“I’m waiting for a breakthrough when it comes to mushrooms”

Torill Kornfeldt is a science journalist and author, and is the host of the P3 podcast Dystopia.

In the book The return of the mammoth: The second chance of the extinct species (2016) she explores attempts to recreate extinct animal species. In the book The man in the test tube (2020) is the subject of the progress of genetic engineering and how it can be used on humans.

Until 2017, Torill Kornfeldt wrote regularly in Ny Teknik. Now she is back, and will participate regularly.

What will you write about in Ny Teknik?

– I will write about technical development that interests me and makes me curious. It will usually be about things that are close to research, rather than what are already completely finished products. And since I am always extra curious about genetic engineering and biotechnology, a lot will emerge from those fields.

What are the technology areas that are most exciting for you to watch now?

– I am a biologist at heart and think that most of the subjects where biology touches on technical development are interesting. There are also fields where a lot is happening right now. It is not just about gene or biotechnology, but also about how ai development can be further inspired by biological systems, or how algae can affect the climate crisis.

What scientific breakthrough would you like, in the areas you monitor?

– I’m waiting for a breakthrough when it comes to fungi – both in genetics and biochemistry. It is a large, diversified and still incredibly under-researched group of organisms that can probably come up with a lot of solutions to difficult problems in biotechnology. But I do not think there will be a big scientific blow, really, but small steps in basic research that together open up completely new possibilities.