Matters Microbial #82: Melanin, Fungi, and Global Warming March 13, 2025

Today, the impressive Dr. Arturo Casadevall of Johns Hopkins University returns to the podcast to discuss how fungal disease is a looming threat on our warming planet, and how these organisms can use pigmentation to adapt to human-associated environments . . . and increase their chances of causing disease.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Arturo Casadevall

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Links for this episode

• A video overview of the understudied world of fungi.
• A CDC overview of fungal diseases.
• A hopeful study: fungi, frogs, and purple bacteria. A less scholarly but highly recommended essay is here.
• Dr. Casadevall's earlier visit to #MattersMicrobial.
• The story of Alexander Fleming, a stray fungal spore, and penicillin.
• The story of fungi and cyclosporins, which help with organ transplantation in humans.
• A recent New York Times article on fungal networks.
• An article about mass extinctions and "fungal overgrowth."
• A review of the structure and function of melanin.
• An overview of how melanin can be used to turn various forms of radiation into energy.
• A review of high body temperatures versus fungal infections.
• One of the articles discussed today, from Dr. Casadevall's group: "Impact of Yeast Pigmentation on Heat Capture and Latitudinal Distribution."
• Another article from Dr. Casadevall's group discussed today: "The hypothermic nature of fungi."
• A really fascinating preprint from Dr. Casadevall's group discussed today: "Thermal and pigment characterization of environmental fungi in the urban heat island of Baltimore City"
• Dr. Casadevall's faculty website.
• The research website for Dr. Casadevall's group.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

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