Ep 44: Alex Moskaluk on the Science of Sci-Fi Fungi

The Science in The Fiction

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This is our fourth and final episode on the theme of Sci-Fi Fungi, where we dig a little deeper into the current science and future science of mycology with Dr. Alex Moskaluk, a mycologist and professor of biology at the University of Guelph. She specializes in zoonotic fungi, fungal pathogens that can jump from animals to humans and vice versa. We discuss how fungi are evolving resistance to antifungal treatments in much the same way as bacteria are developing antibiotic resistance, developing mechanisms for evading the human immune system, and learning to specialize in human infection. So basically continuing along our apocalyptic sci-fi themes… did you know that some fungi can kill you by growing abscesses into your brain!? But on the brighter side, we also talk about some cool science fictional possibilities these organisms may offer us in the future: some fungi can absorb radiation and could be used to shield space ships and extraterrestrial colonies from space radiation! They can break down moon regolith or rock on other planets to make soil and building materials. And it seems we are just scratching the surface of even more amazing capabilities – like actually reducing the radioactivity of disaster sites like Chernobyl by… well, you can’t do that with plain old chemistry so, are they somehow capable of inducing nuclear reactions? Can we create future super-materials one day, like fungal Kevlar or a fungal cable for space elevators? Just a few of the crazy ideas that came out of this conversation, in the finest tradition of digging deeper into the science in the fiction.
https://ovc.uoguelph.ca/pathobiology/people/faculty/alex-moskaluk/

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