Archive for April, 2010
There are some interesting reviews of iPhone and/or iPad apps planned for future posts, but in the mean time, here is a run down of some apps of interest to the mycology community in particular. Note: All descriptions are from the developers websites or from iTunes. Some of these look good, others… not so much. [...]
Tags: iPad, iPhone, mycoapps, mycology apps, software
It’s not every day you get clued in on a story of possible mycological interest by visiting the Drudge Report (FYI, to balance things out, I also check The Huffington Post). But, there it was–Potentially deadly fungus spreading in US, Canada. A potentially deadly strain of fungus is spreading among animals and people in the [...]
Tags: cryptococcosis, Cryptococcus gattii, fungal disease, medical mycology
It looks like things are going to get worse before they get better when it comes to bats and the fungal scourge of white nose syndrome (WNS). Over the past month there has been steady production of web updates on the spread of the disease and recently there has been an uptick. What Can Be [...]
Tags: bats, white nose syndrome, WNS
A blog called The Stir recently had a short post on the most hated foods. According to 9 Foods We Love to Hate, mushrooms came it at number 5. In this admittedly unscientific poll, the only foods ranked worse than mushrooms were anchovies, onions, liver and tofu. Well! Fungus is a Food? Now my interest [...]
Tags: cooking, edible mushrooms, food, mushrooms
It is possible that leaving an agar plate laying around the lab for a month could produce something akin to art. Or, microbes can be deliberately arranged on a nutrient surface to produce interesting images a la Nial Hamilton. Then again, when it comes to Petri dish art, there is no reason why any living [...]
Tags: art, biology-inspired, Klari Reis, Petri dishes
Thanks to a tip from @mushrooming, we learn of some recent research out of Japan that could lead to greater yields of mushrooms. It sounds like something Nicola Tesla would have tried (who knows, maybe he even did) but according to Lightning-powered mushrooms could boost food yields: Japanese farming lore has long observed that plentiful [...]
Tags: electricity, mushroom growing, nameko, shiitake
Word on the web is that people are getting excited about morels. One of the guys MycoRant follows on twitter has mentioned getting his gear ready and making a few preliminary forays to check things out. In fact reports are already starting to come in about successful hunts. ‘Shroom, ‘shroom, ‘shroom: Guess who went morel [...]
Tags: Morchella, morels, mushroom hunting
Strobel’s mycodiesel project maybe getting some competition from researchers in Spain according to Direct Production of Biodiesel from the Fungus M. circinelloides; Opportunity to Enhance Yield with Genetic Engineering: Researchers in Spain have demonstrated the direct transformation of biomass consisting of the fungus M. circinelloides into biodiesel compliant with ASTM D6751 and EN14213 and 14214 [...]
Tags: biodiesel, biofuel, Mucor, mycodiesel
Mushrooms are cute. At least some of them are. And whether people like to eat them or not, and whether or not people understand their ecological importance, almost everyone will agree that they make darned good fantasy creatures and scenery. They make for some pretty cute dolls too. The Cute Shrooms of Mushroomland Some of [...]
Tags: animation, mushroom dolls, mushroom film, mushroomland, Natasha Guruleva
