90%

More than 90% of plant species form partnerships with fungi. The fungi can help plants obtain water and nutrients, while plants provide them with sugars. Partnerships of this kind go back at least 400 million years.

A bacterium's CRISPR can keep a timeline of past infections

Bacteria usually add new pieces of viral DNA to one end of their CRISPR array. Because the newest pieces are added in order, the array can preserve a genetic timeline of viruses the bacterium and its ancestors encountered.

Simple cave marks are older than pictures of animals and people

Some of the oldest known cave art consists of hand shapes, lines, and geometric marks rather than pictures of animals or people. Figurative cave art appeared later, though known examples still date back at least 40,000 years.

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plant species fungal partnerships survival 400 million years

Most plant species depend on fungal partners

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