Packet porcini and 'living rocks'
Dr Bryn Dentiger, a researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, bought a packet of dried porcini mushrooms at a local shop. Being an expert in fungi, Bryn wanted to know what species of porcini he had purchased, so he sequenced the DNA of the dried mushrooms (obviously) and was rather surprised at the result. Ben went to Kew to talk to Bryn about fungi and about his discovery...
Also on the podcast this month, we interviewed Artemis Louyakis, who studies Thromolites: tough rock-like structures, which are actually macrocolonies of bacteria. Artemis tells us about her research and the practical use that these structure might have in space travel.
Image Credit: Thinkstock