Bioluminescent mushrooms glow
By Bora Zivkovic
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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Image of the Week #62, October 1st, 2012:From:Mount Kinabalu: Green Stars of the Forest by Luis Morgado at Expeditions. Source: Luis Morgado In the din of a faraway rainforest, human capacity for fairy tales and fright can be rekindled by extremely distant cousins to our own kingdom. Luis Morgado told the tale:
"...in the night of the tropical rainforest we found something that would make even the most rational scientist wonder about the magical world."
Using bioluminescent light, fungus attract insects to help spread spores in the still air of the dense rainforest - and spread that magical sense of awe biologists in a new ecosystem experience.
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