On the trail with a truffle-hunting dog, and why we should save elderly plants and animals

Science Magazine Podcast

Science Podcast

News Commentary, News, Science

4.2 • 791 Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

First up this week, Newsletter Editor Christie Wilcox talks with host Sarah Crespi about truffle hunting for science. Wilcox accompanied Heather Dawson, a Ph.D. student at the University of Oregon, and her sister Hilary Dawson, a postdoctoral researcher at Australian National University, on a hunt for nonculinary truffles—the kind you don’t eat—with the help of a specially trained dog. These scientists and their dog are digging up many new species of these hard-to-find fungi with the ultimate aim of cataloging and conserving them. Next, producer Ariana Remmel talks with R. Keller Kopf, an ecologist and lecturer at Charles Darwin University, about the importance of conserving older plants and animals. For example, as certain fish age they produce many more eggs than younger fish. Or in a forest, older trees may provide different ecosystem services than saplings. This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy. About the Science Podcast Authors: Sarah Crespi; Christie Wilcox; Ariana Remmel About the Science Podcast: https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a science podcast for January 3rd, 2025.
0:09.0	I'm Sarah Crespi.
0:11.0	First up this week, newsletter editor, Christy Wilcox, takes us on a hike with a truffle dog.
0:17.0	These animals can be used to find non-c culinary truffles.
0:20.0	These are the kind that you don't eat.
0:22.0	We hear about how Rye the dog is helping researchers inventory these shy fungi.
0:27.8	Next, freelance producer Ariana Remyl talks with researcher Keller Koppf about the underappreciated
0:33.2	value of Earth's old animals. What do the wisest elephants in a troop or the oldest fish in a
0:38.9	school bring to their species that the youngest don't? So, Christy, I don't know how long you've
0:49.4	been talking about truffle dogs, but when did this start? How did you come across this story in the first place?
0:55.6	This started originally with a preprint. So Heather and Hillary Dawson, who our sisters,
1:00.9	had put up a preprint about using truffle dogs to find, you know, rare non-c culinary truffles.
1:08.1	I think about pigs finding truffles when I hear truffles. The problem with
1:11.6	a pig is that they love truffles. So they will find them, but you're going to have to stop them
1:17.6	from eating the truffle if you want the truffle. Maybe the best part of this story is that you actually
1:23.8	got to go on a hike with a truffle dog. You just don't live that far from the researchers
1:28.6	and the dog. We realized that there would be potentially the opportunity for me to actually meet Rye
1:33.7	and to go out and see what this all looks like. And I, of course, was always up for the opportunity to meet a good dog.
1:41.0	Where's your truffle? Right, where is it? Right. Where is it? Come on. Ray. Find it.
1:47.6	Rye is a truffle dog, but he doesn't just find culinary truffles, the kind you eat. He also
1:53.2	hunts for non-c culinary truffles. Why are the researchers interested in these other kinds?
1:59.7	People are very, very motivated to find the
	...

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