Nicolas Cage Took Psychedelic Mushrooms with His Cat

by Aimee Deeken
from http://www.tvsquad.com/



Nicolas Cage swears he had a magic cat who once spoke to him. No, it was the mushrooms that were magic. On the 'Late Show' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS), Cage proffered quite the anecdote when David Letterman innocently asked whether Cage drank beer in high school.

"No, not beer, but I do remember having a bag of mushrooms in my refrigerator," Cage answered. "My cat used to sneak into the refrigerator and he would steal the mushrooms ... He ate them voraciously, he just loved them. It was like catnip to him."

So Cage took some too. "I remember lying in my bed for hours, and Louis [the cat] was on the desk across from the bed for hours -- staring at each other ... And I had no doubt that he was my brother."

Glow-in-the-Dark Mushrooms Discovered

By Jeanna Bryner, Senior Writer

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A newly identified luminescent fungus called Mycena luxaeterna was discovered in a forest in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The mushroom caps are tiny, under a half inch (8 mm) in diameter and the stems have a jelly-like structure. The glow is easier to observe at night (right). Credit: Cassius V. Stevani, Chemistry Institute, University of Sao Paulo.

As if teensy night-lights were dangling from tree trunks and branches, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms illuminate the forests across the globe. Now, scientists have discovered several species of such radiant 'shrooms.

The freaky findings, reported today in the journal Mycologia, increases the number of aglow mushroom species from 64 to 71, shedding light on the evolution of luminescence in nature.

The newly identified mushrooms, which emit a bright, yellowish-green light 24 hours a day, were found in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. They include four species new to science and three new reports of luminescence in known species.

"If daylight was not so bright you could see them during the day, but the greenish-yellow light does not stand out against daylight so we cannot visualize them," lead researcher Dennis Desjardin of San Francisco State University told LiveScience. "But take them into a dark room at any time of day, and wait until your eyes adjust to the darkness, and you'll see them glow very nicely."

Here are some of the highlights:

• Found on sticks in an Atlantic forest habitat, Mycena luxaeterna is tiny, each cap spanning 0.3 inches (8mm) in diameter, with jelly-like stems. (The species' name, which means "eternal light," was inspired by Mozart's "Requiem.")
• One psychedelic-looking mushroom, called Mycena silvaelucens, was found on the bark of a standing tree at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Borneo, Malaysia. Each mushroom cap measuries just over a half inch (18 mm) in diameter.
• So-called Mycena luxarboricola was collected from the bark of a living tree in an old growth Atlantic forest in Paraná, Brazil. Each cap measures less than 0.2 inches (5 mm) in diameter. (The species' name, which means "light dwelling on a tree," was also inspired by Mozart's "Requiem.")

Three quarters of glowing mushrooms, including the newly identified species, belong to the Mycena genus, a group of mushrooms that feed off and decompose organic matter.

Discovered on the bark of a standing tree in Borneo, Malaysia, this new glow-in-the-dark mushroom called Mycena silvaelucens emits a yellowish-green light throughout the day, though it's easier to see at night (right). Credit: Brian Perry, University of Hawaii.

"What interests us is that within Mycena, the luminescent species come from 16 different lineages, which suggests that luminescence evolved at a single point and some species later lost the ability to glow," Desjardin said.

Tiny mushrooms called Mycena luxarboricola were discovered in an old growth forest in Parana, Brazil and described in the journal Mycologia. Though they glow all day, it's best to observe them at night (right). Credit: Cassius V. Stevani, Chemistry Institute, University of Sao Paulo.

He and other scientists still have many questions about such glow-in-the-dark fungi, including how and why they light up. They know the luminescent process is similar to that of glowing bacteria and other luminescent organisms. For instance, the glowing involves a luciferin-luciferase mediated reaction that emits light in the presence of water and oxygen. But they are not sure of the exact chemical compounds involved in the reaction.

As for why, Desjardin says some fungi glow to lure in nocturnal animals that aid in the dispersal of the mushroom's spores, which are similar to seeds and are capable of growing into new organisms. Fungi, along with plants, animals and protists are considered eukaryotes by biologists, meaning "true kernel," due to the packaging of the genome into the membrane-bounded compartment called the nucleus. (Simple bacteria and archaea, which lack a cell nucleus, are considered prokaryotes.)

To date, Desjardin has discovered more than 200 new fungi species, including a phallic mushroom.

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society.

Seven Deadly 'Shrooms

Fungi hunters and hikers beware, here are seven super toxic mushrooms to avoid

By Katherine Harmon

DON'T EAT ME: Some of the world's most toxic mushrooms look dangerously similar to those harvested for food--or recreation.
TAYLOR LOCKWOOD

• Overview
  Slide Show: Seven Poisonous Mushrooms

Mushrooms can be delicious, beautiful and even, well, "magical". But if tough times send you out to forage for food—beyond the nearest fast-food restaurant—be wary of some of nature's more toxic temptations.

Whether mistakenly—or maliciously—used, mushrooms have claimed the lives of many, including the Roman emperor, Claudius, who is rumored to have been poisoned by a mushroom dish administered by his wife. The death of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, which prompted the war of Austrian Succession, may also have resulted from feasting on foul fungi.

Although some toxic mushrooms, such as the false morels (in the Gyromitra genus), are still prepared in traditional dishes, evidence is mounting that even in cooked form the meaty mushrooms aren't totally safe for consumption.

Even the deadliest mushrooms, including the aptly named death cap, are reported to taste pretty good, and symptoms often don't appear for hours. So as mycologists (mushroom scholars) everywhere warn: know your fungi. Otherwise you may be in for a nasty—if not fatal—case of mycetism (mushroom poisoning).

Nature photographer and author Taylor Lockwood shares photographs of some of the more deadly 'shrooms.

Slide Show: Seven Poisonous Mushrooms

I've Seen The Future, And It’s Made of Mushrooms

Posted by Garret Ohm

I hate mushrooms. As a general rule, I don’t like any form of fungus, and absolutely detest the thought of ingesting it. But a pair of mechanical engineering students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have come up with a killer technology that is making me rethink my disdain for shrooms. They’ve created Greensulate, a strong, low-cost biomaterial that replaces the expensive, non-biodegradable plastics and styrofoam used in modern packaging and wall insulation (two HUGE pollutants).

Here’s the short version of how the stuff works:

In a lab, workers grow mycelia, the roots of mushrooms that look like gobs of white and brown fiber. In place of dirt, the roots grow in agricultural by-products, which creates a series of intertwining fibers which give the product its rigidity. Then, they simply place the mixture in a mold and let it grow for a couple of weeks until it’s super dense (1 cubic inch has 8 MILES of fibers). After that they shove them in an oven to dry and presto, you’ve got a finished product.

The inventors have started a company called Ecovative Design to market the technology, and I think they’re really onto something. Just imagine if they’re able to form this product into low-cost, biodegradable auto body panels and other automotive components. Or counter tops. Or flooring. They could even conceivably figure out a way to make children’s toys out of the material. For my sake, I hope they stop short of making dishes and kitchen utensils out of them, though. I don’t eat ANYTHING that touches mushrooms. Blech.

Keep an eye on Ecovative on Twitter HERE.

Garret Ohm is a hybrid marketing/business development director. He loves cars, dogs, golf and has a strange fascination with helicopters. He blogs here.