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== RfC about description of Paul Stamets in the lede ==
== RfC about description of Paul Stamets in the lede ==
{{rfc|bio|rfcid=5AB69EA|sci}}
{{rfc|bio|sci|rfcid=5AB69EA}}


Should the first paragraph of the intro describe Stamets as a mycologist? [[User:Dialectric|Dialectric]] ([[User talk:Dialectric|talk]]) 14:53, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
Should the first paragraph of the intro describe Stamets as a mycologist? [[User:Dialectric|Dialectric]] ([[User talk:Dialectric|talk]]) 14:53, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Revision as of 20:01, 5 September 2019

IamthatIam 19:15, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In my opinion, a dead link that is given as a reference in an article should never be removed, as someone looking it up can, armed with the original URL, look it up with the Internet Wayback machine or something similar. Crypticfirefly 01:22, 2 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Martial Arts Awards?

To me it seems that Paul Stamets' martial arts awards are superfluous and unrelated to the article. Maybe if the article mentioned his martial arts achievements it would be appropriate to include these awards; but as it is, I believe they should be removed. Any objections? Wowbobwow12 23:29, 15 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've gone ahead and made the above edits. Wowbobwow12 20:36, 1 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This article is a biography. Verifiable information about the subject which provides information about the life of the subject should not be removed just because one editor views it as unrelated to the subject's profession. - Michael J Swassing (talk) 05:00, 13 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Large edit

I've just finished making a large edit, which I hope everyone is OK with. I noticed a couple things that I thought were a problem with the article. First, I thought the setion about his website was too detailed about what it sold and offered as services, and I felt it bordered on advertizing. So I removed the section and cut the material about the website down to one general sentence. Second, I saw no need for an awards section with two awards in it in a bulleted list, so I removed that section too and merged the list into the header in sentence form. Mr Stamets, if you're working on Wikipedia, that's great; we're always excited to get more experts on the project. But please be aware of our conflict of interest guideline and the very serious need for all articles to be written with a neutral point of view. All in all I think it's a good article with no serious problems. Let me know if there's any problem with my edit. Thanks, delldot | talk 02:42, 8 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Biased Writing

It seems to me that the style of the writing is very promotional and biased. What do others think? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pompay (talkcontribs) 00:55, 18 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. Sasata (talk) 01:14, 18 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mycoremediation of Sarin

In 1999 Whole Earth published an article on the mycoremediaiton of Sarin written by Paul Stamets; I've been told this is not an acceptable source to many on wikipedia due to it's age. Much of the research is classified; however can anyone else find any articles that even mention that the research is classified? — Preceding unsigned comment added by CensoredScribe (talkcontribs) 14:13, 16 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

See also

I took out the "See also" section - there was no explanation as to why any of those people were topically related to Stamets, and frankly most of them didn't seem worthy of inclusion (IMHO). Brianyoumans (talk) 01:58, 18 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Education

There is a passive-voice issue with the phrase decided to study botany. The sentence does not say that he studied botany, or started to study botany and it does not say that he completed a degree, etc. It would be okay to say that he is (or mostly) self-taught (if that is the case), etc. but, as written, looks a little like obfuscation. Arbalest Mike (talk) 15:48, 9 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Added education information citing his LinkedIn page. I don't know if this is appropriate as a citation but the details of his education is (was) a glaring omission from the article. Arbalest Mike (talk) 21:08, 15 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Early Life

This section, as written, is inconsistent with other bios of living persons. This section is only an explanation of how the subject became involved with mushrooms. If no other changes are made, the section heading itself should be changed to match the content of the section.

Also, what does this mean?: ...tree succumbed to the stress of a skyline...

