Some Of The Most Incredible Organisms On Our Planet

Take a look at some of the most incredible organisms on our planet

- Andrew Shaw

Fungi are fascinating, yet we know so little about them. They are all around us – in the soil, the air, and even in our bodies. They can feed us, cure us – and if we’re not careful, they can kill us. At the last count, there were around 15,000 species of fungi in the UK, everything from toadstools and mushrooms, to mould, mildews and yeast. And now is the perfect time of year to spot them.

Flora or fauna?

Once classified as plants, fungi are now grouped in their own kingdom, somewhere between a plant and an animal. Unlike plants, they are not able to generate their own food through photosynthesis, so, like us, they need to absorb nutrition from other organic substances.

Medical wonders

A number of medications are derived from fungi. The antibiotic penicillin changed medical practice forever when it was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. Other treatments that are derived from fungi are cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant that helps prevent the rejection of organ transplants, and lovastatin, which lowers cholesterol.