Morel Dilemma

Episode 14: The X Philes

For anyone who has wondered, "What is growing in my fridge?" What do permafrost, hydrothermal vents, and hot springs have in common? They all host fungi, of course! The

Episode 13 - To Moldly Go

Long before they helped craft Earth's first soils, fungi may have traveled the universe in rudimentary spaceships made of rock. Izzie plunges into the science of sci-fi m

Episode 12 - Prehisporical

Since their emergence hundreds of million years ago, fungi have been helping shape the world we know. Their hyphal history has intertwined with the creation of the first

Rebooting The Little Mermaid (Non-Canon)

If you can't bring yourself to watch the Disney classic "The Little Mermaid" because it doesn't have enough fungi in, then this post is dedicated to you. Izzie pitches Di

Episode 11 - Growing Rogue

Terrestrial fungi are the ones that create the beautiful, delicious mushrooms we know and love, and their spores surround us in the air. But could there be a place for fu

Episode 10 - Yorchidding!

Ninety percent of all plants on Earth rely on the fungi intertwined in their roots. The plants receive nutrients and water, as well as some other benefits, from these myc

Episode 9 - Mycobiome, Yourcobiome

Fungi aren't limited to soil and compost. Like bacteria, fungi are found in every corner of the human body - from the skin to the gut. In this episode, Izzie reviews a st

Episode 8 - Foragin' Policy

Welcome to Season 2 of Morel Dilemma! In Episode 8, Izzie discusses how to safely add mushroom foraging to your list of New Year's resolutions. This episode features inte

Christmas Album Teaser

The snow is falling, frost covers the windows, and mushroom foragers are snuggled up inside, thinking fondly of summer forays, wishing mushroom love could be celebrated a

First Break

Many natural things ebb as the seasons change. Here in the U.S., winter is on its way, and that means our fungal friends are going to hunker down in their substrate and g

Episode 7 - Pop Cultures 1b - Mushroom 11 (Spoilers)

You've played or watched Mushroom 11, and you want to know more about how the green blob works. It is really alive? What's it made of? What was with that awesome epilogue

Episode 6 - History Boletes Itself

Why are some fungi brightly colored, while others are just brown? Can we capture the colors of a fungus before they fade into memory? In this episode, Izzie explores how

Episode 5 - Pop Cultures 1a - Mushroom 11

Pop Cultures is a miniseries within Morel Dilemma that explores how fungi and mushrooms are used and presented in media. In the first installment, Izzie talks with Julia

Episode 4 - The Taming of the Shroom

This episode is best enjoyed with headphones, on low volume. Episode 2 tells only part of the story of mushroom cultivation. Specialty mushroom growers use different sub

Episode 3 - Lichen Subscribe

Last week, a team of scientists from the University of Montana made a discovery that breaks all the supposed rules of lichen biology. Izzie delves into lichen biology and

Episode 2 - Case the Place

It's good to have a husband when it's crunch time and you can't land an interview. Nate and Izzie talk about the process by which industrial mushroom farmers prepare comp

Episode 1 - Before the Spawn

In the first episode, Izzie explores the biology of fungal reproduction: How fungi get the places they do, how they grow, what a mushroom means, and what makes fungi diff