5/ The expedition didn’t end in the field. Most of the team then travelled to 🇿🇦 to join the Mycobiomics meeting at #FABI, continuing discussions & strengthening international networks in fungal research @ms-fungi.bsky.social @funguscrous.bsky.social @nerimanyilmaz82.bsky.social

4/ From forest floors to lab benches to conference halls, this collaboration is a powerful reminder of how global partnerships drive science forward, especially in uncovering the hidden world of fungi. 🍄💡

3/ Each day ended with lab sessions: processing samples, exchanging techniques, and diving deep into the shared passion for fungal diversity. These moments of collaboration were as valuable as the time in the forest. 🔬💬✨ @ms-fungi.bsky.social @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social

2/ Hosted by Josphat Matasyoh (@EgertonUniversity), the team explored multiple sites to collect soil, mushrooms, and insect- & plant-associated fungi in one of East Africa’s richest biodiversity hotspots. 🌱🌿🪲 @ms-fungi.bsky.social @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social @lisha-hzi.bsky.social

6/6 The #Mycobiomics project connects researchers across Asia, Africa, & Europe, investigating fungal microbiomes to discover metabolites & biological control agents via advanced OMICS techniques 🌐🍄 www.mycobiomics.eu

5/6 And everyone attend the #FABI Year-End Function to celebrate a year full of success. Here's to advancing fungal research together! 🥂 #FungalResearch

4/6 Javariya during her stay collaborated with Dr. Thabiso Motaung & @nerimanyilmaz82.bsky.social on fungal biofilms, while worked with @cobusvisagie.bsky.social on how to describe new #Penicillium species. Collaborative science in action! 🤝

3/6 On 3 Dec, @echarria21.bsky.social together with @nerimanyilmaz82.bsky.social presented a workshop titled "From Natural Product Biosynthesis to Mining Genomes." Participants learned about biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), genome mining, & tools like AntiSMASH & CAGECAT. 🧬

2/6 On 18 Nov, @ms-fungi.bsky.social delivered a seminar during MMM titled "Natural-product based drug discovery at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research," showcasing cutting-edge research on natural products at HZI. 🧪