Exobiology: Life on another planet
Additional cultures of Mycena cinerella mycelium, still in pure culture, still growing well on forest soil and organic debris with additional sources of toxic sewage sludge leachate, all of which was sterilized by autoclave, and still awaiting the production of mushrooms. Managing the in vitro cultures of M. cinerella (i.e., in the lab, outside of its normal habitat) is key to future culture medium extraction work. The fungus is producing and secreting enzymes that degrade the organic materials and toxins in the sludge, soil and debris, which then become nutrients for the fungus. The investigators at the NASA Astrobiology Institute at my alma mater, the University of California, Riverside, haven't seen anything quite like this planet of fungal mycelium.
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