#and despite their messy history they still have a strong partnership together

[jeddyfest]

Jeddy Fest 2020 Master List

A massive thank you to all our contributors for making Jeddy Fest so much fun this year!

Fic:

All Smoke, No Fire - by @thealmostrhetoricalquestion (20K, T) -  Teddy and James have been partners for years, taking the Curse-Breaking world by storm. They know each other. They trust each other. There's no room for secrets, not in their line of work, and definitely not in their totally platonic, casual, friendly partnership.

as beautiful as endless - by @mapyourstars (5K, E) - James comes home from training with, like, 10 times as many freckles.

that love of mine - by @goldentruth813 (5K, E) - James and Teddy have been together for a while, and things are good. Great even. Perfect, if you ask James. And while James is maybe (okay definitely) arse over tit in love with Teddy, Teddy doesn’t do love. And that’s okay. That’s fine. James can pretend things are casual as long as he needs to. Or so he thinks.Until one day James catches Teddy wearing his clothes, and there’s no ignoring his feelings any longer.

Where You Belong - by @fidgetyweirdo (26k, T) -  He lost everything during the coma. His flat, his girlfriend, his career, and six years of his life. Now, as James -- who he remembers as a mischievous fourteen year old but is now a fit healer -- helps him adjust to his new normal, Teddy discovers that what he gains might just make up for all the rest.

Caving In - by @motherofmercury (7K, E) - On a family holiday, James Sirius persuades Teddy it's a good idea to go exploring in a cave system that has long been rumoured as cursed. Alone and stuck in the caves, with certain memories wiped, the pair realise that despite the situation, they are both incredibly attracted to the other...

The Best Birthday Of His Life - by @ladderofyears (4K, M) -  It was April the nineteenth and today was Teddy Lupin’s thirty-first birthday.Today was April the nineteenth and James Sirius Potter was a messy, stumbling drunk and all alone in a flat that was horribly, eerily silent.There ought to be a stack of birthday cards above the hearth, the images on their covers dancing and spinning. There ought to be a steady stream of friends, family and loved ones knocking on their door, bearing armfuls of beautifully-wrapped, enchanted gifts. Mum ought have baked Teddy one of her six-tier birthday cakes, each layer of icing charmed to replicate exact shade of Teddy’s rainbow hair.And Teddy ought to be there, pulling James into his lap at the end of a long, busy day that they’d both enjoyed.“The best birthday of my life,” Teddy ought to have said, brushing a series of chaste kisses across Jamie’s jaw and Jamie would have raised an eyebrow at his lover’s predictability. “They’re the same words you use every year,” Jamie would have joked and Teddy would have laughed then. He always did. “That doesn’t make them less true,” Teddy would have replied.

Masquerade - by @micheleblack (10k, T)  -  You know Cinderella. You know Jeddy. Oh, you’re still reading… Teddy learns about a masquerade ball in Prince James’ honor. Will he go? I mean, duh, it’s a retelling of Cinderella - Jeddy-fied!

out of step, off my feet - by @valryon (4k, M) -  Teddy wraps his arms around James tightly, letting himself feel his warmth and the unmistakable sound of his heart beating strong and loud against his own chest. He’s so grateful for the way he can hold James like this after a match like that, instead of walking next to him on a stretcher.

Who We Are - by @thirdeyeblinkings (6k, M) -  Teddy and James have a history of lifelong friendship, as well as an incident of bad timing when they might have become something more. But none of that matters now that neither of them remembers who they are or what they mean to one another. Lucky for them, love has a way of transcending time, memory, and magic.

 it’s a thing to see (when a boy comes home) - by @potter-loves-malfoy  (10k, E) -  If it was anyone but James—or any other family member—he would tell Harry about it in a heartbeat. But there’s just something off-putting about telling your godfather, ‘It’s weird between us because I fucked your son five years ago, right before I fucked off to Japan for five years, and then ignored all of his owls. Oh, I also definitely would not mind fucking him again.’

