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Five new fungi found on macadamia trees; baile funk album reviewed

Researchers identified the five species on macadamia trees and found they hold industrial enzymes; the tree reportedly never charged rent.

On air: Hank Ledger and Kenji Moonfield on Wake Up, America
Published 5:48 AM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

Photo: MorePix · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

▶ As it aired · Weird News

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from Wake Up, America at 5:48 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Bioengineer.org's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: MorePix · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Macadamia — Photo: MorePix · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

First reported by Bioengineer.org: “Fungi Living on Macadamia Trees Reveal Five New Species and a Trove of Industrial Enzymes”, with reporting from The Guardian.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 5:48 AM ET on Wake Up, America, by Hank Ledger and Kenji Moonfield.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Bioengineer.orgFungi Living on Macadamia Trees Reveal Five New Species and a Trove of Industrial Enzymes
The GuardianWeird Baile: Collected Rips 2004-2024 review – a hallucinatory trip to baile funk’s outer limits

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorScientists have found five new species of fungi living on macadamia trees, along with a trove of industrial enzymes that could be put to work.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the tree had five roommates this whole time and none of them chipped in for the nuts.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEnzymes are what break things down, Kenji, and now they may have jobs in industry.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe mushrooms got employed before I did. I'm taking this personally.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAlso today, The Guardian reviews Weird Baile, a collection of baile funk rips from two thousand four to two thousand twenty-four, and calls it a hallucinatory trip to the genre's outer limits.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentHallucinatory?
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThat's just the soundtrack the fungi play when the tree goes to sleep.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorDo the fungi have a review score yet?

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