Natural substances produced by organisms are known primarily as agents against cancer and other diseases. But they can do even more, as researchers from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics now show in the journal “Environmental Microbiology.” For the first time, the team was able to show that there is a climate-specific difference in gene groups responsible for the production of natural substances in lichen-forming fungi. The natural substances presumably contribute to the lichens’ ability to adapt to different environmental conditions. Find further information in the scientific study or the press release at Senckenberg. (Photo: Imke Schmitt)