Want to know the time? Ask a fungus

摘要

Life on Earth has evolved to take advantage of the speed at which the planet spins. Plants, for example, can harvest more light and thus out-do their competitors if they anticipate sunrise and get their photosynthetic machinery ready to capture early rays while it is still dark. But to have the system primed all the time would be a waste of effort, so they need to know exactly when to switch it on.