Arbalest Mike (talk) 15:54, 9 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Since no one has stepped up with copy for a proper Early Life section I am removing it from the article. Arbalest Mike (talk) 21:06, 15 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

author abbreviation

Where is a better place/section for this "author abbreviation" tag? It currently hangs out in its own section without a title. Does it belong under "Books"? Can this tag be shown without the horizontal rules above and below it? Arbalest Mike (talk) 14:32, 14 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

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Mycologist

The description of Stamets in the lede was recently edited to remove the descriptor 'Mycologist'. Multiple RS sources describe Stamets as a mycologist. These include the Seattle Times, the NY Times and Nature Magazine. He has also coauthored peer reviewed papers in the field including Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduce Viruses in Honey Bees (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-32194-8) . Dialectric (talk) 16:30, 2 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Dialectric: Respectfully, the sources you provided and those public news reports in the article do not rigorously address Stamets' credentials, and probably heard it from Stamets himself upon introduction or from his reputation as a "mushroom expert", which he may be, but not by academic or scientific achievement, which would be earned by the rigorous achievement of a PhD. He is a hobbyist focused on a subject, similar to a folk medicine herbalist who would have no academic credentials to be called a "doctor". For Stamets and his supplement business, Fungi Perfecti, calling himself a mycologist (here) is good for marketing and misleading the consumer public that he is an accomplished, respected scientist who can be trusted to sell anyone mushroom supplements, which have no scientifically proven benefits for health, i.e., a scam. The evidence for him as a mycologist does not meet WP:V. Stamets has only a Bachelor's degree (at a liberal arts college, and with unknown major) which does not entitle him to academic recognition as a mycology specialist within a scientific discipline, and is not recognized as a mycologist by any university or government body. Mycology is a formal academic discipline and subdivision of biology (or botany), typically taught and researched among expert colleagues at a university (which would be credible evidence for a "mycologist" title if Stamets was affiliated with a university, which he is not). Under WP:ONUS, the encyclopedic responsibility for objectivity (and for Wikipedia to not falsely promote an unearned designation) would be to not call him a mycologist unless or until a reputable academic, professional, or government source says he is. --Zefr (talk) 21:32, 2 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
WP:ONUS and WP:BRD support the status quo for referenced content, which is here is inclusion of the descriptor 'mycologist'. This has been included in the article for years. You provide no evidence for your claim that multiple reliable sources 'probably heard it from stamets himself.' Are you of the opinion that James Trimarco and Yes! Magazine 'rigorously [addressed Stamets' credentals]'? Are these somehow more rigorous than the New York Times and Nature Magazine? Dialectric (talk) 22:23, 2 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
WP:ONUS is part of the guideline on verifiability, stating "The onus to achieve consensus for inclusion is upon those seeking to include disputed content." So that returns the responsibility to you or others to provide academic proof that he is a mycologist. Some credible source of his scientific standing - beyond public media (by what scientific standards do those publications use to verify him as a mycologist?) - is needed to verify that he has the standing of "mycologist". A credible source is a university bestowing a PhD in Biology, subspecialty Mycology (or government position, such as in the USDA) and with a verifiable research background in the academic field of mycology would qualify him. He's more of a shaman and supplement marketer than he is a mycologist. WP:CON is needed with proof that he has science-verified credentials to be called a mycologist. --Zefr (talk) 22:48, 2 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Zefr: And yet, do any reliable sources refer to Stamets as primarily a shaman?
From a quick search about credentials, this is what I found: Stamets was honored with the 2013 Contributions to Amateur Mycology award from the North American Mycological Association. The Huffington Post has a bio page for Stamets:
  • He is the author of many scholarly papers in peer-reviewed journals (The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms; Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM, Oxford University Press); Herbalgram, and others).
  • Paul is an advisor to the Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Medical School, Tucson, on the editorial board of The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. Stamets helped author and supply the first two NIH-funded clinical studies using medicinal mushrooms in the United States. His strain collection is extensive and unique, with many of the strains coming from old growth forests. He worked with the NIH-governed BioShield BioDefense Program since 2005 to develop new defenses against bioterrorism.
  • In February of 2010, Paul received the President’s Award from the Society of Ecological Restoration.
  • In June of 2012, Paul Stamets received an honorary, accredited Doctorate of Science degree (D.Sc.) from the National College for Natural Medicine for his academic achievements and for expanding the field of science.
So, Stamets is clearly a part of the academic and scientific mycology communities. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 19:54, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

RfC about description of Paul Stamets in the lede

Should the first paragraph of the intro describe Stamets as a mycologist? Dialectric (talk) 14:53, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

