Feminism, Fungi, and Fungal Genetics

摘要: The author worked in the Plant Breeding Department at Cornell University, and his project involved a forage crop called bird's foot trefoil. There was work field scoring plants for desirable agronomic characters, there laboratory examining chromosomes possible cytogenetic aberrations. Beadle Tatum had done their groundbreaking research using red bread mold Neurospora crassa. yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is not only best-known model system fungal life, it also one of best-understood organisms eukaryotic life. Southern Regional Research Laboratory conducted targeted on economically important agricultural problems. Aflatoxins are carcinogenic metabolites produced by several filamentous fungi genus Aspergillus. Aflatoxin contamination food crops an international health hazard. that make aflatoxin lack sexual phases (mycologists call them "imperfect"), days pre-recombinant DNA, almost impossible to conduct genetic studies imperfect fungi. Scientists MIT just initiated biosynthesis showed chemical skeleton came from acetate units. More recently, with help Brendlyn Faison, group Tulane branched out apply degradative metabolism environmental problems, characterizing new species bioremediation. author's ardor microbiology, feminism, appropriate everyone, but illustrates how science, ordinary focused person can lead extraordinary