Duke Today Podcast: New Species Named After Duke Biologist

Rytas Vilgalys, a Duke biology professor, recently had a new
species of fungus named in his honor. Vilgalys is a mycologist, a scientist who
studies mushrooms, lichen and other fungi.

In a remote region of Mexico, he discovered and identified a
tiny lichen that grows symbiotically with algae. His graduate assistants and
colleagues began the process of having the species named for him, and it now
carries the scientific name Lepidostroma
vilgalysii. 

Listen to the interview here: