The land, water and air around us are chock-full of DNA from fungi that scientists can't identify. Like dark matter, these organisms are hidden, connected with no known species—or organism. It's not just fungi; microbial dark matter makes up as much as 99% of microorganisms currently can't be cultured and studied.

I'm reminded of the Barry Lopez quote from Arctic Dreams that I can't presently find about how landscapes always surpass our expectations of them.