SUBSTANCE
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Latest Episode: Fungi 

Joe Hanson explores the surprising power of fungi with artist-turned-entrepreneur Phil Ross and BASF scientist Dr. Birgit Hoff. Far from being just mold or mushrooms, fungi are nature’s recyclers and bio factories, capable of producing antibiotics, vitamins, and even sustainable materials for fashion, packaging, and construction.

Phil Ross shares how his fascination with fungi led him from growing edible mushrooms to creating sculptures and finally growing leather-like materials at MycoWorks.

Birgit Hoff explains how BASF uses fungal fermentation to replace fossil-based chemical processes, producing essential compounds like vitamin B2. Compared to the chemical process, the biotechnology process requires one-quarter less energy, produces one-third less greenhouse gas, and is resource-efficient thanks to the renewable feedstock.

If you’re curious about fungi’s unique capabilities, biotechnology or the intersection of art and science, in this episode you will learn more about the talents from the underground.

Listen now!

Our guest: Phil Ross

Phil Ross is the co-founder and chief technology officer the CTO of MycoWorks, a company at the intersection of art and biotechnology. His creative research launched the field of mycotecture, a term he coined in 2008 to describe structures grown with mushroom mycelium, an infinitely renewable organic resource that can be used as an alternative to plastics and animal hides.

Ross’s patents and publications are foundational to the field of mycelium material science, and his artworks and installations have been exhibited internationally at MoMA, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, and The Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. A chef and naturalist, he began cultivating mycelium as a material for art and design in the 1990s, and grew reishi mushrooms for medicinal use while a hospice caregiver during the HIV crisis.

Our guest: Dr. Birgit Hoff

Birgit Hoff is Laboratory Manager and Senior Principal Scientist in the White Biotechnology Research Division at BASF SE in Ludwigshafen, Germany: A field, that is increasingly recognized as a key complementary technology driving the green transformation of the chemical industry. Hoff studied biology at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, where she specialized early on in fungal biotechnology. In 2021, she was honored with the Innovation Award of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) for her outstanding contributions to applied microbiological research in industry.

Currently, she leads R&D projects focused on developing and optimizing fungal strains for the industrial production of chemicals such as vitamin B2. 

Our host: Joe Hanson, Ph.D. 

Joe Hanson is an internationally recognized science communicator. Before working in science media and education, he researched genetic engineering and cancer biology, obtaining a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Texas.

He is the creator, host, and head writer of Be Smart, a YouTube science education show with more than 5 million subscribers on YouTube.
Hanson has won Webby and Telly Awards and the Kavli Science Journalism Award for his work. 

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