  • Support. The article on Paul Stamets has described Stamets as a mycologist in the lede since the article was created in November 2004‎. The talk page shows no concern about the word prior to September 2019, WP:RS references use the descriptor, and the notable work he has done involves mushrooms.
An editor recently removed 'mycologist', arguing that Stamets' lack of academic credentials or affiliation is justification for removing the description. Stamets does not have an advanced degree, but he has (1)coauthored peer reviewed papers in the field of mycology including Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduce Viruses in Honey Bees published in Nature Scientific Reports (2) discovered and named several mushroom species including Psilocybe azurescens (Michael Pollen for the Atlantic). (3)written widely read technical books on mushroom cultivation (4)participated in a “diverse array of experiments — often in tandem with researchers at universities or nonprofit outfits” (from Discover Magazine).
Stamets and his work with mushrooms have been covered by numerous articles, which describe him as a mycologist. These include the Seattle Times, the NY Times2Discover Magazine and Nature Magazine. Stamets does promote mushroom supplements, and definitely has unorthodox views, some of which fall into WP:FRINGE, but this is also true of some more credentialed scientists, and concerns about this aspect of his work would be better addressed by addition of WP:RS criticism than removal of well referenced content.Dialectric (talk) 15:00, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak support - While I understand while some would consider the use of the term wrong, since he doesn't have a degree, I think the word can be used due to his extensive work in the field. His lack of credential could be, should be and actually is mentioned in the article, however. Describing him as a "self-taught mycologist" sounds pretty good and immediately gives the general idea. On the other hand "self-taught botanist on mushroom topics" sound horrible and just makes it seem that whoever wrote that paragraph doesn't know the word "mycologist" and had to improvise. PraiseVivec (talk) 16:01, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - Mycology is one of a few fields with heavy support from amateurs (another being astronomy). He does not have the typical academic credentials, but that is a separate issue. His whole career is mycology. --Nessie (talk) 16:06, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. Better to just remove the term and focus on what he does as an advocate of bioremediation and medicinal use of fungi. The rather short section above, Talk:Paul_Stamets#Mycologist addressing this (this looks like a premature RfC with so little discussion), sums up my views already. The sources given like the Seattle Times, NYT, etc. really aren't that great for this content when a more self-stylized description without credentials runs into problems, not to mention that WP:ONUS policy is clear that the existence of sources doesn't guarantee inclusion. Being a coauthor on academic papers doesn't make you a biologist if you're a chemist, etc and don't have higher-level training as a biologist. You really need to pull from academic sources in such a situation when dealing with someone involved with WP:FRINGE topics where a person's description matters too. If it weren't for the fringe aspect, then the titles wouldn't matter as much, and comments like NessieVL's would carry more weight.
In short, there's no compelling reason to call him a mycologist given his background, and there are easy fixes to get around that which I just took a stab at. Kingofaces43 (talk) 16:29, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - (I was asked by Zefr to comment here. I don't know why as I don't seem to have been involved with the article in any way. In any case, I disagree with Zefr so I don't see a foul here.) The Seattle Times, New York Times and Nature directly, without equivocation of any kind and in their own voices say Stamets is a mycologist. If your opinion runs counter to those of Nature and NYT, that's fine, but Stamets is verifiably a mycologist. While I understand the various arguments about whether or not it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc. But if Nature says it's a duck, its a duck. - SummerPhDv2.0 17:09, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Except that doesn't address the main policy issue. WP:ONUS policy is very clear that being sourced isn't enough. Not to mention that Nature itself doesn't say what you claim. Barbara Kiser writing for them was reviewing a book that just namedrops Stamets. That's barely a tangential look at his credentials, so we can't really be making a statement that Nature says so. The question this RfC really should have boiled down to if it wasn't started prematurely is whether there's any legitimate reason to include calling him a mycologist in the article itself. So far, there isn't anything that tries to justify that other than saying sources exist, which violates WP:V policy, and we already have solutions that negate the need for this RfC anyways. Kingofaces43 (talk) 17:32, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
While I understand that verifiability does not mean it will be included, the three sources I mentioned (Seatle Times, New York Times, Nature) don't merely mention it in passing, it's their primary -- their only -- identification of him. Yes, a source might mention that Meryl Streep was once a waitress (I'm making this up), but I'm sure multiple sources identify her as an actress. So, Nature gives no other identity to Stamets than "mycologist Paul Stamets". Similarly, Discover has "crusading mycologist Paul Stamet" in the secondary headline, and by the second sentence he has become "the mycologist". Seattle Times labels him as "Paul Stamets, mycologist and Fungi Perfecti owner." For the New York Times, he is "Paul Stamets, a mycologist in Olympia, Wash." Against all of that, we've decided that he is an "author, blogger, and an advocate". I'm sure he's all of those things, but that large, flap-eared, tusked, land animal in the room is pretty clearly -- and verifiably -- an elephant. - SummerPhDv2.0 01:26, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose for the reasons given in my edit above under Mycologist and for the reasons presented in these RfC comments by Kingofaces43. The edits to the lede and other article sections yesterday and today leave the article in better shape. SummerPhDv2.0 said Stamets is verifiably a mycologist, but my point in the discussion above is that there is no academic verification of Stamets as a degree-holding mycologist, an academic title and discipline that would require earning a PhD. There is no WP:V for him as a mycologist (he apparently has a liberal arts degree with no major). WP:ONUS requires those wishing to call him a mycologist to verify his academic credentials. Stamets is a hobbyist with enthusiasm for mushrooms the way a gardener (with no botany degree) has enthusiasm for flowers. --Zefr (talk) 23:31, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - Stamets is a professional and is widely recognized. It's hard for me to understand statements like the above from Zefr that say "Stamets is a hobbyist with enthusiasm for mushrooms the way a gardener (with no botany degree) has enthusiasm for flowers." Utterly ridiculous. Stamets is clearly not a hobbyist, as he is published, engaged in scientific peer-reviewed research, and has been running a succesful mushroom business as well as educational courses for many years now. