Aristotle's Answer: Why Some Mushrooms Glow

Sunday, April 5, 2015 - 08:40 in Biology & Nature

Thousands of years ago, Aristotle knew that some mushrooms glowed, so it is no surprise the great thinker wondered why.Science may finally have an answer for his question. A new study posits that the light emitted from those fungi attracts the attention of insects, including beetles, flies, wasps, and ants. Those insect visitors are apparently good for the fungi because they spread the fungal spores around. The new study also shows that the mushrooms' bioluminescence is under the control of the circadian clock. In fact, it was that discovery that led the researchers to suspect that the mushrooms' light must serve some useful purpose. read more

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