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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 The Last of Us, which is now back for its second season. 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  in Mystic, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø
  • Jeff VanderMeer: Author of a number of books, including the Southern Reach Trilogy, which includes Annihilation; he co-founded 

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on , 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's also a producer of the podcast 'Generation Barney.' She first worked at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø 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.
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