Discovering Ways to Fight Fungal Diseases That Threaten Our Food Security & Health - Dr Neil Brown

The Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution, Professor Turi King, talks to Dr Neil Brown, whose research focuses on discovering new ways to fight major fungal diseases that threaten our food security and health. 00:00 Introduction 00:24 What is a fungus? 01:34 How did you become interested in fungal biology? 02:43 How does a fungus attack a plant and why does it attack a plant? 03:53 Do we get ill if we eat crops infected with fungi? 05:25 What are the two pathogens that you are studying? 07:06 How does Fusarium spread? 09:39 Does Fusarium present a problem beyond the farm? 10:40 You are also studying Aspergillus, what do you want to find out? 12:35 Understanding what makes these pathogens turn their toxins on. 14:27 How are you applying the knowledge you’ve gained from your research? 16:31 Is food security research well-funded? 17:52 Why is understanding evolution so important?