……………Now is the time for the Paradigm Shift…………
“We are now fully engaged in the 6th Major Extinction (“6 X”) on planet Earth. Our biosphere is quickly changing, eroding the life support systems that have allowed humans to ascend. Unless we put into action policies and technologies that can cause a course correction in the very near future, species diversity will continue to plummet, with humans not only being the primary cause, but one of the victims. What can we do? Fungi, particularly mushrooms, offer some powerful, practical solutions, which can be put into practice now.” -Paul Stamets
We are so thrilled to have Paul Stamets back to Telluride this year! Be sure to join this author, mycologist, medical researcher, and entrepreneur for an immersion lecture on mushrooms that will deepen your understanding and respect for the organisms that exists under every footstep you take on this path of life.
His presentation will cover a range of mushroom species and new research showing how mushrooms can help the health of people and planet. Habitats have immune systems, just like people, and mushrooms are cellular bridges between the two. Our close evolutionary relationship to fungi can be the basis for novel pairings in the microbiome that lead to greater sustainability and immune enhancement.
Biography for Paul Stamets
Paul Stamets, speaker, author, mycologist, medical researcher and entrepreneur, is considered an intellectual and industry leader in fungi: habitat, medicinal use, and production. Paul’s philosophy is that “MycoDiversity is BioSecurity.” He sees the ancient old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest as a resource of incalculable value, especially in terms of its fungal genome. A dedicated hiker and explorer, his passion is to preserve and protect as many ancestral strains of mushrooms as possible from these pristine woodlands.
Stamets is the author of 6 books, discovered and named numerous new species of mushrooms and is the founder and owner of a brand of Fungi Perfecti, LLC (www.fungi.com) which makes Host Defense Mushroom product line.
He has received numerous awards, including: Invention Ambassador (2014-2015) for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), The National Mycologist Award (2014) from the North American Mycological Association Award (NAMA), and the Gordon & Tina Wasson Award (2015) from the Mycological Society of America (MSA).
Lastly and for some most significantly … In the Star Trek Discovery series by CBS, the Science Officer, is portrayed by an Astromycologist named Lt. Paul Stamets!
Paul funds research to save rare strains of mushrooms that dwell within the old growth forests. Currently he is testing extracts of these rare strains at the NIH (National Institutes of Health/Virology) and with Washington State University/United States Department of Agriculture against a wide panel of viruses pathogenic to humans, animals and bees. His latest discoveries will be revealed here at Telluride! His research is considered a breakthrough by thought leaders for creating a paradigm shift for helping ecosystems worldwide.
Beyond receiving honorary degrees, beyond receiving the most prestigious awards from AAAS, MSA, and NAMA, beyond having a TED talk that has been viewed more than 4 million times--beyond all that--Stamets is still energized by exploration and discovering new things. He still gets a thrill from doing science. And he projects that energy and thrill onto the audience at his lectures. We are very lucky and thrilled to have him back this year to the Telluride Mushroom Festival!
