Spores Lab

Mycology (the study of Fungi) is rapidly gaining popularity as humanity comes to the realization that fungi can provide several physical, cognitive, economic, environmental, and psychological benefits. Fungi are some of the oldest organisms on the planet, and interestingly shared an ancestor with humans until about 1.5 billion years ago when they split from the “animal” branch of the tree of life. This split occurred when organisms in the animal branch began to encapsulate nutrients in a cellular sack (a stomach) for digestion, whereas Fungi continued to digest at an individual cellular level. Fungi propagate their genetic code through the dispersion of spores, and survive by consuming nutrients from their environment (mostly in the form of detritus and decaying material). Therefore they play a crucial role in the health of any ecosystem, as they are the primary decomposers of both plant debris like cellulose/lignin, and dead/decomposing animal tissue. Furthermore, they also have extra...