POPULAR SCIENCE - While refrigerators store food at safe temperatures and keep it fresh, they can also be a breeding ground for fuzzy gray mold that spoils fruit. Most molds thrive in warm temperatures, but many can grow in the refrigerator by producing spores. The spores can go airborne and accumulate inside the refrigerator and infect fruits and vegetables. However, plants may not be completely defenseless against this creeping fungus. According to a study published December 15 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, plants use a stealth molecular weapon to attack the cells of gray mold.
“Plants are not just sitting there doing nothing. They are trying to protect themselves from the mold, and now we have a better idea how they’re doing that,” study co-author and University of California, Riverside microbiologist Hailing Jin said in a statement.