Puffballs are named for the fact that puffs of spores are released when the dry and powdery tissues of the mature spherical fruiting body (basidiocarp) are disturbed.
Researchers then sift out everything aside from DNA by blending the sample up and using enzymes that break down cellular proteins and release DNA, which they purify.
When first published, his stories were serialized, meaning they were released a few chapters at a time in affordable literary journals, and only later reprinted as books.