Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Astrobiology. 2022 Jun;22(6):637-640. doi: 10.1089/ast.2021.0186. Epub 2022 Feb 23.
"Fungi on Mars!": a popular news heading that piques public interest and makes scientists' blood boil. While such a statement is laden with misinformation and light on evidence, the search for past and present extraterrestrial life is an ongoing scientific effort. Moreover, it is one that is increasingly gaining momentum with the recent collection of martian rock cores from Jezero Crater by NASA's Perseverance rover. Despite the increasingly sophisticated approaches guiding the search for microbial life on other planets, fungi remain relatively underexplored compared to their bacterial counterparts, highlighting a gap between the astrobiological and fungal research communities. Through a meeting in April 2021, the CIFAR and research programs worked to bridge this divide by uniting experts in each field. CIFAR is a Canadian-based global research organization that convenes researchers across disciplines to address important questions facing science and humanity. The CIFAR and research programs were launched by CIFAR in July 2019, each made up of approximately two dozen international researchers who are experts in their fields. The program, led by co-directors John Mustard (Brown University, USA) and Barbara Sherwood Lollar (University of Toronto, Canada), aims to understand the complex chemical, physical, and biological interactions that occur within and between Earth's surface and subsurface to explore questions on the evolution of planets and life. The program, led by co-directors Leah Cowen (University of Toronto, Canada) and Joseph Heitman (Duke University, USA), seeks to tackle the most pressing threats fungi pose to human health, agriculture, and biodiversity and to harness their extraordinary potential. The programs met to explore areas for synergy within four major themes: (1) the origins of life; (2) the evolution and diversification of life; (3) life in diverse and extreme environments; and (4) extinction: lessons learned and threats. This report covers the research discussed during the meeting across these four themes.
“火星真菌！”：一则热门新闻标题，引起了公众的兴趣，也让科学家们大为光火。虽然这种说法充满了错误信息，而且缺乏证据，但寻找过去和现在的外星生命仍然是一项正在进行的科学努力。此外，随着美国宇航局的毅力号火星车最近从杰泽罗陨石坑采集了火星岩芯，这一努力也越来越受到关注。尽管指导在其他行星上寻找微生物生命的方法越来越复杂，但与细菌相比，真菌的研究仍然相对较少，这凸显了天体生物学和真菌研究界之间的差距。通过 2021 年 4 月的一次会议，加拿大基金会（CIFAR）和真菌学研究计划联合了各个领域的专家，努力弥合这一差距。CIFAR 是一个总部位于加拿大的全球性研究组织，召集跨学科的研究人员共同解决科学和人类面临的重要问题。CIFAR 于 2019 年 7 月启动了 CIFAR 和真菌学研究计划，每个计划由大约二十几名国际专家组成，他们都是各自领域的专家。由共同主任 John Mustard（美国布朗大学）和 Barbara Sherwood Lollar（加拿大多伦多大学）领导的计划旨在了解地球表面和地下内部及之间发生的复杂的化学、物理和生物相互作用，以探索行星和生命进化的问题。由共同主任 Leah Cowen（加拿大多伦多大学）和 Joseph Heitman（美国杜克大学）领导的计划旨在解决真菌对人类健康、农业和生物多样性构成的最紧迫威胁，并利用它们非凡的潜力。这两个计划在四个主要主题范围内进行了会议，以探讨协同作用的领域：（1）生命的起源；（2）生命的进化和多样化；（3）多样化和极端环境中的生命；以及（4）灭绝：吸取的教训和威胁。本报告涵盖了会议期间在这四个主题范围内讨论的研究。
