The Fungi's Second Front

Having dedicated the better part of 2009 to understanding the threat posed by Ug99, a fungus that threatens to decimate much of the Eastern Hemisphere's wheat crop, our ears always prick up when we hear of looming agricultural catastrophes. The latest comes in the form of Pathogen206, which afflicts wheat with yellow rust (aka stripe rust). Like Ug99, the emerging pathogen overcomes one of mankind's key genetic defenses—a gene in which we seemingly placed far too much trust:

Following the...