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January 17 - February 11, 2023
Even bacteria have viruses within them (a nanobiome?). Even viruses can contain smaller viruses (a picobiome?). Symbiosis is a ubiquitous feature of life.
Two kilograms: €12,000.
Two kilograms: €12,000.
White-truffle
White-truffle
These fungi have never been domesticated and can only be found in the wild.
These fungi have never been domesticated and can only be found in the wild.
Our eyes can distinguish several million colours, our ears can distinguish half a million tones, but our noses can distinguish well over a trillion different odours.
Our eyes can distinguish several million colours, our ears can distinguish half a million tones, but our noses can distinguish well over a trillion different odours.
We outperform rodents and dogs in detecting certain odours, and we can follow scent trails. Smells feature in our choice of sexual partners and in our ability to detect fear, anxiety or aggression in others. And smell is woven into the fabric of our memories; it is common for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to have olfactory flashbacks.
We outperform rodents and dogs in detecting certain odours, and we can follow scent trails. Smells feature in our choice of sexual partners and in our ability to detect fear, anxiety or aggression in others. And smell is woven into the fabric of our memories; it is common for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to have olfactory flashbacks.
human noses can detect some compounds at as low a concentration as 34,000 molecules in one cubic centimetre, the equivalent of a single drop of water in 20,000 Olympic swimming pools.4
human noses can detect some compounds at as low a concentration as 34,000 molecules in one cubic centimetre, the equivalent of a single drop of water in 20,000 Olympic swimming pools.4
In 2010, in a crime of passion, a French truffle farmer, Laurent Rambaud, shot dead a truffle thief he encountered while patrolling his truffle orchards during the night. Following his arrest, 250 supporters marched in support of Rambaud’s right to defend his crop, angry at the rise in thefts of both truffles and truffle dogs. The deputy head of the Tricastin truffle growers’ union told La Provence newspaper that he had advised fellow producers never to patrol their fields with a gun because ‘the temptation is too high’. Lefevre put it well. ‘Truffles bring out the dark side of people. It’s
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In 2010, in a crime of passion, a French truffle farmer, Laurent Rambaud, shot dead a truffle thief he encountered while patrolling his truffle orchards during the night. Following his arrest, 250 supporters marched in support of Rambaud’s right to defend his crop, angry at the rise in thefts of both truffles and truffle dogs. The deputy head of the Tricastin truffle growers’ union told La Provence newspaper that he had advised fellow producers never to patrol their fields with a gun because ‘the temptation is too high’. Lefevre put it well. ‘Truffles bring out the dark side of people. It’s
...more
On the west coast of North America, bears upend logs and dig out ditches looking for the prized matsutake mushroom.
On the west coast of North America, bears upend logs and dig out ditches looking for the prized matsutake mushroom.
elk with noses bloodied in their hunt for matsutake in sharp pumice soils.
elk with noses bloodied in their hunt for matsutake in sharp pumice soils.
Some species of tropical rainforest orchid have evolved to mimic the smell, shape and colour of mushrooms to...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Some species of tropical rainforest orchid have evolved to mimic the smell, shape and colour of mushrooms to...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
orchid bees crowding around a crater in a rotting log. Male orchid bees collect scents from the world and amass them into a cocktail which they use to court females.
orchid bees crowding around a crater in a rotting log. Male orchid bees collect scents from the world and amass them into a cocktail which they use to court females.
Mating takes seconds, but gathering and blending their scents takes their entire adult lives.
Mating takes seconds, but gathering and blending their scents takes their entire adult lives.
Agarwood, or oudh, is a fungal infection of Aquilaria trees found in India and south-east Asia
Agarwood, or oudh, is a fungal infection of Aquilaria trees found in India and south-east Asia
The best oudh is worth more, gram for gram, than gold or platinum – as much as $100,000 per kilogram – and the destructive harvest of Aquilaria trees has driven them to near extinction in the wild.
The best oudh is worth more, gram for gram, than gold or platinum – as much as $100,000 per kilogram – and the destructive harvest of Aquilaria trees has driven them to near extinction in the wild.
Of the thousand-odd species of truffle in North America, only a handful are of culinary interest.
Of the thousand-odd species of truffle in North America, only a handful are of culinary interest.
a large number of people are offended by the aroma of the otherwise prized species. Some species smell outright repulsive.
a large number of people are offended by the aroma of the otherwise prized species. Some species smell outright repulsive.
(the record holder is the split gill fungus, Schizophyllum commune, which has over 23,000 mating types, each sexually compatible with nearly every one of the others).
(the record holder is the split gill fungus, Schizophyllum commune, which has over 23,000 mating types, each sexually compatible with nearly every one of the others).
Truffles themselves are the outcome of a sexual encounter: for a truffle fungus like Tuber melanosporum to fruit, the hyphae of one mycelial network must fuse with those of a separate, sexually compatible network, and pool genetic material.
Truffles themselves are the outcome of a sexual encounter: for a truffle fungus like Tuber melanosporum to fruit, the hyphae of one mycelial network must fuse with those of a separate, sexually compatible network, and pool genetic material.
Sex happens when a ‘-’ hypha attracts and fuses with a ‘+’ hypha. One partner plays a paternal role, providing genetic material only. The other plays a maternal role, providing genetic material and growing the flesh that matures into truffles and spores.
Sex happens when a ‘-’ hypha attracts and fuses with a ‘+’ hypha. One partner plays a paternal role, providing genetic material only. The other plays a maternal role, providing genetic material and growing the flesh that matures into truffles and spores.
Some fungi grow adhesive nets, or branches to which nematodes stick. Some use mechanical means, producing hyphal nooses which inflate in a tenth of a second when touched, ensnaring their prey.
Some fungi grow adhesive nets, or branches to which nematodes stick. Some use mechanical means, producing hyphal nooses which inflate in a tenth of a second when touched, ensnaring their prey.
produce hyphal stalks capped with a single toxic droplet that paralyses nematodes, giving the hypha enough time to grow through their mouth and digest the worm from the inside.
produce hyphal stalks capped with a single toxic droplet that paralyses nematodes, giving the hypha enough time to grow through their mouth and digest the worm from the inside.
produce spores that can swim through the soil, chemically drawn towards nematodes, to which they bind. Once attached, the spores sprout and the fungus harpoons the worm with specialised hyphae known as ‘gun cells’.23
produce spores that can swim through the soil, chemically drawn towards nematodes, to which they bind. Once attached, the spores sprout and the fungus harpoons the worm with specialised hyphae known as ‘gun cells’.23
To grow truffles, you have to grow trees. You have to acknowledge that the soil is full of life. You can’t cultivate truffles without thinking at the level of the ecosystem.
To grow truffles, you have to grow trees. You have to acknowledge that the soil is full of life. You can’t cultivate truffles without thinking at the level of the ecosystem.
Without a leader or command centre, a swarm of ants can work out the shortest route to a source of food.
Without a leader or command centre, a swarm of ants can work out the shortest route to a source of food.
Researchers at the Unconventional Computing Lab at the University of the West of England have used slime moulds to calculate efficient fire evacuation routes from buildings.
