Ascus
Ascus, a word that rhymes with cactus, is like a tiny house that lives inside certain fungi.
Just like how we live in houses, fungi live in these tiny houses that are called ascus. But unlike human houses, ascus are so small that you can't see them without using a really powerful microscope.
Inside this little house, the fungi makes special cells that have two sets of genetic instructions - one set from the mother and one set from the father. These cells are called spores, like seeds in a plant.
When the spores are ready, they burst out of the ascus and can grow into new fungi. And just like human babies look a little like their parents, these new fungi look a little like the fungi that made the spores.
Scientists use these tiny ascus to help them study different types of fungi and figure out how they related to each other.
Just like how we live in houses, fungi live in these tiny houses that are called ascus. But unlike human houses, ascus are so small that you can't see them without using a really powerful microscope.
Inside this little house, the fungi makes special cells that have two sets of genetic instructions - one set from the mother and one set from the father. These cells are called spores, like seeds in a plant.
When the spores are ready, they burst out of the ascus and can grow into new fungi. And just like human babies look a little like their parents, these new fungi look a little like the fungi that made the spores.
Scientists use these tiny ascus to help them study different types of fungi and figure out how they related to each other.