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 veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 6,100
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 Anyone want this old mushroom?
#7474901 - 10/01/07 06:06 PM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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Anyone want this old mushroom?
October 1, 2007 - Nature
Star specimen of 100-million-year-old fungus in amber up for sale
 If you know someone with a fondness for fungi, here's the perfect present: the oldest mushroom ever discovered, encased in amber, and on sale for a mere US$100,000.
The mushroom was discovered by Ron Buckley, a registered nurse and amateur fossil hunter in Florence, Kentucky. Buckley spotted it encased in a piece of Burmese amber that he had obtained from a Canadian importer. With the help of George Poinar, a zoologist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, he determined that the mushroom was a record-breaking 100-million years old. The duo published their results in April in the journal Mycological Research (see 'Amber collectors hit on oldest mushroom find').
Now Buckley has listed his specimen on e-bay. The high price, he says, reflects its rarity and the many hours he has logged on his collection. Over the years, Buckley has sold hundreds of other more common specimens through the online auction site.
Let me at it
The decision to sell scientifically interesting artefacts can be distressing because it might make the samples unavailable for future study, says David Hibbett, a mycologist at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. "Having said that, I respect the right of the owner to do with this specimen as he wishes," he adds.
Hibbett, who described in a Nature article in 1995 what was until now the oldest mushroom2, adds that the specimen is of only limited scientific value. Scientists cannot yet extract DNA from such samples, and the fungus cannot be placed in any known modern phylogeny. "From an aesthetic perspective, however, the specimen may be priceless," he says.
Buckley says that he has tried to get museums interested in buying his entire collection, but no one has been willing to pay his $650,000 asking price. He adds that he will seek assurances from the mushroom's buyers that they will share it with any researcher who might like to take a look.
Ebay Auction
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 SunshineDaydream
walkin in thetall trees
Registered: 06/03/06
Posts: 525
Last seen: 6 months, 7 days
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: veggie]
#7475099 - 10/01/07 06:57 PM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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that's pretty neato 
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Drewwyann
Picker-Upper ofthe Pieces
Registered: 10/30/06
Posts: 3,350
Loc: Atlantis
Last seen: 1 day, 12 hours
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: veggie]
#7475136 - 10/01/07 07:09 PM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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>He adds that he will seek assurances from the mushroom's buyers that they will share it with any researcher who might like to take a look.
This is good news.
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falcon
Registered: 04/01/02
Posts: 2,334
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: veggie]
#7475168 - 10/01/07 07:21 PM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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It would be cool if they gave Workman or RR a few of the spores to play with to see if they were still viable.  Would make for a cool grow log, success or no.
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Gratos
Just thinkin anddrinkin
Registered: 08/21/05
Posts: 1,031
Last seen: 12 hours, 54 minutes
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: Drewwyann]
#7475311 - 10/01/07 08:05 PM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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Quote:
Drewwyann said:
>He adds that he will seek assurances from the mushroom's buyers that they will share it with any researcher who might like to take a look.
This is good news.
How exactly is that caveat good news for a potential buyer? In fact it is a negative for a buyer, especially considering the 'any' part of the researcher and the fucking price.
Edited by Gratos (10/01/07 08:09 PM)
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Omni
4-ho-omt
Registered: 05/08/07
Posts: 9,840
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: falcon]
#7475384 - 10/01/07 08:25 PM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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Quote:
falcon said:
It would be cool if they gave Workman or RR a few of the spores to play with to see if they were still viable.
Haha that would be some jurassic park shit if it was a success.
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 Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist
Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 5,517
Last seen: 6 minutes, 2 seconds
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: Omni]
#7475434 - 10/01/07 08:38 PM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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Looks like a Marasmius, but could also be a Parasola.
> Haha that would be some jurassic park shit if it was a success.
The contams would be interesting too.
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aspore
myconaut
Registered: 07/10/07
Posts: 368
Last seen: 25 days, 3 hours
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Jurassic Park, all the way. Who knows what kind of untold scientific finds that thing could hold.
If I had the cash, that's a worthy buy to me.
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c l i c k m e
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Lily_Morgan
I'm #1 !!
Registered: 07/05/06
Posts: 434
Loc: Eastern Shore
Last seen: 1 year, 1 day
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: aspore]
#7476102 - 10/02/07 12:49 AM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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Yeah, 100k isn't bad for the world's oldest known mushroom.
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mickdawg666
wake up! youvegot sickle cell
Registered: 07/06/04
Posts: 2,255
Loc: hb, cali
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: Lily_Morgan]
#7476832 - 10/02/07 09:53 AM (1 year, 10 days ago) |
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i dont know. i saw this movie where they took dna or something out of amber pieces, but then people lost control and dinosaurs took over an island or something.
this could be real bad.
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Lily_Morgan
I'm #1 !!
Registered: 07/05/06
Posts: 434
Loc: Eastern Shore
Last seen: 1 year, 1 day
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: mickdawg666]
#7477133 - 10/02/07 11:30 AM (1 year, 9 days ago) |
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Quote:
mickdawg666 said:
i dont know. i saw this movie where they took dna or something out of amber pieces, but then people lost control and dinosaurs took over an island or something.
this could be real bad.
 Is it going to be like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes but with Mushrooms?
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aspore
myconaut
Registered: 07/10/07
Posts: 368
Last seen: 25 days, 3 hours
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Re: Anyone want this old mushroom? [Re: Lily_Morgan]
#7479164 - 10/02/07 10:42 PM (1 year, 9 days ago) |
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no way, it will be:
"Spread of the cancer curing fungi!!"
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c l i c k m e
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