A science expedition to the highest point in Borneo may have revealed a new species of mushroom. A team of Dutch and Malaysian researchers took a recent trip to Mount Kinabalu where they collected more than 3,500 DNA samples from plants, fungus and small insects.
Night trip reveals glowing mushroom
It will take the scientists more than a year to test all of the DNA and see which species are new, but the team says they are particularly excited about a glowing mushroom.
“Glowing mushrooms are rare but they do exist outside the psychedelic world,” Luis Morgado, who worked with Geml, wrote in a September blog post for the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. “During daytime one might pass by and even photograph them without knowing it, but only a nocturnal excursion reveals this incredible phenomenon that remains hidden in plain daylight.”
Trip yields other success stories
According to CBS News, Borneo is a hot spot for researchers. Many areas remain untouched by humans, offering researchers a unique opportunity to explore.
“While the plant and animal life of this mountain has been the focus of numerous research projects, Kinabalu has remained terra incognita for scientific studies on fungi,” team member and mycologist Jozsef Geml said in a statement.
“One of the manifestations of this diversity comes in the endless variety of shapes and colors that sometimes are truly breathtaking.”
Researchers also found an intriguing species of fly, with eyes on long antennas. Jumping spiders, pitcher plants and several kinds of fungus were also collected.
Time to test
Now that researchers have returned, they will have their work cut out for them.
“It has been a successful expedition,” team leader Menno Schilthuizen, of Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, said in a statement. “A lot of material has been collected … Now the next phase will start, namely DNA research into the relationships.”
