MEXICO: Scientists have determined how a cold-tolerant fungus can stimulate the growth of thin strands of ice that sprout from rotting wood like hair.
A century-long puzzle over how delicate strands of glistening ice burst through rotting tree branches, like heads of hair, is closer to being solved.
The strands, called “hair ice,” exist only when cold-tolerant fungi are present, and scientists now understand how the fungi can stimulate ice growth.
Alfred Wegener, famous for his continental drift theory, first identified and studied hair ice in 1918. At the time, he suspected the ice formation was linked to the presence of mycelium — the roots of a fungus that live on rotting wood and absorb nutrients, forming a pale, white, cobweblike coating. However, it wasn’t until about 90 years later that researchers found evidence that the fungal roots were vital precursors to hair ice. After treating mycelium-covered wood with a fungicide or dipping it in scalding water, hair ice didn’t grow, they found.
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