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Rare European beetle harbors hidden island of unknown fungi
The study describes a new genus and species, Wilhelmdebeerea oxyuri, plus two new yeasts, living in a beetle that mostly colonises silver fir; the fungi are tiny, the headline isn't.
On air: Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte on The Weekend ShiftPublished
Photo: Obsidian Soul · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte on this story, from The Weekend Shift at 5:19 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Bioengineer.org's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Bioengineer.org: “Rare European ambrosia beetle harbors a hidden island of unknown fungi, including three brand-new species”.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 5:19 PM ET on The Weekend Shift, by Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte.
- Topics: European.
- BBN covered this story before: European Parliament votes 381-167 against Islamist entryism (October 18).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentScientists found a hidden island of unknown fungi inside a rare European beetle, including three brand-new species, and the study team calls it a remarkably isolated pocket of fungal diversity.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentDiversity. One yeast, Candida schatavii, made up between thirteen and ninety-two percent of the colonies in a single larva.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentSo basically one fungus is running the whole place.
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Photo: Terabass · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Acropora at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Bryan Berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Original uploader was Snowmanradio at en.wikipedia… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
The story so far
- European, Chinese carmakers launch product blitz at Paris car show · The Straits Times
- Bournemouth gets its first European home night this week · AP News
- European Union: The EU banned bananas that are too bendy. · Wikipedia
- European Union: The EU tried to ban mushy peas · Wikipedia
- European Parliament votes 381-167 against Islamist entryism · Fox News
- Rare European beetle harbors hidden island of unknown fungi (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, October 18, 2026 · the Weird News archive · all months
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