Microgreens: Fungi that bleed, glow, and hijack brains (yes, really)
Imagine a fungus slipping into your bloodstream, hijacking every single neuron and freezing you alive while it knits its own flesh with yours.If you were an ant or a spider, that could be you — but thankfully, Ophiocordyceps doesn’t (yet) affect humans.In this Microgreens episode, we’re peering into the terrifying and slightly creepy world of fungi.In our main episode, we covered why fungi are important. Today, we’re getting into their dark side...In this episode I share:What the bleeding tooth fungus is and what it doesThe real-life zombie fungus and why it won’t affect humans any time soonHow glow-in-the-dark mushrooms workWhat the dead man’s fingers fungus isThe potential health benefits of lion’s mane mushroomsWhat slime mould is and why it can moveEpisode quote:“In fact, we are closer related to fungi than they are to plants.”Episode sources: Hydnellum peckii overview and atromentin info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydnellum_peckii Zombie-ant fungus life-cycle (National Geographic): https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/cordyceps-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants 50-million-year fossil zombie fungus: https://www.sci.news/paleontology/allocordyceps-baltica-09786.htmlFungal bioluminescence pathway transferred to tobacco (open-access paper): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7681015/ Dead man’s fingers ecology note: https://purduelandscapereport.org/article/dead-mans-fingers/Lion’s mane (Hericium) neuro-protective review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5987239/ Slime-mould maze-solving experiment (Nature 2000): https://www.nature.com/articles/35035159
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9:28
Fungi: The Weird, Ancient Lifeform That Runs the World
Without this one thing, every single thing you know and love would disappear. Soil would fail, forests would starve, antibiotics would, well, vanish, and your morning coffee, bread, beer, and even chocolate would be gone. The thing I’m talking about is everywhere. It’s probably in your lunch. It’s almost certainly in your lungs. It’s in your sourdough starter, your compost heap. Got a clue yet? Most people don’t actually know what these things are. I’m talking about fungi. Fungi are not plants, not animals, not bacteria — they’re something else entirely. And they’re really, really old.They’re older than dinosaurs, older than sharks — they might even be older than plants, depending on how you define a plant.Today, I’m diving into something I’m actually violently allergic to: fungus. I’m covering everything from what fungi actually are (because it turns out most of us have no idea) to why they might be the most important thing on Earth… ish.In this episode I share: What prokaryotes and eukaryotes areWhat fungi actually areThe different types of fungiHow fungi moved from ocean to land and began a symbiotic relationship with plantsHow fungi can decompose almost anything — including radiationZombie fungus (and whether we should worry)How fungi reproduceWhy they’re incredibly usefulSome of the annoying and dangerous things they doHow we might use fungi to help fix the planet.Key quotes:"Fungi are more closely related to us than to plants.""Turns out plants talk way more than you think they do."Sources: Billion-year-old fungal fossils (Nature 2019): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1217-0Armillaria “humongous fungus” 9 km² individual: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/Prototaxites 8 m Silurian-Devonian giant: https://www.science.org/content/article/ancient-giant-fossils-may-be-world-s-oldest-known-terrestrial-fungi90 % of plants with mycorrhizae (Nature Scitable): https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/an-ecological-and-evolutionary-perspective-on-mycorrhizal-24286790/Mycorrhizal carbon sink 3–7 Gt CO₂ yr⁻¹ (Science 2022): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abf3457Penicillin discovery background (Nobel Prize): https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1945/fleming/facts/Statins from Penicillium citrinum (review): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5958453/Cyclosporine discovery story: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7568434/Psilocybin phase-II depression trial (JAMA Psychiatry 2021): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2787297Plastic-eating fungus Pestalotiopsis microspora (2011 study): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22269855/ CDC overview of Candida auris drug resistance: https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/Chytrid fungus amphibian decline paper (Science 2006): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1125069Mycoremediation and mycofiltration review (Biodegradation 2018): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10532-018-0914-8Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/You can follow me on socials on the below accounts.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/
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24:20
Microgreens: the guy who f*ed the planet – and how we’re still cleaning it up
