this post was submitted on 24 May 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 263 points 5 months ago (28 children)

Looking over the wikipedia page on this mushroom and all the similar, very edible ones...Yeah I'm never foraging mushrooms.

[–] [email protected] 145 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Yeah, I carefully read the description of its distinguishing features, studied the photo, and concluded I have no idea what I'm looking at and how to tell them apart.

[–] [email protected] 90 points 5 months ago (9 children)

I'm really good at spotting differences or inconsistencies, I'm totally lost with mushrooms though, and I go multiple times every Autumn with a woman in her 70's. She is very clear about what we are looking for. She throws out at least half of what I gather.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago

She does that cause she's jealous of how many you pick

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago

Cool, I think you just saved me a bit of time.

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

chanterelles are pretty safe to forage if they grow near you.

they are very distinct looking.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (4 children)

And this is why I grow my own. I'm very fond of Albino Texas PE6. Easy to grow, consistent, and you can clone and agar spawn over and over again. Such an aggressive little strain. And looks very distinct. Unmistakable.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Mushroom foraging can be safe, but the rules are:

  • Always learn from a local guide first. It's not transferable to other regions. Which makes books a bad way to do it, and the internet a horrible way.

  • You don't rule out dangerous mushrooms, you identify a specific edible mushroom.

  • Never trust a little white mushroom.

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[–] [email protected] 174 points 5 months ago (2 children)

There are old mushroom foragers and then there are bold ones. There are no bold, old mushroom foragers.

[–] [email protected] 63 points 5 months ago (9 children)

There are no bold, old mushroom foragers

Sure there are, they just have to not eat what they picked up.

Source: friend's mom once gave food poisoning to the whole family by serving them an omelet made with mushrooms she found, but didn't eat it herself. Fortunately it was merely mushrooms of the "fucks up your stomach" variety.

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[–] [email protected] 172 points 5 months ago (5 children)

Looks like a destroying angel (e.g. Amanita virosa) to me. This and the death cap together account for the vast majority of mushroom poisonings in the world. Cooking it will not destroy the toxins, nor will acid. Symptoms tend to appear 5-24 hours after eating, too late to pump the stomach. Half a mushroom can be enough to kill you.

I don't recommend going out to pick mushrooms unless you know what you're doing. If you do, stay away from the white ones. You can still get terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea from other colors of mushrooms, but the white ones have the most dangerous species.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 5 months ago (7 children)

Easiest way to avoid problems I've heard is to never pick any mushroom with ribbed underside. If the underside looks like a sponge, it's usually safe to eat. At least where I'm from.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Might be valid advice for some regions, I don't know. But mushrooms tend to vary quite a bit in appearance. Sometimes ribbed species don't have very visible ribs, or younger mushrooms don't quite have all the characteristics of their mature form. If you really want to get into picking mushrooms, there's often local groups you can join with a resident expert who can tell you which ones are safe.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Rule of thumb with mushrooms is that these id tricks tend to be regional and not always accurate unfortunately. Nature is a bit more of a kaleidoscope.

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[–] [email protected] 67 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Neural networks are magical anywhere that near misses are good enough.

Companies keep using them as if they're infallible, when lives and fortunes are at stake.

Tech is not the problem.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Tech is ravenously trying to convince the world they need AI for every aspect of their business. Tech wants you to think LLMs are infallible and they strongly imply that they are even if the fine print says otherwise. So personally I would say tech is very much part of the problem. One could say they are the root of the problem in fact.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I think he’s referring to literal technology itself as “Tech” and you’re referring to the people trying to sell it as “Tech”—aka “Big-Tech” as some would say

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago

Yup, sounds like a classic miscommunication. I think we should all compromise and just agree capitalism is the problem lol.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 5 months ago

I don't think the tech is the problem, it's the business drones trying to sell you it

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Amanita bisporigera, or the aptly named eastern North American destroying angel, if anyone's wondering.

From Wikipedia:

The principal amatoxin, α-amanitin, is readily absorbed across the intestine, and 60% of the absorbed toxin is excreted into bile and undergoes enterohepatic circulation; the kidneys clear the remaining 40%. The toxin inhibits the enzyme RNA polymerase II, thereby interfering with DNA transcription, which suppresses RNA production and protein synthesis. This causes cellular necrosis, especially in cells which are initially exposed and have rapid rates of protein synthesis. This process results in severe acute liver dysfunction and, ultimately, liver failure.

I could not confirm that it causes liquefactive necrosis of the liver specifically, however. I wouldn't doubt it, but I couldn't confirm it.

Edit: I should clarify, I got this from the original thread on Bluesky, not my own identification.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 5 months ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 38 points 5 months ago (2 children)

This guy sees the most terrifying description of a toxin killing someone and goes "Yep, that's a fun mushroom facto"

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[–] [email protected] 48 points 5 months ago (6 children)

joker-shopping i didnt even consider that this AI shit was going to claim to be able to ID mushrooms

ok ive been a little skeptical of the idea so far but now im fully convinced. this dumb ai shit is going to get people killed. like straight up more than one person is going to die because of these upjumped autocorrects masquerading as intelligence. and no one is going to be held responsible.

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 5 months ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (10 children)
[–] [email protected] 37 points 5 months ago (3 children)
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[–] [email protected] 37 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Which mushroom is it then? 😱

[–] [email protected] 73 points 5 months ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Eastern North American Destroying Angel. Half a mushroom is enough to completely destroy your liver and symptoms show up too late to do anything about them

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 5 months ago (5 children)

My fucked up brain goes like, "woah, I wonder what death tastes like."

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Probably bitter and followed by a slow agonizing death by liver failure.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 5 months ago

As somebody who has been through liver failure and transplant, it really sucks. I do not recommend it.

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 5 months ago (10 children)

2 mushrooms hard to fuck up in America.

Chicken of the Forest.

Morels.

I remember selling like 5 lbs of morels when I was a kid and getting like $200. That was without even driving to the city to make the real money.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 5 months ago (17 children)

I remember being on a wilderness weekend many years ago and being told that when you cut the stem on some poisonous shrooms they discolour a sort of blue tint. I'm lucky, I hate the taste and texture of mushrooms.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (5 children)

I remember years ago reading you can tell if a mushroom is "magic" by blotting it on paper towel and seeing if it stains blue or purple. Unfortunately, that is also how many things say you can tell it's toxic. Maybe you'll trip balls. Maybe you'll die. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Maybe you’ll trip balls and THEN die!

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Adds this to the big list of horrible ways to die

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