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A lot of professional mycologists

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at one of the largest state unis in the nation......total of 12 students

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not enough for students to be trying their hands at identifying, which I don't think is the best idea without a lot of hands-on practice.

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Mushroom observer is just for posting pictures and details of finds and the community votes on what they think it is.

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A lot of professional mycologists there.

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I didn't mean to be an ass, just surprised i guess that there isn't more extensive universal organized reference.  I guess there hasn't been much money in mushrooms?  Too bad, because i could make hunting them a career of choice for sure.

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It's all good, I was tired and cranky as well (my mycology class is way too early in the morning). The main problem with attempting a large, universal field guide is that it still doesn't provide definite identification conclusions, that really only comes with experience or DNA barcoding (which is actually being done now)...the extra human input on Mushroom Observer is excellent for pointing out what you may have missed, opening new lines of thought for identification, etc. Mushroom Expert is good for its keys and short articles on most known species.

As for the money aspect of mycology: there doesn't seem to be a ton of it to go around. I was thinking about this earlier today, and I think mycology is really only a graduate specialization, usually within botany (yep, most universities still lump mycology with botany), plant pathology, or food sciences/ag. The majority of the research into fungi goes towards biocontrol of pest insects and plant pathology for cropgrowers, which generally deals with the non basidiomycetes, the traditional mushrooms (however, there is one genus, clodyceps, I believe, that infects ants and other insects, hijacks their nervous system and forces them to climb high, then they grow out their fruiting body from the insect's head...those are cool as fuck).

There is a lot of research to be done on the fungi, especially with newer DNA technologies allowing for much better classification, the problem is there isn't a lot that can be done aside from furthering our own knowledge. Perhaps after I graduate I'll see what more I can do for mycology, but my major right now is neurobiology, so grad school might stick with that or attempt to do something with both.

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kydelic said:
infects ants and other insects, hijacks their nervous system and forces them to climb high, then they grow out their fruiting body from the insect's head

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newer DNA technologies allowing for much better classification

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That's what i'm talking about.  No more of this 'we're just not sure if it's edible' 'don't dare try it' routine.  I would buy a mushroom toxin test kit.  But it's the job of the phd's and engineers to capitalize on these things and bring them within reach of the dumb consumer. 

It just seems so wrong not to know what mushrooms great grandma used to put in the stew...

and on retrospect i probably did mean to be an ass, just usually wiser not to.