Leaded petrol has made us measurably dumber.Scientists suspect that leaded petrol has also made us more aggressive and of course it kills people as well. And the same guy who put lead in fuel also created a miracle refrigerant that tore a hole in the one thing that protected our planet from runaway radiation from the sun. This is the first of our Microgreens episodes where I spend a short amount of time answering your questions, or talking about something that may not get a whole, full episode.For the first episode I wanted to talk about the guy who really f*ed the planet twice.In this episode I share:The story of Thomas Midgley Jr.The issues with cars in the 1920s and how Thomas fixed itHow lead got added to petrolThe repercussions of lead in petrol started rapidlyWas Thomas Midgley really to blame?Thomas's second F up – the problem of leaking fridgesUnderstanding the science around lead and why it's so harmful to humansWhy Freon was Thomas's solution to the killer fridge problemThe science behind Freon and how it destroyed the ozone layerThe Montreal Protocol and the healing of the ozone layerKey quotes:"Epidemiologists have since pinned a global loss of IQ points to this very factor""Higher lead levels also correlate with spikes in violent crime""A UN campaign only just got the last countries out of leaded fuel in 2021""Back in the 1920s fridges killed people""The only reason our planet is habitable at all is because the ozone layer prevents about 90% of that radiation from reaching the earth’s surface"Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/You can follow me on socials on the below accounts.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/
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13:19
Who Killed the Electric Vehicle?
Most of the cabs on the streets of New York back in 1899 were electric, so why did they disappear? And why has it been so hard to bring them back?In this episode, I am diving into the history of electric vehicles to reveal why a cleaner, quieter, and generally better technology got stamped out almost as quickly as it arrived.This is part of our series, “Inventions That Changed the World”, and I think you’ll find it very eye-opening.In this episode, I share:The early history of the electric carWhy electric vehicles vanished for almost a centuryThe 3 players that were quietly steering the EV off the roadHow EVs made an attempted return in 1990What stopped the EVs in the 1990sHow the emergence of Tesla influenced the latest EV surgeSome of the myths around EVs that influence people's hatred of themWhat’s being done to stop the atrocious slave labour in EV productionKey Quotes“EVs are better, end of story.”“In Aotearoa, 12% of our cars are electric.”“Most of the cabs on the streets of New York back in 1899 were electric.”Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/You can follow me on socials on the below accounts.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/
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25:10
Fast beauty sucks! What is it, why is it and how can you be a better beauty consumer
Fast beauty may look pretty on the surface, but there is a massive catch; the real cost of keeping up with these ever-changing trends, to people and planet. I'm having a chat about the not-so-pretty side of fast beauty – from the piles of plastic packaging to the pressure on our planet. I've got some stats that might just make you rethink that next 'must-have' beauty buy. But don't worry I do get it, and there are ways to buy beauty products you love, without so much impact. It's about finding that sweet spot between staying trendy and being a true kaitiaki.In this episode I talk about: What fast beauty is and how it took over the industryHow social media fuels trend cycles and overconsumptionThe environmental impact of beauty packaging and wasteWhy “natural” doesn’t always mean sustainableThe hidden water and resource footprint behind beauty productsWhat fast beauty means for ethics, labour, and ingredient sourcingThe difference between cruelty-free and vegan (and why it matters)Why we buy more than we use - and what that really costsWhat to look for in truly sustainable beauty brandsHow to shift your routine without giving up what you loveThe one thing you can focus on to make your beauty routine more ethicalWhy your spending power matters more than you thinkFind our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatswhaticall.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatswhaticallgreen/You can follow me on socials on the below accounts.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briannemwest/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briannemwestLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemwest/For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/
Join Brianne West, environmentalist and social entrepreneur, as she wanders through the world of 'sustainability'. "Now, That's What I Call Green" busts myths, shares the science, and talks about the amazing world we live in (with lots of cute animals). Does rewilding help? But what can I do? Are electric cars better? Is it too late to do something about climate change? Why don't sharks have bones? For those curious about the environment and eager to make a difference, tune in for a non-judgmental, evidence-based approach that is all about progress over perfection.
South Africa