The new issue of PNAS shows some evidence for the origins of my other favorite beverage.  “The draft genome sequence of S. eubayanus [Patagonian tree fungus] revealed that this long-sought partner of ale-yeast gave rise to a domesticated, hybrid species used to brew lager beer.”

It’s worth a quick look at the picture on the cover. Who would guess something so ugly could yield such a tasty product. Beer is, in the apocryphal words of Ben Franklin, “proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”