Mushrooms are aliens from outer space? Bashny.Net

It is not excluded that once upon a time spores were brought to our planet by asteroids and meteorites, painfully these creations of nature are different from plants, and from all other earthly creatures. The many mysteries of mushrooms have not been revealed, so the one who will devote his life to their study, may rely on sensational discoveries.

Aliens from another world

Scientists often call the mushroom the "aliens from another world." The fact that they are very much different from all other types of terrestrial vegetation, fungi lack chlorophyll and can grow in complete darkness and, unlike all other plants, absorb oxygen.




Many may not believe this, but according to some researchers, mushrooms have played a major role in the history of mankind. American scientist Terence McKenna at the time, even put forward the hypothesis that hallucinogenic mushrooms could become a kind of catalyst for the evolution of primates and contributed to the transformation of apes into Homo sapiens. Of course, such a hypothesis has caused quite a mixed and largely negative reaction in the scientific world.

The rights of Terence McCann's or not, but it is known that since ancient times shamans used hallucinogenic fungi to enter a special state in which they communicated with the spirits of the dead, their deities, learn about upcoming events. The birthplace of hallucinogenic mushrooms many consider to be Mexico, because that is where the Europeans first learned about the practice of their application, however, these mushrooms are common on all continents.



It is known that in the North the shamans also used hallucinogenic mushrooms, in particular Amanita. There is evidence that the fly agaric was used by the Vikings, they took the precise "dose" of hallucinogens before battle, and then, fully parting with fear, drugged rushed into battle.

The ancients were impressed with the ability of fungi to grow without seeds, as if from nowhere. It was suggested that they appeared after lightning strikes due to the impact of dew, or of certain miraculous powers. Some even believed that the appearance of mushrooms was involved some divine power. Preserved German herbalist of the XVI century, in which there is such a record: "the Mushrooms are called children of the gods, for they are born without seed, not like the others".



However, it is much more common in the Middle ages got the opposite view: that the fungi are derived from the influence of evil forces. Particularly impressed by the superstitious people the ability of some fungi to grow in the right circles, which are called "witches". These circles can reach a diameter of up to two hundred meters and, of course, inspired some fear in people, which at that time did not know anything about mycelium and how the mushrooms grow. Inside of such circles, many feared to go, believing that in this place sports an evil force from witches to goblins.

And poison and save

Scientists say that on Earth there was a time when the world was ruled almost exclusively mushrooms. It happened in the Permian period, when our planet was struck by a large asteroid. The disastrous consequences of the fall killed up to 80% of all terrestrial animals and plants, were destroyed up to 90% of marine species. Researchers believe that the disaster of the earth's vegetation for a long period consisted of one fungi that disposed of animal remains and dead trees. Then the fauna on the planet revived, and it is possible that this to some extent contributed to the mushrooms.

It is not known when the ancient people were acquainted with the mushrooms, but the age of the first petroglyphs of mushrooms dates back several thousand years. It is believed that the oldest written mention of the mushrooms was made by Euripides (480 — 406 BC), although, without a doubt, there was more ancient written sources, because most of them were lost during the wars and fires (remember the famous library of Alexandria) or just crumbled with time. But on hallucinogenic mushrooms and related rituals first wrote the Franciscan missionary Bernardino de Sahagun, who visited South America.

With the help of fungi than once "worked" the history of the world. Especially in this field of distinguished Romans, poisonous mushrooms are often used to eliminate individuals that have a great impact on history. So, Agrippina, the mother of the future Emperor Nero, poisoned a dish of mushrooms, and her husband Emperor Claudius. I believe that the mushrooms were poisoned the king Charles VI and Pope Clement VII.

Mushrooms are not only poisoned people but treated. In Japan and China for two millennia there are different methods of treatment by mushrooms, many of them very effective. Great expectations for mushrooms lay researchers who are looking for ways to treat cancer. By the way, it is worth remembering that penicillin was isolated from a colony of fungi, and all subsequent antibiotics. Perhaps many of us can remember that these medications once saved our life, because in the past ordinary pneumonia was often fatal.



Mushrooms-killer in Yunnan province

Sometimes fungi cause tragic, almost detective stories. Since 1980, Chinese doctors for almost thirty years could not solve the mystery of the strange deaths of villagers in South-Western Yunnan province. Every year in the midst of the rainy season, dozens of peasants have died from sudden cardiac arrest, although no apparent reason for this was not. There was even a special term — the Yunnan sudden death syndrome, which for three decades has died 400 people.

Five years, the Chinese center for control and prevention of the diseases studied Yunnan syndrome and finally figured out the mystery of sudden deaths. The experts came to the conclusion that the culprit is a seemingly harmless mushroom Trogia species known in the province as "Little white".

In the first year of research, scientists managed to establish that all the victims of the syndrome were drinking water from surface sources, has suffered emotional distress and, finally, they all ate the mushrooms. It was on mushrooms and decided to pay special attention to researchers, because more than 90% of the deaths were from July and August, when many farmers were collecting mushrooms in the forest and cooking of various dishes.

Although by the end of 2005 in Yunnan province issued a warning about the inadmissibility of eating unfamiliar mushrooms, sudden death among the peasants continued. Residents of the province continued to eat mushrooms, and in these places grew many varieties. Well, scientists have continued to develop their "mushroom" version. By 2008, they were able to find that in many homes, where the mysterious syndrome killing people in the food consumed is not very well known scholar of the mushrooms. He was very small, so it is not sold in the markets.

