These mushrooms glow in the dark

RJ Hamster

2 years ago

Saturday, March 4, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we explore what makes these unique mushrooms light up, walk with herders trying to stop lion attacks, launch falcons in Abu Dhabi … and dive to the great depths of the sea.

PHOTOGRAPH BY HENRIQUE DOMINGOS, IPBIO

Mushrooms are big these days. California is awash in an epic ‘shroom bloom. Doctors are experimenting with varieties to make better psychedelics. However, this rainforest on Brazil‘s Atlantic coast offers another type of illumination.

Six newly discovered types of fantastic fungi are lighting up. In the dark. (Pictured above, mycena lucentipes emitting a neon-green glow.) What makes the mushrooms flourish? How do we get there?

See the whole blooming story here.

Please consider getting our digital report and magazine by subscribing here.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEX SABERI, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

But wait, there’s more: One of the world’s most biodiverse biomes in the world, Brazil’s Atlantic Forest gives travelers up close looks at rare flora and fauna. Read more.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

PHOTOGRAPH BY VIDHYAA CHANDRAMOHAN

In falconry, these women are writing a new chapter (above, Ayesha al Mansoori (left) is teaching Mariam Al Hammadi and Iman Al Hammadi in the United Arab Emirates)

This notorious empress was Rome’s most dangerous person

Were these early Europeans the first to ride horses? New clues point to that.

The perilous volcanic climb that yielded an extraordinary surprise

Now we know about the real dog who saved an Alaskan town

You like the sensation. Do you like ASMR?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPH BY TERRA FONDRIEST

Is privilege an accurate diagnosis? For cystic fibrosis, doctors often have been slow to diagnose people of color, because it had been considered a ‘white’ disease. It took 54 years for Terry Wright (pictured taking a pulmonary test above) to get properly diagnosed—and he has suffered significant, irreversible lung damage, Nat Geo reports.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES, @CHAMILTONJAMES

Herders on the storm: As lightning flashes behind them, Maasai herders talk about lions preying on cattle alongside a vast nature reserve. “I was amazed by the bravery of the guys, who would run right up to the lions, throwing stones to scare them off,” says Nat Geo photographer and Explorer Charlie Hamilton James. Read more about the lion attacks.

GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK

LAST GLIMPSE

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN TEE-VAN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Unlocking the sea’s mysteries: Behind every man is a great woman, or in this case three. While two male scientists explored the deep seas in the bathysphere in the 1930s, Gloria Hollister Anable (right) transcribed their observations, Jocelyn Crane Griffin (center) helped identify the marine life, and Else Bostelmann (left) created drawings of the creatures.

That’s not all.

Anable and Griffin also took turns submerging in the small steel orb, with Anable setting the record for reaching the greatest depth by a woman, Nat Geo reports.

SEE WHAT THEY SAW

Today’s soundtrack: Wishing Well, by Abby Posner

This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard, Hannah Farrow, and Jen Tse. Amanda Williams-Bryant, Alisher Egamov, Rita Spinks, and Jeremy Brandt-Vorel also contributed this week. Have an idea? We’d love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. Thanks for reading!

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

We’d like to hear from you! Tell us what you think of our emails by sharing your feedback in this short survey.

TAKE THE SURVEY

SHOP DONATE SUBSCRIBE TRAVEL

Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply.

This email was sent to: peter.hovis@gmail.com. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored.

This email contains an advertisement from:
National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036

Stop all types of future commercial email from National Geographic regarding its products, services, or experiences.

Manage all email preferences with the Walt Disney Family of Companies.

Share this: