Mushroom expertise 'faces crisis'

By Sarah Mukherjee
Environment correspondent, BBC News

Fungi are essential to human life, say scientists

Researchers say that we are facing a crisis in mycology - the study of mushrooms.

The mushroom experts we have are all in their 50s, most are about to retire.

Very little is known about the mycology of the these islands - and yet fungi are essential to human life.

Sceintists say that without them, and the work they do in breaking down organic matter, we would be drowning in waste.

They have saved millions of people - via penicillin - and the few researchers that are left are looking at fungi from around the world for a second generation anti-biotic.

They also have applications in a very modern world.

For example, there is a mould that grows in aircraft fuel tanks that British mycologists have developed a testing kit for.

If the mould is allowed to develop, it blocks fuel lines and the plane crashes.