Love on hold - by @andithiel (18k, E) - James Sirius Potter is a world famous quidditch player, he’s good looking, and he can have anyone he wants. The problem is, James has been in love with Teddy for years, and he's been trying to get over it in every way possible. Surely becoming flatmates can't make it any worse? But James hadn't considered how it would feel to see Teddy with one partner after another, especially as his own feelings only seem to be getting stronger, along with his insecurities.

along the dotted line - by @mapyourstars (6k, M) -  James and Teddy have been best mates for a long time, but living together for the past year has started to put some strain on their friendship.

In My Arms - by thegirlwhochosetostay (11k, T) -  When James and Teddy find themselves stuck in a cave while their memories are lost, it's up to them to figure out who they are and what their relationship is to each other. When the incorrectly assume they are lovers, hidden problems reveal who they really are. And when they are found do they want to continue the relationship they thought they had in the cave?

Art: 

Clothes-Stealing - by @eleonorapoe (G) - Teddy and James are dating for some time when one day Teddy realize, that he didn´t bring any clean clothes to James. If only there was an easy solution to his problem before he will be late to work;)

Bubblegum - by @motherofmercury (G) - Art of Teddy and James kissing bc jeddyfest and why not.

[icedanceupstarts]

2019 Junior World Championships Preview

Thirty-one dance teams take on Zagreb, Croatia for the last major junior event of the 2018/2019 season, because wow does time fly. Check below for our preview of some of the top contenders you won’t want to miss!

Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER Canada Age: 16/20 Started Skating Together: 2018 Coach: Julien Lalonde Season's Best: 135.66 Rhythm Dance: A Evaristo Carriego Free Dance: Quand on na que l'amour(2:09:00 on the video)

Ice dance tends to favor lengthier partnerships, but Fabbri/Ayer have been forced to do a speed run of their junior career, as he ages them out after this. They suffered serious growing pains in the fall, but hit their stride starting with Skate Canada Challenge, and grabbed the silver at Nationals ahead of some heavy competition in order to win a berth here. Alicia Fabbri has been around and a favourite of ours for the past two seasons with former partner Claudio Pietrantonio, but this will be the first trip to Junior Worlds for either. Watching them skate together, it's clear why they teamed up despite the inconveniences-- they have great depth of edge, power, and matching glide, and as they’ve gotten used to competing together they give the impression of a more established team. The ideal partnership is the one that works, and as they've settled into each other, it's clear that this works. Alicia has always been such a mature, nuanced performer and Paul is a very strong lead that has helped them come together so quickly. They're kind of wildcards-- they had a very messy fall season that made us increasingly nervous, and it's hard to be sure just how a clean, strong Fabbri/Ayer will stack up in this crowd. Rather than the actual results, the important part is probably that they show up with two strong, clean skates with good levels and high performance quality to best showcase their abilities and begin their transition to seniors with a positive experience.

Marjorie LAJOIE / Zachary LAGHA Canada Age: 18/19 Started Skating Together: 2011 Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis Season's Best: 166.52 Rhythm Dance: Otros Aires Free Dance: Warsaw Concerto

One of the major medal contenders here, the three time Canadian Junior National Champions will be looking for redemption after a history of close calls. 4th at Junior Worlds last year, and 4th again at JGPF in December, Lajoie/Lagha will want to close out their junior career with a medal, possibly even the gold. They're one of the veterans of the field, with this being their fourth trip to Junior Worlds, and they're ready to move on to the senior ranks even though they have another year of eligibility left. They’ve really stepped up recently showing more maturity in their skating and finding ways to connect with each other and the audience. They have a really sharp midline step sequence in their rhythm dance this year, and their free dance opens with an undeniably stunning stationary lift. If they skate the way they can at their best, such as at JGP Richmond in the fall, it will be difficult for their rivals to keep them off the podium.

