Dry rot on the radio

[biffvernon]

Radio 4 The Material World discussed dry rot today.
Listen Again

Dry Rot

The dry rot fungus, Serpula lacrymans is the most destructive timber decay fungus in the Northern Hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand.

It not only brings about the dramatic decay of timber but its ability to spread across non-nutritional surfaces, such as concrete, makes it particularly pervasive.

The mere mention of “dry rot” instils a sense of fear and dread in any home-owner but the destruction of the dry rot fungus in our buildings often pales in comparison with the damage wrought by remedial treatments.

Quentin talks to Dr Jagjit Singh, a mycologist and the managing director of Environmental Building Solutions Ltd. He says “Often the lack of understanding of the biology of the fungus is primarily responsible for misconceived ideas about its treatment.” He’s been on an expedition to the Himalaya to discover the origins of the fungus.

They’re joined by Dr Sarah Watkinson, a researcher in the Plant Sciences Department of Oxford University with The Joint Genome Institute in America sequencing the S.lacrymans genome.

The aim of the project is primarily to find novel strategies for bio-energy production but the genome sequence itself will contribute to a greater understanding of the biological processes that underlie its role in woodland ecosystems and provide clues for novel control strategies.

Dr Jagjit Singh concluded the piece by saying the best way to treat dry rot is by first identifying and stopping the incoming water and then providing plenty of ventilation - S.lacrymans hates fresh air.

 

[middi]

Very interesting Biff.

 

[Nemesis]

Isn't this exactly what Matt Green has been saying here for a considerable time?

 

[Moo]

Yes - and isn't it good to hear it aired to a wider audience!

 

[Schoolmarm]

Yes - and isn't it good to hear it aired to a wider audience!

I think only Biff listens to radio four though................rushes out before objects thrown at me

 

[worms]

Definitely a dangerous comment Schoolmarm, I am sure the PP Forum is a hotbed of Archer's fans!

 

[biffvernon]

Nigel P. seems to have a grip on reality at last

 

[Gervase]

Ah, another one outed!
Shame Elizabeth is such a ninny, though. Always had a soft spot for Nigel P.

 

[Flyfisher]

I think only Biff listens to radio four though................

. . . . not quite. I can personally vouch that the audience is at least double that, as I listen to it pretty much throughout the day.

Whenever the periodic topic of BBC reform comes up, my only concern is that R4 survives intact. My media consumption habits wouldn't be much affected if TV or newspapers disappeared overnight but I'd certainly miss R4 and the BBC news website.

 

[Moo]

Radio 4 runs non-stop on my allotment plot. My little wind-up radio keeps me sane when I'm digging, and when I'm recuperating with tea and biscuits in Joss's shed.

 

[Flyfisher]

I have a few old radios dotted around the house and garage/workshop to give almost constant coverage. But when I recently bought a DAB receiver the transmission/decoding delay completely messed up the seamless coverage when walking from room to room!

 

[plumbers mate]

Biff is not alone in listening to radio 4 -- a lot of intelligent people do....

 

[sarahj]

DAB doesn't work here and normal reception is quite difficult through these very thick walls so I get my radio 4 on the computer in the sitting room and have the same time difference with the analogue in the kitchen. Funny how the time difference varies from day to day!

 

[Nemesis]

I find wireless computer stuff doesn't work either through thick northern stone!

 

[skier-hughes]

I have the same trouble. I have to have the wireless netwok point below me as it comes through the floorboards fine.
Once we have the loft work finished it'll move up there and transmit downwards to make life easier for Jo, as she struggles to get it in her office.

I find DAB radios a pain........ My brother bought my Dad one, as he likes to listen to the football commentary on the radio as he watches the match.... he finds it hard to distnguish who is who these days....
He'd dropped his old one which you just tuned in with a wheel... the DAB one I ahve to reset everyweek before he goes to the match as if he loses signal he can't remember how to just use the favourites button to re-select the station.

 

[Nemesis]

Below me is the pantry / cold store. The OH has to lie on the landing outside my study with his laptop (rather a grand term really for a glory hole full of books and papers which was probably once a store room) in order to receive stuff via the wireles network.

Not very convenient really.

 

[Flyfisher]

These things would almost certainly solve your wireless problems.

 

[skier-hughes]

I don't have enough sockets as it is :lol:

 

[Moo]

That's just another case of Mo's law: However carefully you plan, there will never be enough sockets. And even if there are, one third of them will be in the wrong place.

 

[Penners]

Biff is not alone in listening to radio 4 -- a lot of intelligent people do....

And so do some of us thickos.