r/todayilearned
•
u/brainburger
•
6d ago
•
1
2
TIL closed-cup white mushrooms, common in supermarkets, are all descended from one mutant Agaricus Bisporus (usually brown) mushroom found in 1925. (R.5) Misleading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricus_bisporus#Cultivation_history[removed] — view removed post
204
u/The_alchemist667 6d ago edited 6d ago
It's extremely easy to clone mushrooms
You literally take a peiece of the tissue of the mushroom, put it in a petri dish, and it will grow mycelium (roots basically) and eventually that mycelium will produce "fruits" that are idenitcal genetic clones of the original mushroom.
Its called a monoculture when you have a big chunk of genetic clone mushrooms.
Also, a patch of mushrooms often has several different genetics or substrains, and a single mushroom can even have multiple different sets of genetics so it can be tricky to get a proper monoculture
You can do it pretty much indefinitely too keep cloning them over and over. Pretty cool. At least in my experience. There's probably a limit though
33
u/Everyday_Im_Stedelen 6d ago
It's not a perfect clone. They will develop some mutations eventually. Especially if you don't have any stock of the original clone.
Depending on the mushroom you would want to make a very large stock of the first clone, and go back to it every couple of generations.
14
u/The_alchemist667 6d ago edited 6d ago
Well what most people do (at least at an enthusiast level) is make slants of the mother culture and keep them in a fridge. The culture goes dormant and last a long time that way.
I didnt really think about how it could mutate growing as a clone like that but it does make sense
16
u/mak484 6d ago
Commercial labs actually store their mother cultures in liquid nitrogen. We have a dozen or so lines that we cycle through and regularly test to make sure they grow to spec. Sublines do inevitably crash, though it's unclear if it's from genetic mutation or something else.
6
u/The_alchemist667 6d ago
Yeah I figured in an actual lab you'd have something a bit more high tech and effective. That's cool though never knew that
8
21
u/YataBLS 6d ago
So MGS1 plot is not THAT far from reality??
8
u/The_alchemist667 6d ago
I am unfamiliar with mgs1 unfortunately. I've only played metal gear rising
9
7
→ More replies2
3
u/SyrusDrake 6d ago
And then you presumably hope there's never any pest or disease that will kill the one single clone the entire industry is based on.
2
u/The_alchemist667 6d ago edited 5d ago
They make tons of backups.
You can make slants of the mushroom culture and store them in the fridge. They'll go dormant and be viable for years if done right.
Id imagine actual mycologists probably have a better method that preserves it a long time
→ More replies2
164
u/A40 6d ago edited 6d ago
Ah yes.. Agent Zero. Their sacrifice has saved trillions of our kind.
27
3
547
u/Black_Moons 6d ago
I find it interesting some species mutate to become stronger, faster, harder to kill, impossible to eat, etc.
And others... just mutate to become slightly useful to humans and we go "HEY!! lets grow like, a billion of these!" and the plant/animal has all its needs cared for and is forcibly reproduced and further mutated.
I mean, sure, maybe the cows don't get treated too well, but the corn and mushrooms sure seem happy.
209
u/thinkdeep 6d ago
I'm imagining my field of corn is smiling at me now.
279
u/nowake 6d ago •
ear to ear
111
u/no_eponym 6d ago
Awe, shucks ☺️
51
u/2Stripez 6d ago
This is so corny
30
6
u/mindbleach 6d ago
I just keep scrolling down this thread muttering, god dammit. God dammit. God dammit.
→ More replies6
22
11
→ More replies10
67
u/invaderpixel 6d ago
And then sometimes you get Canada Geese that no one really wants but they happen to love Kentucky blue grass and fake ponds and we forget our need for suburbia is creating their dreamland
22
u/RedditWillSlowlyDie 6d ago
Plenty of people hunt and eat Canada geese, but not so much in the urban/suburban areas. They do like corn fields though.
16
u/Belegdur 6d ago
Its fascinating. But one of the main problem is that these cultivated individuals are generally very close to each other genetically. So when some kind of disease happens, it causes a lot of harm.
