1. Concert for Fungus
Swiss researcher Francis W.M.R. Schwarze has found that applying two fungi, Physisporinus
vitreus and Xylaria longipes, to the wood used in crafting modern violin makes
it sound like a Stradivarius, those rare, centuries-old instruments revered
for their rich tone. In a blind competition in 2009, a knowledgeable audience
preferred a violin made from fungally treated wood over a Stradivarius and untreated
modern instruments. (In other blind tests people ofter prefer modern instruments,
and even legendary violinists have had trouble telling by sound which violin is
which) Dr. Schwarze and his colleagues are now trying to make 30 more violins
with fungally treated wood.
Wall Street Journal 22Se12
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