#dailyfungifact

[fungi-and-a-funguy]

Daily Fungi Fact 126: Mycelium is a thin, threadlike structure, it is usually the main part of a fungi, sometimes forming mushrooms as fruiting bodies. Mycelium has many commercial uses, it can be used to produce a replacement of plastic packaging that is grown in agricultural waste, but its main use is to make vegan leather. Mycelium could also be used as a construction material, it is lightweight, biodegradable, and can be grown from waste. Although it has a relatively low compressive strength of 0.1-0.2 MPa(concrete has a compressive strength of 17-28MPa), and will die if it does not receive enough air and moisture, mycelium is still a good option for building materials, because it insulates very well, and it takes the shape of any mold it is grown in.

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Daily Fungi Fact 124: Fungiculture is the process of growing fungi, usually mushrooms, the fungi grown are often used as food, but can also be used for medicine, materials, and other things. The top mushroom producing state in the US is Pennsylvania.

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Daily Fungi Fact 130: Lichen have such a long lifespan, and grow so slowly at a steady pace that some species can be used to date events, this is called lichenometry.

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Daily Fungi Fact 163: Yunnan sudden death syndrome is a sudden death caused by cardiac arrest(heart stops beating), it is estimated to have killed 400 people over 3 decades, affecting many villagers in the Yunnan province of Southwest China. It is believed to be caused by eating a little white mushroom(Trogia venenata).

[fungi-and-a-funguy]

Daily Fungi Fact 79: Penicillium rubens is a mold, it was the first species known to produce penicillin, its medicinal uses were first discovered by Alexander Fleming, in 1928, he found that one of his bacterial cultures was contaminated with mold, and the area around the mold was inhospitable to bacterial growth.

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Daily Fungi Fact 146: The Orellani are 7 species of fungi in the Cortinarius genus, they should be avoided as they are very poisonous due to their production of Orellanine. Orellanine inhibits your ability to produce proteins, RNA, and DNA. The first symptoms of poisoning typically take 2-14 days to appear, the first symptoms being flu-like symptoms, which are then followed by the early stages of kidney failure, and lastly, little to no urine output as well as other symptoms of kidney failure. Only 30% of patients have a full recovery of their renal functions(kidney stuff).

[fungi-and-a-funguy]

Daily Fungi Fact 75: Aspergillus ochraceus is a species of mold that can be found as a contaminant in many commodities, such as beer and wine. A. ochraceus creates Ochratoxin A, which is a mycotoxin that is potentially capable of causing cancer and Alzheimer's. Ochratoxin A can also be made by many other molds, so do not eat moldy food, you can not just cut out the part that is discolored, as that is only the spores, you must throw away the entire food item if it is moldy.

[fungi-and-a-funguy]

Daily Fungi Fact 103: The spores of most fungi are carried by the wind, and these wind carried spores are hydrophobic(repel water).