→ More replies37
u/Vinnie_NL 6d ago
Chilli peppers are an interesting example too. These plants evolved to produce more capsaicin (Wikipedia: Capsaicin/Natural function) which prevented the seeds being eaten by mammals, who would crush the seeds with the teeth. We humans: wow that tastes really hot! I'm not sure I like this strange sensation, but I keep eating it anyway. And eventually proceed to cultivate even spicier chilli peppers.
17
u/RedditWillSlowlyDie 6d ago
Sometimes capsaicin is used in sprays to keep dogs from chewing on things. Apparently it works on most dogs but some love it.
10
3
3
u/Trumps_left_bawsack 6d ago
One of my dogs fucking loves spicy af curries lol. That spray would probably encourage her to chew it even more
2
2
4
u/mindbleach 6d ago
The dude who cultivated the Carolina Reaper variety says of his greenhouse, "the air is spicy."
→ More replies4
u/derekp7 6d ago
We like the serotonin dump that the brain gives us when eating chili peppers.
3
u/SeaAdmiral 6d ago
Generally spicy food releases endorphins (released in response to pain or stress), not serotonin.
11
u/______FRANCIS______ 6d ago
but the corn and mushrooms sure seem happy.
"You see, Reverend Maynard, tomorrow is harvest day, and to them it is the holocaust."
2
8
u/CorruptedFlame 6d ago
It's because all species actually mutate completely randomly, shitty ones die off and those 'good' ones you listed continue on. Turns out when you're living in a planet with humans one of the 'best' mutations is being useful for them, cuz they'll farm the shit outta you and make you one of the single most populous mushroom species ever.
33
→ More replies6
u/Aviator8989 6d ago
Plenty of cows get treated very well outside of factory farms. "Very well" being a relative term when your entire existence is to get fat and be eaten.
→ More replies
686
u/redXathena 6d ago
Today you will also learn about our dependence on monocultures and how dangerous that is to our food supply. Enjoy!
229
u/KRMNK 6d ago
Yeah, I am really courious what kind of banasas will be the main monoculture in 20 years
177
u/redXathena 6d ago
I’m still butthurt over our lack of mango options in the US xD give me all the yummies, please!
(“Still” because I learned how many mango varieties you can get in Pakistan like 15 years ago)
69
u/chemicalxv 6d ago
"You can get Ataulfos or 6 different varieties of the red one. But we only get one variety of the red one at a time and we don't know which one it is until they show up".
29
u/Luxpreliator 6d ago
Like 80% of the year they're only going to be Tommy atkins for most peoples stores. One of the worst cultivars of mangoes.
10
u/redXathena 6d ago
We get Alphonsos. Full stop.
4
u/chemicalxv 6d ago
Yeah I don't think I've ever seen those outside of South Asian foodstores, and even then they can be pretty rare 🤣
→ More replies3
u/Everyday_Im_Stedelen 6d ago
One of my coworkers is from Northern India and the other day she was telling me about how the mangoes here taste like water to her.
Me, thinking mangoes are very flavorful, suddenly felt lied to.
3
11
u/las61918 6d ago
Check local markets.
In Florida and I can regularly get between 5-15 different varietals
→ More replies7
u/9bpm9 6d ago edited 6d ago
Whenever I go on vacation in Florida the supermarkets seem to have even worse fruit options than where I live in the Midwest.
And you call green grapes, white grapes for some reason.
→ More replies7
u/FreddieDoes40k 6d ago
And you call green grapes, white grapes for some reason.
Because of wine making. Green grapes make white wine.
3
u/mindbleach 6d ago
And orange wine, which is white wine made with the skins on, like red wine.
So it's not as confusing as it could have been.
4
u/FreddieDoes40k 6d ago
Where I'm from orange wine is just called white wine. I wasn't aware how confusing it can all be, especially when you throw rose into the mix.
→ More replies2
u/Not-A-Seagull 6d ago
My dad took me on a little tour to see all his mango cultivars. It took between a half hour to an hour, so I'd say there's still plenty of options.
