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A fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. They are classified as a kingdom that is separate from plants, animals and bacteria. One major difference is that fungal cells have cell walls that contain chitin, unlike the cell walls of plants, which contain cellulose. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology, which is often regarded as a branch of botany, even though genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange. They have long been used as a direct source of food, such as mushrooms and truffles, as a leavening agent for bread, and in fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce. Since the 1940s, fungi have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently, various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in detergents. (more...)

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November 17: International Students' Day

• 1558 – Elizabeth I became Queen of England and Ireland, marking the beginning of the Elizabethan era.
• 1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: French forces defeated the Austrians at the Battle of the Bridge of Arcole in a maneuver to cut the latter's line of retreat.
• 1855 – Explorer David Livingstone became the first European to see Victoria Falls (pictured), one of the largest waterfalls in the world, on what is now the Zambia–Zimbabwe border.
• 1869 – The Suez Canal, which allows water transportation between Europe and Asia by linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, opened to shipping.
• 1950 – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was enthroned as Tibet's head of state at the age of fifteen.
• 1997 – Sixty-two people were killed by terrorists outside the Deir el-Bahri, one of Egypt's top tourist attractions, in Luxor.

More anniversaries: November 16 – November 17 – November 18