"After insects eat the fungi, they become mummified and a mushroom pops out of their head.”
Whoa, let's back up.
Over the summer, Paul Stamets came up with a mushroom that kills 200,000 plant-predatory insects without harming bees. Or rather, he taught a mushroom to perform this task.
Stamets, a mycologist (someone who studies fungi) has trained mushrooms to sporulate later than normal -- after they’ve been eaten by insects. Bugs aren't normally attracted to mushroom spores, but Stamets’ mushrooms allow the insects to eat them before anything happens. Once eaten, the mushrooms then sporulate and sprout inside, right through and out of the insects’ bodies.
This innovation now requires EPA approval, making this a good opportunity to see how much influence pesticide companies still have over the EPA. Grabbing the popcorn...