Maria KAZAKOVA/Georgy REVIYA Georgia Age: 17/19 Started Skating Together: 2017 Coach: Denis Samokhin Season's Best: 164.65 Rhythm Dance: Building the Bullet Free Dance: Carmina Burana

Kazakova/Reviya made their Junior World debut last season where they cracked the top 10, and have continued to make a statement this year winning the first JGP medals in ice dance for Georgia as well as qualifying for the JGPF in their first JGP season together. These two have risen fast through the ranks and have an outside shot at a medal here. They had a somewhat disappointing experience at JGPF, tripping in the pattern during the rhythm dance and placing last in both segments, but that just means the pressure is off here. They have no domestic competition to worry about, they're not aging out, and the spotlight is off them despite having posted some very competitive scores at points in the season. This makes them perfect dark horse material if any of the bigger favorites screw up. All they need to worry about is themselves. They've got a lot going for them, speed and power, and they're really getting to be able to skate up to the drama of Carmina Burana, which is no small feat. They have a really great lift in the free dance as well, and they're generally committed performers. Even if they don't climb on the podium this year, they can set themselves up as big contenders for next season. As long as they remember that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, Kazakova/Reviya can make quite a splash in their second appearance at Junior Worlds.

Elizaveta KHUDAIBERDIEVA / Nikita NAZAROV Russia Age: 16/20 Started Skating Together: 2016 Coach: Denis Samokhin Season's Best: 164.54 Rhythm Dance: Tango Amore Free Dance: Human/Nemesis

Reigning JGPF and Russian junior national bronze medalists, Khudaiberdieva/Nazarov are one of the teams making their Junior Worlds debut who are also aging out of juniors after this season. They definitely have a chance to keep up their medal streak here, and potentially more than just bronze. They're a team that knows their strengths and use them to full effect-- the dramatic, eye catching opening to their tango which makes full use of her long lines and flexibility has stuck with us all season. They've tinkered with their angsty, modern free dance, a great fit for their performance style, over the season though that great stationary lift has stuck around. They’ve struggled with consistency issues and giving up big points on fluke errors in the past, but have proven themselves to be formidable competitors in their third season skating together.

They defeated rivals Lajoie/Lagha on their home ice, which was no small feat particularly considering Khudaiberdieva/Nazarov qualified to the JGPF without having to face off against any major rivals. But they delivered under pressure and will at minimum be looking to put out two strong performances and ideally take home one more junior medal., but even so it was by a hair and they'll need to be at their best to medal again. Despite winning both of their JGPs, they're not favored to take the top spot, which may be all the better for them. If they can clean up their little errors and skate with all the speed and emotion they're capable of while getting good levels, they have a great shot at earning a medal.

Sofia SHEVCHENKO / Igor EREMENKO Russia Age: 17/21 Started Skating Together: 2014 Coach: Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin Season's Best: 170.66 Rhythm Dance: La Cumparsita Free Dance: Witchdoctor/Lijo

In their fourth and final junior season, Shevchenko/Eremenko are aiming to finish out their junior career on top of the podium before making the jump to the crowded senior ranks. They've never missed a JGP medal in their four seasons on the circuit, but have always been overlooked in favor of their rivals until this season, indeed, until the JGPF where they were the surprise winners by the slimmest margin possible. They followed that up with a more decisive victory at Russian Junior Nationals, winning by around four points. In our opinion their tango is one of the best this season at any level, they have such an instinctive feel for it and wonderful choreographic touches as well. Her spin exit out of their twizzles and their lift perfectly timed to the musical accents and styled for the tango are highlights. Their free dance is innovative and quirky with elements perfectly suited to the music and a standout choreo character step sequence. Their last Junior Worlds may only be their second appearance at the event, but they’ve set themselves up quite well this season to wind up in one of the top spots.

Arina USHAKOVA / Maxim NEKRASOV Russia Age: 16/18 Started Skating Together: 2015 Coach: Alexei Gorshkov Season's Best: 172.81 Rhythm Dance: Libertango/Flamenco Free Dance: Black Cat, White Cat

The reigning Junior World Medalists, Ushakova/Nekrasov absolutely peaked at the right time last season and will be looking to do so again this year. After an impressive start to the season where they absolutely dominated both of their JGPs, they lost out on the JGPF title but a heartbreakingly close margin of 0.01 to domestic rivals Shevchenko/Eremenko. They skated well at Nationals but were unable to take the title there either. They still have the highest personal best of the teams here, earned with their unforgettable athletic, quirky style. Despite their undeniable talents like speed and power that would fit right in at the senior level, and a rare commitment to performing, they're a bit of an acquired taste. Their performance style and approach to their programs is uniquely them., which makes them stand out from the crowd even if it turns some people off.

