On the third episode of This Is Only A Test, Mickey Urdea is breaking the mold to talk to you about mold! Mycology, the study of the Kingdom of Fungi, might not get the spotlight as often as Animals or Plants (heck, maybe even less than some Protists) but the powerful Fungus plays a key cog in the cycle of life on Earth, especially in regard to their roles as decomposers (Wolfgang Amadeus Moldzart, anyone?) and as food fermenters. But don't break out the Roquefort just yet, as mold can also cause debilitating disease in humans, from the emerging fungus C. auris, which can cause severe multidrug-resistant illness in hospitalized patients, to ergotism, a poisoning predominantly caused by infected rye which can cause gangrenous symptoms (think a Pieter Bruegel painting) and delirious hallucinations that border on madness (think a Hieronymus Bosch painting); in fact, some hypothesize that ergot poisoning can explain away the Dancing Plague of 1518, and maybe even the Salem Witch Trials! Mickey covers it all, as well as the latest diagnostic technologies and methodologies which are helping to test and treat neglected mycological diseases. So douse your tempeh in soy sauce and grab a bottle of Chianti, it's time for "Learning To Live With The Fungus Among Us!"

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