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 04:27, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Let's keep a healthy skeptical view here, and challenge the IP user to look closer behind Stamets' marketing strategy of his mycologist reputation. The title mycologist implies a scientist's adherence to rigorous principles and practices, as expected for people who have actually earned an advanced degree for the title, mycologist. Breaking the code of scientist conduct just once - such as by teaching or publishing false information - can stigmatize and negatively isolate a career forever in the science community. Stamets' and his company advertise mushroom products as having diverse health benefits, such as here for several elaborate, unproven brain benefits (see diverse other false health claims under the tab, Benefits, for each of some 45 other "Host Defense®" mushroom products), none of which is proven by science or approved by the FDA. It's just a scam of made up nonsense sales-speak to impress upon unwary consumers that the self-described "mycologist" - whom consumers visiting his business site are asked to trust before surrendering their money - has discovered and proven all these countless health benefits of mushroom extracts or powders. He has not, and no one has. A true degree-holding mycologist wouldn't engage in reckless lying to scam consumers. Reviewing his business website and seeing the scam is why I came to this article and challenged his title of "mycologist". --Zefr (talk) 16:16, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Mushrooms have been used in traditional healing practices for quite a long time. And while all of the benefits may not be scientifically proven, Chinese medicine has, for example, made use of a variety of mushrooms for different purposes. Regardless, it is undeniable that in order to run a successful mushroom grow operation, a lot of science is definitely involved. To propagate mushroom spawn, maintain a sterile environment to prevent contamination, etc., some of these aspects literally require a laboratory environment, and repeatable refined practices are necessary. I would say that if there are concerns about some of the health claims that Stamets makes, then that deserves some space in the article. But while some perspectives may be fringe or controversial, that doesn't make him any less of a mycologist ... that may make him a somewhat controversial mycologist, but a mycologist all the same. For an analogy: I would argue that most farmers do not hold advanced degrees, yet we still consider them farmers ... a lot of them hold very different views, but at the end of the day, they are growing and producing food. If The New York Times considers Stamets a mycologist then perhaps we should take pause. Controversial, somewhat fringe, outspoken and kinda weird, etc.? Maybe so. But Paul Stamets is still a mycologist. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 17:13, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Zefr: Anyhow, you seem concerned about the reputation of Stamets more than anything. Please don't overlook the recently published peer-reviewed actual scientific work that he has participated in: Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduce Viruses in Honey Bees [Nature]. The research study shows significant immunological benefits derived from mushrooms that aids bees and helps them to resist viral loads. Some real science there. I have read that report! Cheers. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 17:24, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Zefr: Further, I would like to ask if there are any reliable sources that challenge the credentials of Stamets, the viability of his work, or refute his published materials? We cannot rely on our own original research here at Wikipedia. Please provide references to any reliable sources that back your position that Stamets is somehow not a mycologist. Thanks. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 17:41, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support. He may not have an advanced degree in mycology, but the current wording of the article goes way too far the other way. I wouldn't characterize somebody who has written 19 blog posts in 24 years as a blogger. The article is now using a source that calls him a mycologist to support the statement that he "has a layman's interest in mushrooms". I don't think that anybody who makes a living with mushrooms whether by farming them, or foraging them to sell, is accurately described as a mycological "layman"; although I would not call all such persons "mycologists" (and a professional gardener isn't a layman with an enthusiasm for flowers). Stamets was the recipient of the Mycological Society of America's inaugral Gordon and Tina Wasson award (for nontraditional mycologists). While a PhD is now the usual route to expertise in a scientific field, it is not the only route. Christiaan Hendrik Persoon mycological expertise was self-taught. And having a PhD doesn't mean that somebody necessarily continues to work in the field of their degree (I have no objection to Mayim Bialik being called a neuroscientist, but she hasn't contributed to the field since receiving her degree). And having an advanced degree is not incompatible with making fringy claims or recklessly lying to scam consumers (cf. Mehmet Oz). Stamets is described as a mycologist in many sources (which often mention his lack of formal training), and he has been recognized by a major scholarly society for academically trained mycologists. "Self taught mycologist" is a fair way to describe him. Plantdrew (talk) 19:45, 4 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support "Mycologist" is a title without professional or legal regulation. We have reasons to restrict use of the terms "physician", "lawyer", "professor", and similar to those people who get the institutional recognition which those titles imply. In contrast, all sorts of people are mycologists, so we do not need to restrict use of the term. Even if there were restricts, Stamets has an unusually prominent public image as a mycologist. I lived in Seattle in the 2000s and Stamets was a regular at all sorts of events in that region in that era where he spoke on the topic of mycology. The region has a culture of presenting pop science conferences and he was a regular presenter at those. There are many mycological societies in the region, and for example everyone at the Puget Sound Mycological Society where I was a member knew of him and his works and the fact that he lived close and so frequently spoke on mycology. To the extent that there is a culture of mycology, Stamets has been the biggest contemporary name in the field for the longest amount of time, especially in the popular perception and public visibility. I would expect that no one has presented on the topic of mycology at more conferences and public scheduled events than Stamets. Most of this was in the era just before online documentation. If all this happened now the online media record would be easier to find. Blue Rasberry (talk) 17:41, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion

I find it strange that there's a push to call him a mycologist when there's no mention of his running a fungi farm. This change to the lede seems a good step toward identifying what he does for a living. --Ronz (talk) 16:34, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It is not a 'push'. It was the established consensus for years on this article. The push appears to be in the direction of actively removing the term. There are certainly other aspects of Stamets work that could be better covered. That is outside the scope of this rfc.Dialectric (talk) 16:37, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
WP:SILENCE, (namely this), does not translate to well established consensus. This is something that could have been fixed without a sudden RfC too given how little discussion occurred in the above section. Normally it's better to wait at least more than 24 hours before an RfC while others watching can comment with other ideas tackling the issue. Usually that negates the need for an RfC in the first place, or else it gives developed ideas for people to comment on for a good RfC comparison if it's actually needed. Kingofaces43 (talk) 16:46, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Past consensus means little in the best of circumstances. There are clear FRINGE, COI, and SOAP issues here.
I've looked over the editing for COI problems. In addition to the three accounts I declared as connected contributors, there are edits from SPAs and ips that are likely. Given the amount of attention the article has received since, I'm not seeing anything that needs follow-up. --Ronz (talk) 18:17, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Entrepreneurial mycologist", from the TED profile, is a concise description that isn't as promotional or potentially misleading as simply mycologist. --Ronz (talk) 20:34, 3 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

