2026/05/28 by Jonathan Cazabonne, Frederik C. De Wint, Morgan Hughes +3 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Engineering · #Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy #Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies #Slime Mold and Myxomycetes Research
paper · doi:10.3389/frym.2026.1606219
openalex publication_date 2026/05/28 · openalex created_date 2026/05/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Laboulbeniales—most scientists just call them “la-bools”!—are microscopic fungi that live as parasites on arthropods, such as insects, and are unlike any other fungi you have ever heard of. What makes la-bools so special? Well, they look like they are from another world; they cannot live without the creatures they live on, and even scientists do not fully understand them yet. Join us to explore what la-bools look like, how they live, how they are studied and how you can help scientists learn more about them. These mysterious fungi teach us something important: even the species we do not know about or cannot see still matter and deserve to be protected.