It’s worth noting that last season they also lost to Shevchenko/Eremenko at both JGPF and Nationals before beating them to the podium at Junior Worlds. They’ve got up to two more seasons in juniors if they want it, but as they showed with their Junior Worlds bronze last year, there’s no time like the present to make a statement.

Caroline GREEN / Gordon GREEN United States Age: 15/17 Started Skating Together: 2009 Coach: Elena Novak and Alexei Kiliakov Season's Best: No ISU SB, 157.41 at Mentor Torun Cup Rhythm Dance: "Essa" by Ostra Aires Free Dance: The Devil Violinist

An impressive 6th in their Junior Worlds debut last season, the Greens’ fast rise through the junior ranks was interrupted when Caroline took ill and missed the fall season. She recovered and they bounced back in time to win Sectionals, Golden Spin, Torun Mentor Cup, and finally their first Junior National title, beating out heavy favorites Nguyen/Kolesnik. By the time January rolled around, you couldn't tell that they'd missed any time at all. They've always been fast and powerful for their ages, but a growth spurt over the past year has only accentuated that. They're especially strong in the rhythm dance, where their power, long lines, and flair are shown off to the greatest effect. Their presentation and projection isn't quite as developed and mature as some of the other teams, but they have great attack in their skating and performance. Definitely a team on the rise, and while this may be a pretty stacked event for the top spots, they shouldn’t be counted out.

Eliana GROPMAN / Ian SOMERVILLE United States Age: 18/18 Started Skating Together: 2009 Coach: Elena Novak and Alexei Kiliakov Season's Best: 148.51 Rhythm Dance: Nuevo Tango Free Dance: Mozart L'Opera Rock

The newly crowned US National bronze medalists will be making their Junior World debut (and are also somehow both adults now?) and looking to try to muscle their way through the tightly packed top ranks. Their JGP season was not without its struggles, but hopefully they can take some confidence from earning both their first JGP medal and their first top 3 finish at Nationals. These two have been skating together awhile and have such an instinctive feel for each other as well as a lovely glide and great edge quality. They need more power and amplitude in their skating to take it to the next level, but their flow across the ice is incredible, and their partnering is seamless and fluid. Their expression is top-notch, and their movements are always purposeful and placed. If they can hit their levels and present good programs, they could set new personal bests and even sneak ahead of some more decorated teams.

Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK United States Age: 16/17 Started Skating Together: 2017 Coach: Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Carmerlengo Season's Best: 165.63 Rhythm Dance: Building the Bullet/Vuelvo Al Sur Free Dance: “Demons” by Imagine Dragons/Experience by Ludovico Einaudi

In their second season together, Nguyen/Kolesnik made a huge splash and became fan favorites as they qualified to their first JGPF. At their second JGP event, they even beat Shevchenko/Eremenko to take the gold, although they faltered a bit at JGPF, placing fifth. They had some stumbles in the rhythm dance at Nationals, causing them to lose the title, although they fought back and won the free. They're a quick, agile team with a lot of charisma and showmanship, and they're always a delight to watch. They pull difficult elements out of nothing with particularly impressive lifts fitting the music and character of their programs. Their size difference sometimes makes skating in hold a little awkward, and they're not quite generating the power of some of their competitors, but they have some of the best lifts out there as well as an innate sense of showmanship. They're young and only in their second season together and regardless of the outcome, this will be a great experience(no pun intended) for them, but they have a great shot at the podium if they clean up their tango.

[cathcacen]

I’ll be your friend, your other brother

Strahan dies and Rei finds comfort in an unexpected source.

Virkove isn’t at all what she’d expected. In the days following her arrival in the city with Heulan and their new friends, Ora has managed to make some new contacts – the local barkeeps, apothecaries, tradesmen, and smiths. She’s gained some valuable information regarding the trading norms of the Northerners, and she’s even managed to touch base with the Keep’s suppliers.

