Anaerobic fungi, which die in the presence of oxygen, dwell in herbivore guts and help them digest their last leafy meal. In their evolutionary history, these fungi branched off early from aerobic fungi, which can breathe oxygen—just like we do. Oxygen is a rich source of energy, and because anaerobic fungi can't harness it, scientists long held that these fungi don't have the energy to make complex compounds called natural products. Yet, combing through the genomes of four anaerobic fungal species has revealed, for the first time, that this group is unexpectedly powerful: they can whip up dozens of complex natural products, including new ones.
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