Nobel Prizes 2014; Gauge; Genetics and Diabetes; UK Fungus Day

Description:

UK Fungus Day
October 12th is UK Fungus Day, a chance for us to celebrate these cryptic, often microscopic, but essential organisms. Usually hidden away inside plants or in soil (or if you’re unlucky, in between your toes), fungi have largely been growing below scientists’ radars for centuries. Mycologists still don’t know anything close to the true number of fungi that exist on the planet. About a hundred thousand have been formally identified, but it’s estimated that anywhere from half a million to ten million species may exist. This dwarfs, by several orders of magnitude, how many mammals there are on Earth. And, increasingly, we’re realising quite how crucial fungi are to the functioning of our ecosystems. Head of Mycology at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Bryn Dentinger, explains how valuable fungi really are.

Nobel Prizes 2014; Gauge; Genetics and Diabetes; UK Fungus Day

BBC Radio 4 2014


Medical and Patient education videos

Showing 10 posts of 266 posts found.
  • Title

    Description