All in all, she thinks it’s been a very productive trip.

She doesn’t expect to see their forlorn travelling party again, so she’s more than surprised when Rei shows up at her lodgings in town, a bundle of furs and a basket of baked goods in tow.

The young woman is obviously exhausted – dark rings circle dull eyes, and there’s an edge in her voice that betrays anxiety. Her hair is limp, the curls knotted into a messy tangle at the nape of her neck. Despite that, she tries for a smile, and Ora has to wonder how long it’s been since the woman has slept through the night.

“Rei, hi.” She ushers the young woman into her and Heulan’s shared quarters, and fusses about with the tea. Her partner is currently out – something about helping a new friend with building a baby’s cot – and she’d only just gotten back from a daytrip to a nearby hamlet. “How’re you doing?”

“Well enough.” Rei’s words don’t match her expression, but Ora finds she doesn’t have the heart to call her out for the lie. “I’m sorry it took so long to call on you. We were a little caught up.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” She pours some boiling water into their teapot, hoping she’s got the right leaves, then sets it down, along with two cups, at the table in the centre of the room. “We were at the funeral. It was a very heartfelt ceremony.” She pauses, and hopes she’s saying the right things. It isn’t often she’s had to make this kind of small talk. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Yes, I thought I saw you and Heulan at the hill.” The healer’s smile is slightly strained. “We didn’t get to thank you for your help getting us back safely. I’m glad you’re still here – I was worried I wouldn’t be able to thank you properly. Have you connected with the local merchants?”

She nods at the other as she pours the tea. It’s under-steeped. Shit. “Some, yes. We’re working out the details for a couple of trading partnerships. Then we’ll have to do the rounds and see what goods are needed here.” Her cheeks flush warmly as she nudges a cup of tea forward. “Sorry. Heulan makes the tea. I just drink it.”

Rei lets out a wry chuckle, the barest hint of amusement flashing across her eyes. Then, reaching over, she digs into her basket, withdrawing a clear bottle filled with warmly-coloured, golden-brown liquor. “I brought something a little stronger, so I’ll be drinking this if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, thank the gods.”

The healer downs the first glass of tea, then fills both teacups with her liquid courage. They clink their cups together; it’s a rich, smoky whiskey she tastes, full-bodied and slightly salty. She’s just deciding that she likes it when she realises Rei’s poured a second glass.

“Hey. Wow.”

“Strahan.” Rei raises her cup again, the motion half-hearted. “To my brother, who knew bones and fine whiskey.”

She reaches out to grab the healer’s wrist, frowning. It’s a little presumptuous, she knows, but instinct tells her the young woman isn’t a frequent drinker. Not like you’re one to be giving advice here, but it doesn’t hurt. “You sure you want to be doing this? Are you even supposed to be drinking?”

As Lear tells it, the battle that had killed Strahan had also left Rei bedridden for a couple of weeks.

Rei thins her lips, meeting her eyes. Mild annoyance flashes in the hazel-greens, but it is quickly replaced with something else – a silent, vulnerable plea coupled with just a hint of nervousness. The words cut into the silence, sending ice into her heart. “I don’t want anyone at home to worry.”

She studies the young healer. Rei is strong, she knows – physically strong enough to pull away and drink all she damn well pleases. She doesn’t need permission – not from her family, not from her friends, and certainly not from me. The realisation hits. She just wants company – the company of a perfect stranger who won’t judge or worry unnecessarily.

It feels a little familiar.

“Alright, then.” She drains her own cup and allows Rei to refill it. “Alright. To your brother, who knew bones and fine whiskey.”

She finds herself standing at Rei’s front door one week later. The Naveau manor occupies a large plot of land atop a hill, built with plenty of room to spare. In better times, it might have housed the family’s retainers and servants. But it’s a time of war, and they will all have been relocated to the front by now – cooks for the militia, assistants for the officers, and scribes for the record-keepers. It’s Chryse who answers the door and points her to the family rooms upstairs.

