A team of scientists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University have pushed back the timeline for when fungi appeared on Earth by one billion years.
From fossils and rare genetic ‘gene-swap’ clues, researchers have reconstructed fungi’s deep timeline and revealed how they helped shape early Earth ecosystems.
“Fungi may have shaped Earth’s landscapes long before plants appeared. By combining rare gene transfers with fossil evidence, researchers have traced fungal origins back nearly a billion years earlier than expected. These ancient fungi may have partnered with algae, recycling nutrients, breaking down rock, and creating primitive soils. Far from being silent background players, fungi were ecosystem engineers that prepared Earth’s surface for plants, fundamentally altering the course of life’s history.”
