When I was 19 years old I visited the Organization of Tropical Studies’ La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Upon a nature hike with a resident researcher, a hypothetical, nearly sci-fi idea was thrown out for ways to significantly improve field work. The scientist painted the picture of a futuristic pocket-sized chip that could puncture leaf or animal tissue, do a lightning fast DNA extraction and PCR, query a genetic database, and within minutes identify a specimen – right in the field! He proclaimed that this invention would allow scientists to categorize greater biodiversity, understand ecosystems more fully, and help to clarify the taxonomy and phylogeny of tropical species.  

Daniel Janzen, a renowned tropical ecologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, is a major proponent of this theoretical device. Janzen has been involved in the 'Consortium for the Barcode of Life’ project, which includes members such as the Natural History Museum in London, the Smithsonian in the US, the University of Guelph in Canada, Rockefeller University in New York, and a host of other institutions. The goal of this research consortium is to use a single DNA sequence, (cytochrome oxidase I, a mitochondrial gene), to essentially tag, or “barcorde” every species on earth. Having one gene with which to identify all biodiversity is a lofty task that will require many skilled technicians in functioning genetic labs, as well as taxonomic experts to assign appropriate names and voucher specimens to all of these sequences. Still Janzen suggests that with the use of the proposed ‘gene chip’ the process could be conducted by a “six-year kid walking down the street.”  

Progress has already been made in the construction and usage of this 'theoretical' device. Mesa Tech International has developed the ‘DNA dipstick,’ a hand-held, battery-powered, disposable device that can identify nucleic acid sequence-level data within hours. This device has been used to identify microbial pathogens in agricultural crops and animals and thus improve human health. DNA microarrays have also been used in the Fish&Chips project which hopes to identify and categorize marine biodiversity. This project uses a ‘bio-chip’ made of glass that contains oligionucleotides fixed to the chips’ surface, which acts as a probe to bind complementary target DNA sequences by hybridization. This group also has a Phytoplankton Chip and Invertebrate Chip. With such technological developments in recent years, the quick identification of specimens in the field, as proposed by the Costa Rican researcher some years ago, suggests that this goal is not so far-fetched. DNA barcoding and the use of gene-chips will undoubtedly herald science into a new era, as we begin to database and identify genes of all of earth’s species. 

 Iman Sylvain

The study of how people interact with their environments is a fascinating field in which the interplay of traditional ecological knowledge, environmental psychology, and justice are explored. Although ethnobotany is relatively well-covered ground in scientific literature, ethnomycology still quite unchartered territory. Scholarly articles on the traditional uses of fungi as food, medicine, and ceremonial usage of hallucinogenic mushrooms have focused mostly on indigenous tribes in developing nations. Fascinating accounts have been made on the usage of psychoactive Psilocybe in Thailand (Gartz, 1994), the collection of on average the 8 species of edible mushrooms by Igbo women and children in Nigeria (Akpaja,, 2003), and the mysticisms associated with the infamous Amanita muscaria in a number of Latin America, Hindu, and even Roman culture (Lowy, 1974).  Considering that fungi have be used in a myriad of ways, such as fermenting alcohol, in recipes, as medicines, in many countries for such a long time, it is interesting that some cultures literally fear mushrooms. ‘Fungiphobia’ is a fascinating phenomenon that primarily plagues the United States and Great Britain. The fear of fungi primarily stems from the caution against consuming poisonous wild mushrooms, such as the Fly Agaraics. But upon further investigation we find that the death toll associated with mushroom poisoning is extremely low. In North American in 2009, there were 8 deaths caused by mushroom poisoning, 4 of those deaths were recorded in dogs (NAMA). Furthermore, of the 10,000 described species of mushrooms, roughly 400 species are poisonous, and of those, only 20 are common! Thus the consumption of poisonous mushrooms could be easily avoided with increased knowledge of mushroom identification. A number of European countries like Italy and France are quite ‘fungiphillic’ and appreciates a wide diversity of wild collected mushrooms in cooking. In the U.S. commercial production of mushrooms utilizes very few species. In fact, the three most highly produced mushrooms are all varieties of the same species, Agaricus bisporus, the button mushroom, AKA portabella and crimini. It is clear that a number of bioculutral services could be gained by setting aside our fungiphobia and delving embracing ethnomycology, if only to spice up our meals.

Iman Sylvain