Summary
Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are creating digital records of their large collection of fungi, including rare types like David Attenborough's "zombie fungus." This project involves taking high-resolution images and making the information available online for researchers worldwide.
Key Facts
- The Kew Fungarium holds over one million fungal specimens collected over 175 years.
- The digitization project includes taking detailed images and entering data into an online portal.
- Researchers can access these digital records remotely, which helps with conservation efforts.
- The project aims to sequence 7,000 fungal species with plans to publish the data online.
- There are 2.5 million fungal species estimated globally, but only 166,000 are described scientifically.
- Notable fungi include Gibellula attenboroughii, a "zombie fungus," and Cyttaria dawinii, discovered by Charles Darwin.
- The project is a partnership with the Natural History Museum and funded by the government.
