Scientists discovered that mushrooms in the Cortinarius genus use unique enzymes called polyketide synthases to produce chemical building blocks that become anthraquinone compounds. These mushroom enzymes work differently from similar enzymes found in molds and plants, showing that nature independently invented multiple ways to make the same important molecules. This finding reveals how different organisms evolved similar chemical-making abilities through completely different evolutionary paths, and suggests this principle applies to many other mushroom species as well.