How the fungus that can punch through Kevlar becomes a cereal killer

There’s a microscopic fungus that can starve nations and punch through Kevlar. It kills on such as scale that its effects can be seen from space. It’s called Magnaporthe oryzaeand it causes a disease known as rice blast. The fungus doesn’t infect humans, but it does kill rice. It kills a lot of rice, destroying up to 30 per cent of the world’s total crop every year – enough to feed 60 million people. Slowly, scientists have worked out how this cereal killer claims its victims. A rice plant’s woes begin when one of the fungal spores lands on its leaves. As soon as it is surrounded by water, the spore sprouts a dome-shaped structure called the appressorium. This is infection HQ – it’s what the fungus uses to break into the plant. Once inside, it reproduces, eventually causing lesions that kill the leaf. The appressorium produces glycerol as it ...