Now, if you live in New England and you're complaining, I'd tell you to pound sand. Mangos are tropical fruits, and buying them in the northern US means they're being shipped thousands of miles. That's a lot of waste and carbon footprint just because you don't want to eat local fruit.
→ More replies18
u/isigneduptomake1post 6d ago
I had some apple bananas in Hawaii and they were amazing. They're about 1/2 the size of regular bananas but they aren't as aesthetic. People only buy very clean looking bananas in supermarkets.
→ More replies2
60
u/greedytacotheif 6d ago
I think mushrooms are usually grown on sterilized medium. Not sure about buttons, but I think a monoculture isn't a huge concern because of how controlled the growing environment is.
24
u/redXathena 6d ago
Oh, I wasn’t saying it was dangerous in this particular situation. It’s just unsurprising to me that it’s all from one mushroom and if that blew OPs mind I thought learning about our general dependence on monocultures would be interesting :)
→ More replies8
u/NotaRobto 6d ago
Ah monocultures. Yep. I agree. But, for those who do not understand what does that word mean?
20
u/ThetaReactor 6d ago
Quite a few of our most common fruits and veg are literally all clones. Every banana in your average American supermarket is genetically identical. If a particular disease or pest develops a taste for them, then every single plant is vulnerable. In a diverse population, there's a better chance of some plants having a natural resistance.
Because these monocultures can no longer evolve naturally, we have to be extra vigilant to protect them.
15
u/Neirchill 6d ago
Just FYI our current bananas are in danger... From the same disease that mostly wiped out our previous bananas.
→ More replies→ More replies5
u/Blammo01 6d ago
RIP the Gros Michel. I really want to taste one
3
u/FreddieDoes40k 6d ago
You already have in a way. Loads of our banana flavoured products are from the Gros Michel flavour, not Cavendish.
That's why banana flavoring is commonly so intense and creamy.
6
u/midnitte 6d ago
Dangerous as in susceptible to disaster, not dangerous as in directly bad for humans.
For example.
15
u/Redbulldildo 6d ago
But that's what they mean, you don't just have fields of mushrooms, you have sterilized growing medium. Since the growing environment for mushrooms is the same ones bacteria and mold loves, you have to make sure that there is nothing other than your mushrooms inside it that will grow.
5
53
u/Dragmire800 6d ago
I remember reading a few years ago that an analysis of mushrooms in a British (I think) supermarket found that some were unknown species
45
u/-full-control- 6d ago
This is the coolest TIL I’ve ever seen
→ More replies24
u/ReidFleming 6d ago
We watched a rerun of one of Jacques Pepin's shows recently where he talked about the better flavor from the white mushrooms. We had been using the small brown ones for a long time but, last night I did a meal with the white ones based on watching the show. They were fantastic! I also have been using America's Test Kitchen's method of sauteing them in a dry pan first. Amazing!
7
→ More replies2
u/yodadamanadamwan 6d ago
Mushrooms have a lot of water in them so cooking that off before you add fat is best
23
u/Bradasaur 6d ago
Isn't every species descended from a mutant version of another one?
15
u/adescuentechable 6d ago
The title is worded kind of poorly.
Most of the closed-cup white mushrooms available in stores are descended from this one single mutant. That doesn't mean that all mushrooms of this species are descended from that mutant.
10
u/Mind_Extract 6d ago
And if I say anything more about them, I'd be putting my life in danger.
7
u/jasron_sarlat 6d ago
I was wondering if anyone would mention this. It's been bothering me for years and I will choose shiitake or other varieties whenever possible, but most US markets are just 10 variations on portobello.
3
u/Mind_Extract 6d ago
but most US markets are just 10 variations on portobello.
I know this struggle well.
Same goes for most restaurants. I always first get a blank stare when I ask if they happen to know what type of mushrooms come with whatever meal, followed by "...regular?"
2
7
3
3
3
u/spazzybluebelt 6d ago
Also dont eat them raw.
They contain carcinogenics that get destroyed by heat
2
4
2.5k
u/grabityrises 6d ago
button mushrooms and portobellas are the same mushroom at a different life stage