Rei is sitting on the floor of a large bedroom – Strahan’s, she assumes – shoulders slumped over as she sorts through piles of books, charts, and notes. She’s not dressed for visitors, bundled up in an ink-stained nightgown and a thick, fur-lined robe. The healer is as unkempt as Ora has ever seen her. It’s not a pretty sight.

She glances up as Ora enters, evidently a little confused. “Oh, Ora. What’re you doing here?”

“Just wanted to check up on you.” She kneels beside the healer, then gently rights an overturned bottle of ink. In addition to destroying the healer’s nightgown, it’s seeped into the floorboards, staining the dark wood a midnight blue. “I know I’m not a healer, but I’m pretty sure drinking all that whiskey wasn’t the smartest idea you’ve ever had.” She pauses, and Rei favours her with a slightly embarrassed smile. “You didn’t end up throwing up and ripping your stitches, did you?”

Rei bites her lip and focuses her attention upon a stack of papers. “Let’s not talk about that. I thought you were due to leave today?”

“We’re thinking of taking a short trip to Tormorden tomorrow, but that’ll take us three days at the most.” She settles down on the floor, crossing her legs. “Heulan and I talked it out, and we think we might stick around for a bit after all. There’s plenty that needs doing here.”

“Oh?” Rei nods thoughtfully. They’d discussed it before, enroute back to Virkove from Lut Gholein, but she’s not sure the healer remembers – Rei had mostly spent that trip lost in her own thoughts after all. “Well, it makes sense that neither of you want to be near Caldeum at this point, I guess.”

She manages a weak little laugh at that. We all have unpleasant history with Caldeum after all. “We were thinking to make Virkove our base of operations for a bit. Know who we can speak to about offering our trading services?”

“Of course.” The healer shuffles some more papers, then sighs and sets them aside atop a small stack of worn books. Yet more piles remain. “Speak to Captain Cethlion. I’ll introduce you when you get back from Tormorden.” Rei glances up. “Ugh, pass me that crate over there, will you?”

“Oh, that would be great.” She stretches out for the indicated crate. It’s filled with an assortment of used quills, bone fragments, and crumpled-up paper. A few gold coins clatter within. “Hey, should you be doing this alone?”

“There’s no one else.” Rei thins her lips, thick brows furrowing as she tosses other unwanted trinkets into the crate. “And it’s not like he’s coming home anyway. How’d you think I found his stash of whiskey?”

“Please tell me you haven’t drunk it all on your own.”

Rei’s expression takes on a slightly guilty cast. After, she shakes her head, and her voice is genuine. “Nah. I’ve learnt my lesson.” A soft sigh escapes the healer, and she slumps over again, hands falling limp over her lap. “I’m so tired, Ora. And I miss him.”

She lets out a breath. “I can’t say I know how you feel, Rei. I’ve never had a brother. But I hope you know you’ve got people on your side.”

Beneath the shadows cast by her hair, Rei’s eyelashes twitch. She doesn’t speak, but the names hang unsaid in the air. She’s aware of it – surely she knows she’s not alone, not really.

They work through the day together. Sometime past noon, Chryse shows up with some lunch. By sunset, they’ve managed to put away most of Strahan’s things – clothes to be given away, books for the library, and personal notes to be stored in Rei’s study.

Heulan’s already back at the inn by the time she gets back, cleaned up and ready for an early night. She climbs into his bed and presses her face into the small of his back, and when he turns around to ask if she’s okay, she nods and hugs him even tighter.

“Long day?”

“Not really.” She pauses, then sits up to look at her best friend. In the dim candlelight, his eyes are black, but warm as the sun and full of affection. “I don’t say this enough, but thanks for always being on my side.”

[lichenloglichenblog]

How a Guy From a Montana Trailer Park Overturned 150 Years of Biology

We here at the lichenloglichenblog encourage you to read this.

Biology textbooks tell us that lichens are alliances between two organisms—a fungus and an alga. They are wrong.

ED YONG, JUL 21, 2016 SCIENCE

In 1995, if you had told Toby Spribille that he’d eventually overthrow a scientific idea that’s been the stuff of textbooks for 150 years, he would have laughed at you. Back then, his life seemed constrained to a very different path. He was raised in a Montana trailer park, and home-schooled by what he now describes as a “fundamentalist cult.” At a young age, he fell in love with science, but had no way of feeding that love. He longed to break away from his roots and get a proper education.

