Earth Became Habitable Thanks to Them
Fungi are indispensable for the planet by helping trees absorb water, treating infections in the body and breaking down plastic.
Researchers from University of California have found traces of sterols in rocks dated to 635-660 million years old. Sterols are only found in certain species of marine fungi, which is a very old animal group.
Fungi have for a long time been considered our earliest ancestors, but new research conducted by an international team around Christian Hallmann and Benjamin Nettersheim suggests that they may have appeared much later than previously assumed.
