5 ms·

Does anyone know of a real-time (analog or digital) detection sensor for mold? All I've been able to find are kits that you buy and snail mail samples to a lab

Does anyone know of a real-time (analog or digital) detection sensor for mold? All I've been able to find are kits that you buy and snail mail samples to a lab which strikes me as a giant pain.

notslow 3y ago
I don't know of anything, but will buy if one exists. Closest thing that is out there are Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) detectors, some of the expensive ones detect particles as small as mold but the IAQ detectors can't tell you that it is mold, only that particulates of a certain size are present.
Joel_Mckay 3y ago
The issue is Fungi are everywhere, all the time, and without exception (even feeding in nuclear disasters). They predate most forms of life, majority are harmless or beneficial, and the genetics vary widely. For example, Yeasts are just about everywhere... I would recommend Paul Stamets books for their accessibility, even if he is probably the weirdest eccentric of our time. Seriously weird dude, but an expert on Fungi taxonomy without question none the less. Around this time of year we get Amanita muscaria popping up in the yard, and some very oddly behaved squirrels having a bad day.
- worthless-trash 3y ago
  When I heard "Paul Stamets" and "Fungus" together, my mind went to star trek, I find that Stamets is inspired by a real-life mycologist of the same name is very cool reference by the ST writers.
  - Joel_Mckay 3y ago
    Sci Fi is always about the present, but the dude certainly sounds like he is from another planet at times. It is good people are more aware of his work , even if fiction greatly underestimates how odd it is in real life =)
- timschmidt 3y ago
  Characterizing Paul Stamets as weird or eccentric seems a bit off. He's no more weird or eccentric than any other scientist I've met. He speaks openly about an experience he had with psychedelic mushrooms which he says cured his lifelong stuttering, which sent him down the mycological rabbit hole. He's worked extensively with the DoD researching antimicrobial properties of fungi, his publications look sound, and some of that work seems wildly beneficial for cancer treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7agK0nkiZpA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7agK0nkiZpA
  - Joel_Mckay 3y ago
    You probably need to read more of the works, as it gets pretty loopy at times. I was aware of the petrochemical site-remediation DoD work testing his guided evolutionary biology theories. =)
    - timschmidt 3y ago
      What's the Elon quote? "If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough" If you're not considering ideas someone thinks are crazy, you're not thinking hard enough.
      - Joel_Mckay 3y ago
        I like cheese goldfish crackers, and don't really care for speculative fiction, We worry about Elon of late, and really hope he doesn't end up going full Howard Hughes. Have a great day =)
        timschmidt 3y ago
        > We worry about Elon of late Elon and Stamets in the same club? Sounds rad.
        Joel_Mckay 3y ago
        Your menu as a passenger will likely include: 1. Algae 2. Fruiting Fungi specialized in direct human-waste conversion 3. Freshwater Shrimp 4. Worms 5. Fast growing Aquaponics plants 6. insect larva Elon should reach the same conclusion eventually based on payload cost. Which item looks like it won’t taste awful after awhile. =)
- user3939382 3y ago
  He was a great guest on Rogan. I take Lion’s Mane supplement based on research he pointed to that turned out to be pretty interesting.
  - Joel_Mckay 3y ago
    Actually, some varieties border on performance enhancers due to molecular structures similar to steroid hormones, and should have been banned by the Olympic committees. Ganoderma sichuanense ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom) )
- digging 3y ago
  comment withdrawn.
  - dragonwriter 3y ago
    Animals and plants are the youngest, fungi are significantly older, at least almost as old as the oldest multicellular life. "Most forms of life" might be an overstatement, still, depending on how you count.
    - digging 3y ago
      My mistake, you're correct, fungi are much older than plants. Stupid of me to offer a correction without even a cursory search to confirm what I thought I knew.
sizzle 3y ago
can you take sample and look at it under a microscope maybe?

Does anyone know of a real-time (analog or digital) detection sensor for mold? All I've been able to find are kits that you buy and snail mail samples to a lab which strikes me as a giant pain.

notslow 3y ago

I don't know of anything, but will buy if one exists. Closest thing that is out there are Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) detectors, some of the expensive ones detect particles as small as mold but the IAQ detectors can't tell you that it is mold, only that particulates of a certain size are present.

Joel_Mckay 3y ago

The issue is Fungi are everywhere, all the time, and without exception (even feeding in nuclear disasters). They predate most forms of life, majority are harmless or beneficial, and the genetics vary widely. For example, Yeasts are just about everywhere... I would recommend Paul Stamets books for their accessibility, even if he is probably the weirdest eccentric of our time. Seriously weird dude, but an expert on Fungi taxonomy without question none the less. Around this time of year we get Amanita muscaria popping up in the yard, and some very oddly behaved squirrels having a bad day.

worthless-trash 3y ago
When I heard "Paul Stamets" and "Fungus" together, my mind went to star trek, I find that Stamets is inspired by a real-life mycologist of the same name is very cool reference by the ST writers.
- Joel_Mckay 3y ago
  Sci Fi is always about the present, but the dude certainly sounds like he is from another planet at times. It is good people are more aware of his work , even if fiction greatly underestimates how odd it is in real life =)
timschmidt 3y ago
Characterizing Paul Stamets as weird or eccentric seems a bit off. He's no more weird or eccentric than any other scientist I've met. He speaks openly about an experience he had with psychedelic mushrooms which he says cured his lifelong stuttering, which sent him down the mycological rabbit hole. He's worked extensively with the DoD researching antimicrobial properties of fungi, his publications look sound, and some of that work seems wildly beneficial for cancer treatment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7agK0nkiZpA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7agK0nkiZpA
- Joel_Mckay 3y ago
  You probably need to read more of the works, as it gets pretty loopy at times. I was aware of the petrochemical site-remediation DoD work testing his guided evolutionary biology theories. =)
  - timschmidt 3y ago
    What's the Elon quote? "If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough" If you're not considering ideas someone thinks are crazy, you're not thinking hard enough.
    - Joel_Mckay 3y ago
      I like cheese goldfish crackers, and don't really care for speculative fiction, We worry about Elon of late, and really hope he doesn't end up going full Howard Hughes. Have a great day =)
      - timschmidt 3y ago
        > We worry about Elon of late Elon and Stamets in the same club? Sounds rad.
        Joel_Mckay 3y ago
        Your menu as a passenger will likely include: 1. Algae 2. Fruiting Fungi specialized in direct human-waste conversion 3. Freshwater Shrimp 4. Worms 5. Fast growing Aquaponics plants 6. insect larva Elon should reach the same conclusion eventually based on payload cost. Which item looks like it won’t taste awful after awhile. =)
user3939382 3y ago
He was a great guest on Rogan. I take Lion’s Mane supplement based on research he pointed to that turned out to be pretty interesting.
- Joel_Mckay 3y ago
  Actually, some varieties border on performance enhancers due to molecular structures similar to steroid hormones, and should have been banned by the Olympic committees. Ganoderma sichuanense ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom) )
digging 3y ago
comment withdrawn.
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  Animals and plants are the youngest, fungi are significantly older, at least almost as old as the oldest multicellular life. "Most forms of life" might be an overstatement, still, depending on how you count.
  - digging 3y ago
    My mistake, you're correct, fungi are much older than plants. Stupid of me to offer a correction without even a cursory search to confirm what I thought I knew.

sizzle 3y ago

can you take sample and look at it under a microscope maybe?