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If one day you suddenly see a mushroom glowing in the night, don’t think you’re hallucinating, because it’s real!
According to scientists, there are about 85,000 species of fungi that exist in the natural world, but only 65 of these species are thought to be able to produce bioluminescence.
There are about 65 types of mushrooms that can glow in nature. (Photo: Rest Search in Japan)
Glow in the dark effect is the result of a chemical reaction between the luminous pigment luciferin and the enzyme luciferase. This reaction can also appear in some animals such as jellyfish, squid, scorpions…
Honey Mushroomscientific name is Armillaria melleais the most common bioluminescent mushroom and lives in forests across North America and Asia. In contrast, the Mycena luxaeterna mushroom is only found in Brazil.
Some mushrooms glow to attract predators. (Photo: Rest Search in Japan)
Some mushrooms glow to attract nocturnal animals to help disperse their spores. This is especially true in forests with dense canopies that cannot be dispersed by wind. Others glow to attract predators, insects that eat the mushrooms, a tactic of making friends with their enemies. Some glow for reasons that we cannot yet explain and are being studied by scientists.
In Vietnam, luminescent mushrooms can be found in many regions across the country. (Photo: Twitter)
In Vietnam, luminescent mushrooms have been mentioned for a long time. Luminescent mushrooms can be found in many regions throughout the country. The mushrooms often appear during the rainy months and give off quite strong light. In 2002, surveying cashew and rubber gardens in the Southeast, scientists collected many strains of luminescent mushrooms. The relatively common strain that has been successfully cultivated has the scientific name Omphalotus of. they mock
Mushrooms appear often during the rainy months and give off quite strong light.
The property of emitting light continuously and with much stronger intensity than other luminescent organisms is a notable advantage of luminescent fungi. Many scientific studies aim to apply luminescent fungi to determine the ecological toxicity of the environment or detect areas of the environment contaminated with heavy metals (such as mercury) at concentrations too low to be used by conventional methods. Luminescent fungi act as a biosensor. In addition, fungi are also used in gene transfer to create luminescent organisms as desired.
Luminescent fungi have received attention, partly in relation to medicine, especially in the field of cancer.
Recent research results in the world show that luminescent mushrooms are not only noticed for their luminescent properties, but also related to medicine, especially in the field of cancer. Their metabolic products have high biological activity in antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral, especially the ability to inhibit the cell division of cancer cells. Therefore, luminescent mushrooms are now also studied and cultivated as a medicinal mushroom.
According to VTC