Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic
with Emily Monosson; Environmental toxicologist & adjunct faculty at University of Massachusetts
Fungi are everywhere. Most are harmless; some are helpful. A few are killers. Collectively, infectious fungi are the most devastating agents of disease on earth, and a fungus that can persist in the environment without its host is here to stay. In Blight, Emily Monosson documents how trade, travel, and a changing climate are making us all more vulnerable to invasion. Populations of bats, frogs, and salamanders face extinction.
Yet prevention is not impossible. Tracing the history of fungal spread and the most recent discoveries in the field, Monosson meets scientists who are working tirelessly to protect species under threat, and whose innovative approaches to fungal invasion have the potential to save human lives. Delving into case studies at once fascinating, sobering, and hopeful, Blight serves as a wake-up call, a reminder of the delicate interconnectedness of the natural world, and a lesson in seeing life on our planet with renewed humility and awe.
Cost: Free for members or with paid admission
TICKETS
About the speaker:
Emily Monosson is an environmental toxicologist and an adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts. Most days she writes in a little coffee shop around the corner and overlooking the Sawmill River called the Lady Kiligrew at the Montague Bookmill in Montague, MA.
Book Signing to follow: Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic
Buy the book at The Wild Supply Co. online here.
Can't make it in person? This Science Speaker Series will be livestreamed. Tune in live here.