We Should Worry About These Fungi Spores From Near the Edge of Space
Life keeps showing up in the harshest places on our planet and, according to recent discoveries, far above it. Scientists who sent improvised probes attached to weather balloons into the frigid upper reaches of Earth's stratosphere discovered hundreds of rieties of fungal spores floating — and thriving — in air too rarified for even planes to fly.
The finding is both exciting and unnerving. Some of the species can be fatal to people and destroy crops. Researchers say the spores most likely reach the stratosphere during extreme weather or environmental events such as severe storms and wildfires. Once there, they can survive for centuries, occasionally falling back to Earth during intense rainstorms.
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