Search


	Podcast:		Science in Action
	Episode:		Is This Fungus the World’s Biggest Organism?
	Category:		Religion & Spirituality
	Duration:		00:28:16
	Publish Date:		2018-12-20 15:00:00
	Description:		The ‘Humungous Fungus’ is older and bigger than previously thought. This enormous honey fungus has been revisited and reanalysed using scientific techniques that had yet to be invented when it was first discovered in the 1980s. Genomic analysis and GPS show how far the fungus has spread, and surprisingly how little genetic variance it has developed in its long lifespan. The fungus is now thought to be at least 2,500 years old. Researchers say understanding why it lacks genetic mutation might be useful in understanding cancer. And we visit a really ‘Far out’ object. Thought to be a remnant of planet formation and now in the far reaches of our solar system, this object has been appropriately named ‘Far out’. Looking further back we have the latest from the ALMA space telescope and its images of the birth of planets. And not quite as far back, we hear recently discovered 50 year old tapes which detail the key moment when the US overtook the Soviet Union in the space race. Picture: Armillaria Gallica Credit: Getty Images Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Julian Siddle
	Total Play:		0