Word: fungi
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With all those scary microbes out there, it's hard to get worked up over a toenail fungus or a case of athlete's foot. But the fungi that cause these and dozens of other infections are not as trivial as they may seem. Fungi have a way of turning nasty--seeping into the bloodstream and invading vital organs. Lately they've been doing that more and more, thanks to increased travel (which exposes people to fungi for which they have no immunity) and to immunosuppressant drugs (which leave patients vulnerable to what would otherwise be innocuous fungal infections...
However, as anyone who has wrestled with a persistent case of athlete's foot knows, it's not easy to root out a fungus once it's taken hold. Part of the problem is that fungi are complex organisms that have more in common with human cells than with bacteria or viruses; medications that are toxic to fungi are often just as toxic to humans...
...real hopes for the long term are pinned to molecular biologists; they are best equipped to identify targets unique to fungi and to design drugs that will attack them and them alone. Tiny biotech companies and huge pharmaceutical firms alike are working on drugs that will kill off fungi by preventing enzymes from binding to DNA or by halting protein synthesis...
...good news about fungi is that they are relatively stable. As recalcitrant as they are, they don't morph rapidly like bacteria into superstrains that are resistant to drug therapy. So once someone figures out how to control fungi, chances are they will remain at bay for a long time...
...Borneo, Madagascar and the Amazon basin into objets d'art. Not a human is in sight, though Lanting's artistry and perseverance are hard to miss in these kingdoms where he was the intruder and adversary. As he notes, "I have seen leaf-cutter ants eat my tent, fungi grow in my lenses, and larvae emerge from the flesh of my leg." This reasonably priced volume is ideal for the bright child who needs to know there's a world beyond PlayStation2--a world of drama, danger and grandeur; a realm both beautiful and imperiled. Lanting's gorgeous pictorial essay...