Doctors immediately launched a propaganda campaign to prevent the use of poison mushroom in the food. It turned out, their version was confirmed! As soon as the population was notified about the dangerous mushroom, the number of deaths declined sharply in 2010, it has almost disappeared.



Most interesting is that the deadly mushrooms he managed to ask a scientist rather complicated mystery. According to analyses, they were some toxins, but not enough to kill a man. Researchers are continuing work on the isolation of fungi toxin, they intend to identify the impact it can have on the heart and can stop it.

It has been suggested that ominous mushroom there is a second chemical agent, also adversely affecting people. Many of the dead in the body was observed elevated levels of barium, this heavy metal is contained in the soil is extracted from the mushrooms. Scientists do not exclude the possibility that due to the deterioration of the ecology of the fungus has mutated and acquired a previously missing it hazardous properties.

If urban residents can at a trip to the woods to be a dangerous toadstools and poison, the peasants for centuries, collecting the same mushrooms, passing from generation to generation, their knowledge about edible and safe for consumption. Many fungi actively absorb from the soil the heavy metals, so doctors do not recommend to collect them along the roads with heavy traffic and industrial areas, landfills, and various storage of chemical and other toxic waste. Digestible by fungi from the soil of harmful substances may turn the once safe mushroom in toxic and dangerous mutant.

In a hot and dry summer can be a threat at first glance, perfectly safe mushrooms, including white. The fact that the dropdown on the soil industrial emissions are not washed out from the rains, accumulate in larger quantities are absorbed by the mushrooms. So try to collect mushrooms in the "trustworthy" environmental forests. By the way, there is an anecdote that can be eaten any mushrooms, "however, some only once in a lifetime"...



Monster out of the bottle with ash

Story about this mushroom monster is quite long, it was covered by several publications, but now almost forgotten, though perfectly demonstrates the incredible ability of some fungi to survive in extreme conditions. The mushroom monster was discovered in an ordinary bottle harvested in the winter ash. It happened in the village of Listvyanka on the shore of lake Baikal. Unusual BLOB of goo from a bottle poured in a zinc trough, where he began to grow rapidly. It frightened the owners of the bottle, and they burned the growing slime on the street.

Hearing about this mysterious case reached the scientists, on the stone near the place of burning they were able to detect spores of the mysterious mushroom. The stone was placed in a container of water, which very quickly there was a whitish haze for a couple of days turned into a lumpy goo with a purple tint. The researchers divided the slime into several parts, two of them are used for experiments, the other left as a control.



The first experimental part mushroom filled with distilled water and then frozen to minus eighteen degrees. Many believed that the fungus was killed, but when the three hours it thawed and placed in a weak solution of glucose, he immediately came to life and began to rapidly increase in size. The experiment decided to complicate, mushroom frozen for 30 days, then smashed with a hammer into fragments, one of which was placed in a nutrient medium. After 10 days the fungus started to grow, and in 15 has grown to size broken the experimental part.

The second experimental part of the fungus, on the contrary, exposed to high temperature and dried to a thin elastic linzochki. It was ironed with a hot iron, after which she turned into a thin brittle brilliant record, something resembling mica.

Scientists decided to combine both experimental parts in one vessel, they soon merged into a single specimen is white with a purple hue, it is noteworthy that she was much more resilient than the control part. In a vessel obtained with individual added one of the control parts, it was learned a new mushroom without any changes to the acquired properties.

In the course of further experiments, the scientists found that a fungus monster that's a long time to go without water in a state of suspended animation. Cost to add a little water, as it quickly came to life. For example, once researchers have laid out a mushroom on a wet newspaper, the fungus began to grow like dough with yeast, while devouring his paper "litter".

The fungus proved to be very omnivorous. Thrown into the jar, the fish disappeared in about 12 hours. Unlucky scholar who dipped into a container of mushroom finger almost all the skin with it was lost. Amazingly, the fungus was not afraid of any organic poisons, he just decomposed them into harmless material for themselves. When you add in a vessel of different substances, and the fungus could change color, for example, after the piece of sugar he had become colorless.

Gelatinous monster safely withstand the short-term boiling, not afraid of electromagnetic interference and vibration. When the mushroom was spinning in the centrifuge, it became more dense and elastic, the Central part of began the surge, which lasted the whole day.

The conducted research was sufficient for a conclusion that the spread of the fungus-monster may be a greater threat to the animal world and for humans. By order of the special Commission of the mushroom decided to destroy. Scientists gathered all drugs with a mushroom, vessels, appliances and even work clothes and shoes, all this was placed in a tank, doused with diesel fuel and burned. It destroyed every thing that could remain mysterious spores of the fungus.

However, it was suggested that spores could remain in the forest, in the place where were collected the ash. However, since then it's been a long time, but the mushroom monster, fortunately, did not show himself. Maybe he died in one of the harsh winters, and perhaps, lurking and waiting in the wings. Where did he come from? According to one hypothesis, it is a fungus mutant, there is a version of his cosmic origin. A mysterious fungus is even associated with the fall of the Tunguska meteorite. If the spores of such fungi-monsters can actually travel in outer space, in the future we can expect big trouble, because meteorites fall every day on our Land...