Dozens of glow-in-the-dark mushroom species grow around the world. But details on Dear Utol (2025): Itch Follows Episode 23what makes them shine so bright have long been dim.
In a new study, scientists say they can finally explain what makes bioluminescent mushrooms glow. They describe a process of "enzyme promiscuity" that leads to changes in the intensity and colors of mushrooms' light emissions.
SEE ALSO: This frog's slime can destroy flu virusesThe researchers, who hail from Russia, Brazil, and Japan, published their findings Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
Bioluminescence exists in a wide range of organisms, including deep sea fish, fireflies, and glowworms. In March, another group of scientists found the first solid evidence of fluorescence in amphibians, courtesy of the South American tree frog.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Of around 100,000 fungal species, about 80 are known to be bioluminescent.
Some of these emit a green light from within to attract beetles, flies, wasps, and ants, which in turn help disperse the mushrooms' spores and spread the fungi across the forest canopy, a 2015 study found.
Zinaida Kaskova and her colleagues analyzed the extracts of two such 'shrooms for their study: Neonothopanus gardneri, a fluorescent mushroom native to Brazil, and Neonothopanus nambi, a poisonous mushroom found in the rainforests of southern Vietnam.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable In most cases of bioluminescence, living organisms emit light when a molecule called "luciferin" -- from the Latin lucifer, which means light-bringer (also, Satan?) -- combines with its enzyme partner "luciferase."
When luciferin and luciferase mix together with energy and atmospheric oxygen, it triggers a chemical reaction. The result is a very "excited" oxyluciferin, which releases light energy in order to "calm down" to its lowest energy state, the scientists explained.
Previous research has characterized the luciferin-luciferase combination in bioluminescent insects, bacteria, and marine mammals. But Wednesday's study is the first to describe this in fungi.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Kaskova, a researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, said she and her team were able to pinpoint the structure of oxyluciferin in fungi.
They found that fungal luciferase may be "promiscuous," in that it can potentially interact with multiple derivatives of the luciferin molecule in mushrooms.
Their findings could pave the way for scientists to harness bioluminescence in mushrooms. Scientists already use fluorescent molecules to track cells and proteins in biological research. This could add another tool for analytical and imaging technologies.
The Spring Issue: Werner Herzog and Jan Simek on Caves
Revisited: Elliott Smith, Either/Or
Poem: “Paris by Moonlight,” by Mary Ruefle
The Empress of Gowanus: Two Trees Grow in Brooklyn
L.A. Advice: Writers Dating, Fear of the Blank Page by Sadie Stein
Prints by Peter Howson
Daniel Spoerri’s Flea
Brushes with Greatness: My Inconsequential Encounters with Celebs
A Week in Culture: Joe Ollmann, Cartoonist by Joe Ollmann
Luc Sante on the Appeal of Junk Shops
Abundance Mindset
On the Enduring Appeal of Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardée
Thomas Hardy’s Letters Will Ruin Your Day
Another Year for the NBA: Triptych for the End of a Season
James Shea’s “Haiku” by Sarah Braunstein
Poem: Martha Hollander, “Three Geographers”
My Autobibliography: Building a Library in Saint Lucia
What Does an Annie Ernaux Novel Look Like as a Building?
Twice-Born
Hosting a National Blurb Contest
Reddit adds a TikTokI drove a hydrogen fuel cell electric car. EVs make more sense.How to get paid on TikTokPolitician's emotional speech about her cancer got a standing ovation in ParliamentHow Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers' is different from the book'Humankind' is messier than 'Civilization' but in a good wayBetty Boo the salon cat has an important jobMarvel's 'ShangHow Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers' is different from the bookGoogle's Pixel 6 to ship without a chargerHow to watch the Paralympics, even without cableHow to set multiple timers on an Apple WatchKeep an eye on your home from afar with this affordable AIHorrifying video shows a snake wearing a decapitated fish headDavid Harbour is going to do the Hopper dance with actual penguins"Heels" on Starz doesn't pull any punches for its wrestling dramaAirPods can measure respiratory rate just by listening to you breatheRemember Yik Yak? Well, it's back and still anonymous.Elon Musk reveals plans to unleash a humanoid Tesla BotTesla's Autopilot under investigation by the feds Wordle today: Get the answer, hints for June 16 Cara Delevingne rocks up to royal wedding in suit and top hat, everyone else go home Clinton's tweet shuts down Trump's latest maniacal theory, fast 5 best time management apps Photos from 2022 March For Our Lives protests The saga of the barefoot runner, a local Facebook group, and some acorns El Salvador loses half its investment in Bitcoin as crypto plunges 'The Boys' Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad parody, explained Samsung Wallet combines Pay and Pass to keep your credit cards and crypto safe Fitbit Versa review: Excellent fitness tracker, mediocre smartwatch How NFC tags save me time Wordle today: Get the answer, hints for June 15 Stephen Miller's third grade teacher said he was a 'loner,' ate glue Wordle today: Get the answer, hints for June 17 Watch Natalie Portman's stirring 'Power of Women' speech Netflix misses the point of 'Squid Game,' greenlights reality TV competition spinoff Tesla inches closer to recall as NHTSA probes autopilot software 8 best gardening apps, so you can stop killing all of your plants Wordle today: Get the answer, hints for June 14 Paramount+ 'Players' review: An esports drama with heart
1.6161s , 10115.7109375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Dear Utol (2025): Itch Follows Episode 23】,Evergreen Information Network