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The fungus among us

Undeveloped fertile heads of Cordyceps entomorrhiza emerging from body of larva of beetle in the family Cerambycidae
Ian Redding
/
Getty Images
Undeveloped fertile heads of Cordyceps entomorrhiza emerging from the body of larva of a beetle in the family Cerambycidae.

Since we just spent a number of years thinking about viruses, here’s a question: Should we be pretty worried about funguses, too?

This hour, a look at the real-life fungal infection of ants that inspired the video game and HBO series The Last of Us. Plus, we talk with a local mushroom farmer and an author who writes fungal fiction and looks at the role of fungi in our world.

GUESTS:

  • William Beckerson: Post-doctoral research Fellow with the National Science Foundation
  • Patricia Kaishian: Mycologist and visiting assistant professor of biology at Bard College
  • Chris Pacheco: Owner of Seacoast Mushrooms in Mystic, Connecticut
  • Jeff VanderMeer: Author of a number of books, including the Southern Reach Trilogy, which includes Annihilation; he co-founded The Sunshine State Biodiversity Group

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 6, 2023.

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Lily is the senior producer for The Colin McEnroe Show. She first worked at Connecticut Public as an intern in 2014. She has previously worked for WBUR, KUNC and as a producer for the New England News Collaborative's weekly show Next. Lily can be reached at ltyson@ctpublic.org.