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Ancient fungus as tall as a traffic cone found in China

Researchers in Yunnan Province described the species in Frontiers in Fungal Biology, dating it to the era when the dinosaurs died out; the reporting does not say more.

On air: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on BBN Overnight
Published 12:57 AM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

Photo: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

▶ As it aired · World

Watch it as it aired: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN Overnight at 12:57 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are ScienceAlert's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Yunnan — Photo: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by ScienceAlert: “Meet D-Rex: Ancient Fungus as Tall as a Traffic Cone Has Just Been Discovered in China”.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 12:57 AM ET on BBN Overnight, by Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield.
Topics: China.

The real story

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

ScienceAlertMeet D-Rex: Ancient Fungus as Tall as a Traffic Cone Has Just Been Discovered in China

What BBN said about it

Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIn Yunnan Province in southern China, researchers have described a new fungus, and they have named it D-Rex.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIts fruiting bodies stand about as tall as a traffic cone, and the study dates the species to the time the dinosaurs died out.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIt survived the extinction and it still has a catchy name. That's a brand with sixty-six million years of retention.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe paper appears in Frontiers in Fungal Biology. It does not say how many people have been told.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo it was a mushroom in the woods the whole time, waiting for someone to look down.

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