A fungus (/ËfÊÅÉ¡És/; plural: fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from the other eukaryotic life kingdoms of plants and animals. A characteristic that places fungi in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria and some protists, is chitin in their cell walls.
The 11-year cycle of the number of sunspots was first demonstrated by Heinrich Schwabe (1789-1875) in 1843. There have been several periods during which sunspots were rare or absent, most notably the Maunder minimum (1645-1715), and less markedly the Dalton minimum (1795-1820) (Fig 2.8 in the book).
The rarest diamond in the world based on size is The Cullinan Diamond originally weighing in at 3106.75 carats. That gem was then cut in nine large chunks, 96 small ones and 9.5 carats of unpolished pieces and put into the various British Crown jewels. The Cullinan is white in color. Other rare diamonds include: Recent trends have led the industry toward fancy yellow, champagne, brown, pink and even a few red diamonds out there. The natural occurrence of these colours is rare, and some vendors treat stones so that they become these more rare colours.