At 19, he got a job at a local forestry service. Within a few years, he had earned enough to leave home. His meager savings and non-existent grades meant that no American university would take him, so Spribille looked to Europe.

Thanks to his family background, he could speak German, and he had heard that many universities there charged no tuition fees. His missing qualifications were still a problem, but one that the University of Gottingen decided to overlook. “They said that under exceptional circumstances, they could enroll a few people every year without transcripts,” says Spribille. “That was the bottleneck of my life.”

Throughout his undergraduate and postgraduate work, Spribille became an expert on the organisms that had grabbed his attention during his time in the Montana forests—lichens.

You’ve seen lichens before, but unlike Spribille, you may have ignored them. They grow on logs, cling to bark, smother stones. At first glance, they look messy and undeserving of attention. On closer inspection, they are astonishingly beautiful. They can look like flecks of peeling paint, or coralline branches, or dustings of powder, or lettuce-like fronds, or wriggling worms, or cups that a pixie might drink from. They’re also extremely tough. They grow in the most inhospitable parts of the planet, where no plant or animal can survive.

Lichens have an important place in biology. In the 1860s, scientists thought that they were plants. But in 1868, a Swiss botanist named Simon Schwendener revealed that they’re composite organisms, consisting of fungi that live in partnership with microscopic algae. This “dual hypothesis” was met with indignation: it went against the impetus to put living things in clear and discrete buckets. The backlash only collapsed when Schwendener and others, with good microscopes and careful hands, managed to tease the two partners apart.

Schwendener wrongly thought that the fungus had “enslaved” the alga, but others showed that the two cooperate. The alga uses sunlight to make nutrients for the fungus, while the fungus provides minerals, water, and shelter. This kind of mutually beneficial relationship was unheard of, and required a new word. Two Germans, Albert Frank and Anton de Bary, provided the perfect one—symbiosis, from the Greek for ‘together’ and ‘living’.

“That was the eureka moment. That’s when I leaned back in my chair.”

When we think about the microbes that influence the health of humans and other animals, the algae that provide coral reefs with energy, the mitochondria that power our cells, the gut bacteria that allow cows to digest their food, or the probiotic products that line supermarket shelves—all of that can be traced to the birth of the symbiosis as a concept. And symbiosis, in turn, began with lichens.

In the 150 years since Schwendener, biologists have tried in vain to grow lichens in laboratories. Whenever they artificially united the fungus and the alga, the two partners would never fully recreate their natural structures. It was as if something was missing—and Spribille might have discovered it.

He has shown that largest and most species-rich group of lichens are not alliances between two organisms, as every scientist since Schwendener has claimed. Instead, they’re alliances between three. All this time, a second type of fungus has been hiding in plain view.  

“There’s been over 140 years of microscopy,” says Spribille. “The idea that there’s something so fundamental that people have been missing is stunning.”  

The path to this discovery began in 2011, when Spribille, now armed with a doctorate, returned to Montana. He joined the lab of symbiosis specialist John McCutcheon, who convinced him to supplement his formidable natural history skills with some know-how in modern genetics.

The duo started studying two local lichens that are common in local forests and hang from branches like unruly wigs. One is yellow because it makes a strong poison called vulpinic acid; the other lacks this toxin and is dark brown. They clearly look different, and had been classified as separate species for almost a century. But recent studies had suggested that they’re actually the same fungus, partnered with the same alga. So why are they different?

To find out, Spribille analyzed which genes the two lichens were activating. He found no differences. Then, he realized that he was searching too narrowly. Lichenologists all thought that the fungi in the partnership belonged to a group called the ascomycetes—so Spribille had only searched for ascomycete genes. Almost on a whim, he broadened his search to the entire fungal kingdom, and found something bizarre. A lot of the genes that were activated in the lichens belonged to a fungus from an entirely different group—the basidiomycetes. “That didn’t look right,” says McCutcheon. “It took a lot of time to figure out.”

