rexi<p><a href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/giant-fungus-like-organism-may-be-a-completely-unknown-branch-of-life" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">livescience.com/animals/giant-</span><span class="invisible">fungus-like-organism-may-be-a-completely-unknown-branch-of-life</span></a></p><p>first Prototaxites fossil was discovered in 1843, scientists haven't been sure whether they were a plant, fungus or even a type of <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/algae" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>algae</span></a>. However, chemical analyses…suggested they were likely a giant ancient fungus.</p><p>…Prototaxites might not have been a humongous <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/fungus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>fungus</span></a> after all — rather, it may have been an entirely different and previously <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/unknownlifeform" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>unknownlifeform</span></a>. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed.</p>