Scientists have apparently examined more than 80 fungi types that are found in the fur of the three-toed sloth. They have discovered several strains that show potential for combating cancer, malaria and bacterial infections.
“We now have a much better understanding of the biosynthetic pathways, the ways plants and fungi produce chemicals. We can transfer these biosynthetics to other organisms like yeast. Yeast cell factories then take on the role of producing those medicinal chemicals, reducing the need to harvest species in the wild,” says entomologist Ross Piper of the University of Leeds.
Meanwhile at Kew they are sequencing the DNA of plants and Fungi to classify and discover new species. As biodiversity is lost, the race is on to conserve nature’s trove of specimens, to hopefully use for humanity’s sake in the future.
