ABSTRACT
Fungi existed long before the first humans appeared. The so far oldest molecularly identified remains of fungi were found in 810-715 million-year (Ma)-old dolomitic shale from the Democratic Republic of Congo, whereas various older Precambrian fossils suggesting fungal filament fragments, spores and lichen-like structures are difficult to distinguish from fossil prokaryotes and hence remain ambiguous. The use of macrofungi for different purposes by humans has a very long history, with particular presumable applications seemingly already existing in the Neolithic period and proven record for other types of uses dating back to ancient times. The evolution of fungal sexual reproduction strategies involving the formation of fruit bodies, which are most prominent in basidiomycota and ascomycota, resulted in the most likely oldest form of utilisation of fungi by mankind. Macrofungi were also used for various medicinal purposes since a long time and various genera are well known to produce different bioactive compounds.
