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Corrections to the articles "Deadly Kingdom" by Maryn McKenna and "Fabric From Fungi" by Cypress Hansen which appeared in a previous issue are presented.

Examines the secondary fungal metabolite gliotoxin, which may aid in the safeguarding of transplanted organs as well as serve as a model for anticancer drugs. Other secondary metabolites, such as penicillin and cyclosporin A; How it is farmed. INSET: The secret of fungal poisons.;A hint of infection in the air..

The article discusses the application of industrial microorganisms in the pharmaceuticals industry in the U.S.. Microorganisms manufacture not only a host of antibiotics like penicillin but also vitamins, hormones, alkaloids, antitumor drugs and interferons. The world bulk sales of the four most important groups of antibiotics: the penicillins, the cephalosporins, the tetracyclines and erythromycin, amounted to 4.2 billion dollars in 1978.

Eleven substances including naphthalenones, naphthoquinones, unsymmetrical naphthoquinone dimers and a chlorinated diphenyl ether, three of which are new, have been isolated from the fungus PHAEOSPHAERIA sp. The absolute stereochemistry of naphthalenones has been determined by the Mosher and exciton chirality methods. The biological activity of these compounds against MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS and cytotoxicity against KB, BCA, NCI-H 187 and Vero cell lines were evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the behavior and ecology of fungi. Topics include the ecological role of fungi, a species of soil-dwelling fungi of the genus Trichoderma that coils around a rival's hyphae and uses mechanical force and enzymes to penetrate and liquidize its contents, and fungal predation of various soil organism, such as nematodes and arthropods. Examples of deadly fungi include the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), Harposporium crassum, and Ophiocordyceps amazonica.

Reports on the discovery of collagen in the yeast-like fungus Microbotryum violaceum. Support for the belief that fungi are cousins of animals instead of close relatives of plants; Collagen in the fimbriae of the fungus; Investigation of the biological properties of purified fungal protein.

The article offers science news briefs from Sigma Xi's online newsletters. In the July 2009 "Marine Mammal Science" R.L. Brownell, Jr., et al. attribute a 2004 near-stranding of whales to U.S. Navy sonar. S.B. Andersen et al. describe the deadly effects of Ophiocordyceps fungi on Asian carpenter ants in "The American Naturalist" of September 2009. In the August 26, 2009 issue of "PLoS ONE," M. Linderman et al. discuss an electronic means for translating handwriting into computer text.

The article discusses research on root fungi and associated rock erosion and chemical breakdown. It cites researcher Steeve Bonneville and colleagues on the effects of the fungi Paxillus involutus on biotite in rocks as reported in the July 2009 issue of "Geology." It notes the fungal consumption of potassium in the biotite, associated openings formed in the rocks, and the exposure of iron compounds to oxygen that led to further erosion.

The apparent lifelessness of the Ross Desert is in marked contrast to the diversity of cryptoendolithic microorganisms inhabiting the interstices of sandstone rocks. The endolithic habitat provides a protective niche for lichens, bacteria, algae, and fungi, enabling them to exist in an extremely dry and cold climate. Composed solely of microorganisms living under the surface of rocks and totally lacking animals and protozoa, this ecosystem is controlled by measurable physical variables and well suited for ecosystem study and modeling. The work of the antarctic cryptoendolithic microbial ecosystem research group has involved physical measurements of nanoclimate (microbial environment inside rocks) (Friedmann, McKay, and Nienow 1987), taxonomy (Darling, Friedmann, and Broady 1987; Hale 1987), microdistribution, organism-substrate interactions including the ongoing process of fossilization (Friedmann and Weed 1987), physiological ecology, and quantification of the nitrogen economy.