US Charges Chinese Researchers in Fungus Smuggling Case

Two Chinese researchers are in trouble. They are charged with smuggling a fungus into the U.S. This happened last summer and now there is tension between countries.

The men, Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, face many charges. These include smuggling and making false statements. Jian is in court, but Liu is likely in China now.

Liu had the fungus in his backpack when he flew to the U.S. He said he did not know what it was. He said he wanted to use it for research at a university lab.

The fungus, Fusarium graminearum, hurts crops like wheat. It causes a disease that can kill them. This disease costs U.S. farmers one billion dollars each year.

This fungus makes grains unsafe to eat for people and animals. Farmers must throw away the bad grains. Scientists study this fungus to learn about its genes and how it changes.