At first, the duo figured that a basidiomycete fungus was growing on the lichens. Perhaps it was just a contaminant, a speck of microbial fluff that had landed on the specimens. Or it might have been a pathogen, a fungus that was infecting the lichens and causing disease. It might simply have been a false alarm. (Such things happen: genetic algorithms have misidentified plague bacteria on the New York subway, platypuses in Virginia tomato fields, and seals in Vietnamese forests.)

But when Spribille removed all the basidiomycete genes from his data, everything that related to the presence of vulpinic acid also disappeared. “That was the eureka moment,” he says. “That’s when I leaned back in my chair.” That’s when he began to suspect that the basidiomycete was actually part of the lichens—present in both types, but especially abundant in the yellow toxic one.

“Toby took huge risks for many years. And he changed the field.”

And not just in these two types, either. Throughout his career, Spribille had collected some 45,000 samples of lichens. He began screening these, from many different lineages and continents. And in almost all the macrolichens—the world’s most species-rich group—he found the genes of basidiomycete fungi. They were everywhere. Now, he needed to see them with his own eyes.

Down a microscope, a lichen looks like a loaf of ciabatta: it has a stiff, dense crust surrounding a spongy, loose interior. The alga is embedded in the thick crust. The familiar ascomycete fungus is there too, but it branches inwards, creating the spongy interior. And the basidiomycetes? They’re in the outermost part of the crust, surrounding the other two partners. “They’re everywhere in that outer layer,” says Spribille.

Despite their seemingly obvious location, it took around five years to find them. They’re embedded in a matrix of sugars, as if someone had plastered over them. To see them, Spribille bought laundry detergent from Wal-Mart and used it to very carefully strip that matrix away.

And even when the basidiomycetes were exposed, they weren’t easy to identify. They look exactly like a cross-section from one of the ascomycete branches. Unless you know what you’re looking for, there’s no reason why you’d think there are two fungi there, rather than one—which is why no one realised for 150 years. Spribille only worked out what was happening by labeling each of the three partners with different fluorescent molecules, which glowed red, green, and blue respectively. Only then did the trinity become clear.

“The findings overthrow the two-organism paradigm,” says Sarah Watkinson from the University of Oxford. “Textbook definitions of lichens may have to be revised.”

“It makes lichens all the more remarkable,” adds Nick Talbot from the University of Exeter. “We now see that they require two different kinds of fungi and an algal species. If the right combination meet together on a rock or twig, then a lichen will form, and this will result in the large and complex plant-like organisms that we see on trees and rocks very commonly.  The mechanism by which this symbiotic association occurs is completely unknown and remains a real mystery.”

Based on the locations of the two fungi, it’s possible that the basidiomycete influences the growth of the other fungus, inducing it to create the lichen’s stiff crust. Perhaps by using all three partners, lichenologists will finally be able to grow these organisms in the lab.

In the Montana lichens that Spribille studied, the basidiomycete obviously goes hand-in-hand with vulpinic acid. But is it eating the acid, manufacturing it, or unlocking the ability to make it in the other fungus? If it’s the latter, “the implications go beyond lichenology,” says Watkinson. Lichens are alluring targets for ‘bioprospectors’, who scour nature for substances that might be medically useful to us. And new basidiomycetes are part of an entirely new group, separated from their closest known relatives by 200 million years ago. All kinds of beneficial chemicals might lie within their cells.

“But really, we don’t know what they do,” says McCutcheon. “And given their existence, we don’t really know what the ascomycetes do, either.” Everything that’s been attributed to them might actually be due to the other fungus. Many of the fundamentals of lichenology will need to be checked, and perhaps re-written. “Toby took huge risks for many years,” says McCutcheon. “And he changed the field.”

But he didn’t work alone, Watkinson notes. His discovery wouldn’t have been possible without the entire team, who combined their individual expertise in natural history, genomics, microscopy, and more. That’s a theme that resonates throughout the history of symbiosis research—it takes an alliance of researchers to uncover nature’s most intimate partnerships.

This part is from Lichenloglichenblog:

Lichen on!