Phys.org  August, 1, 2024 Extremes in the magnitude and frequency of temperature changes are increasing across the planet, raising questions as to how the biosphere will respond. An international team of researchers (USA – Duke University, University of North Carolina, Germany) examined mechanisms of adaptation to temperature in the fungus Ashbya gossypii. They found that control of the nuclear division cycle and polarized morphogenesis, both critical processes for fungal growth, were temperature sensitive and varied among the isolates. The phenotypes were associated with naturally varying sequences of an RNA-binding protein called Whi3 which regulated both nuclear division and polarized growth. […]