information about patents unnecessarily deleted

I read through the edit history for this page, and noticed that information about patents had been removed.
The editor in question stated in the edit summary:

"(→‎Patents: SOAP - if there are independent sources that support any mention of any of his patents, please bring them up on the talk page)"

As it turns out, there are mentions of his patents in reliable sources. So I included this on the page:

Stamets has filed 22 patent applications, and has been awarded at least four patents related to non-toxic fungal pest control.[1][2]

And it was quickly reverted by another editor that stated: "(Undid revision 914084314 by 65.60.163.223 WP:PEA; WP:NOTCV)"

So two different editors have removed information about patents using different reasoning. I don't want to make any accusations, but it seems ironic that the same editors who believe Stamets is not a mycologist are also engaged in a very intentional removal of information about his scientific work. Coincidence? Or bias? Any other thoughts? Thanks. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 02:53, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for identifying two sources. The second is just relaying Stamets own announcement, so I don't think it is helpful.
The Mother Jones source mentions the numbers in passing, in context of Stamets discoveries and concerns about "big bad pharma". I'm not sure it deserves even a footnote without better sources. --Ronz (talk) 04:01, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
"A former logger turned scanning-electron microscopist, Stamets is not your typical scientist -- a role he obviously relishes ... 'He's the most creative thinker I know,' says Dr. Donald Abrams, the assistant director of the AIDS program at San Francisco General Hospital and a professor of clinical medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. Abrams says he became interested in the medicinal properties of mushrooms after hearing one of Stamets' lectures. Stamets is now a co-investigator on a grant proposal Abrams is authoring on the anti-HIV properties of oyster mushrooms. Jack Word, former manager of the marine science lab at Battelle Laboratories in Sequim, Wash., calls Stamets 'a visionary.' Stamets takes bigger, faster leaps than institutional science, acknowledges Word, who, along with Stamets and several other Battelle researchers, is an applicant on a pending mycoremediation patent. 'But most of what Paul sees has eventually been accepted by outside groups. He definitely points us in the right direction' ... A couple of years ago Stamets partnered with Battelle, a major player in the bioremediation industry, on an experiment conducted on a site owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation in Bellingham. Diesel oil had contaminated the site, which the mycoremediation team inoculated with strains of oyster mycelia that Stamets had collected from old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. Two other bioremediation teams, one using bacteria, the other using engineered bacteria, were also given sections of the contaminated soil to test. Lo and behold. After four weeks, oyster mushrooms up to 12 inches in diameter had formed on the mycoremediated soil. After eight weeks, 95 percent of the hydrocarbons had broken down, and the soil was deemed nontoxic and suitable for use in WSDOT highway landscaping."

So again, some mention about patents, as well as research projects. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 04:32, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"Stamets, 55, neither works for a university nor has an advanced degree, but he holds three U.S. patents ... He has supplied cultures to Bastyr University for a study of one strain’s immunological effects on breast-cancer patients. He has supplied cultures to the University of Mississippi for testing against smallpox and E. coli. He holds a patent with celebrity doctor Andrew Weil for a mushroom extract used in an anti-inflammatory skin cream ... When he had carpenter ants in his house, he figured he’d try mycelium on them. He got a patent for a pesticide that attracts the bugs to a natural poison."

More mentions of patents here. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 05:57, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

So if we ever have a section on his research, that section might footnote that he has a few patents. --Ronz (talk) 15:10, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds good! Thanks for your input. 65.60.163.223 (talk) 18:34, 5 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ Isaacson, Andy (November 2009). "Return of the Fungi". Mother Jones. Retrieved 5 September 2019. Insisting that he's merely a 'voice for the mycelium,' Stamets says he can't really take credit for his discoveries about an extraordinarily diverse and evolutionarily successful kingdom that modern science has scarcely explored. Still, over the past four years, he has filed for twenty-two patents and received four.
  2. ^ Williams, Edmund (24 June 2011). "Better Pest Control Through Biology". Wired. Retrieved 5 September 2019. After some culturing, Stamets was able to develop a pre-sporulating strain of the fungus and grew it onto some rice. He then put the rice in the path of the ants, where they promptly consumed it with abandon. A few days later, he was ant-free ... This led Stamets on the path to using this as a natural, and possibly superior, alternative to conventional pest control. Thus far, the few sound bytes he has produced on the subject have been rather guarded on details, awaiting his patent ... Recently Stamets announced that he had received two patents on his fungal pest control solution.