[Wikipedia] Amanita phalloides

[Faraaz Damji]

   Amanita phalloides is a poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in
   the genus Amanita.  Widely distributed across Europe, A.  phalloides
   associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.  Adaptations
   have expanded its range outside of Europe after it was accidentally
   introduced alongside oak, chestnut, and pine.  The large fruiting
   bodies (i.e. the mushrooms) appear in summer and autumn; the caps are
   generally greenish in colour, with a white stipe and gills.
   Unfortunately, these toxic mushrooms resemble several edible species
   commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental
   poisoning.  A.  phalloides is one of the most poisonous of all known
   toadstools.  It has been involved in the majority of human deaths from
   mushroom poisoning, including the Roman Emperor Claudius and Holy
   Roman Emperor Charles VI.  It has been the subject of much research and
   many of its biologically active agents have been isolated.  The
   principal toxic constituent is α-amanitin, which damages the liver and
   kidneys, often fatally.  No antidote is known.

Read the rest of this article:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides


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Today's selected anniversaries:

533:
   Belisarius and his legions defeated Gelimer and the Vandals at the
   Battle of Ad Decimum near Carthage, and began the "Reconquest of the
   West" under Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ad_Decimum)

1814:
   War of 1812: The bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of
   Baltimore inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled
   Banner," which later became the national anthem of the United States.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baltimore)

1956:
   IBM unveiled the 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and
   Control), the first commercial computer that used magnetic disk
   storage.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_305_RAMAC)

1987:
   Goiânia accident: A radioactive item was stolen from an abandoned
   hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, contaminating hundreds of people.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident)

1993:
   After rounds of secret negotiations in Norway, PLO leader Yasser
   Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (pictured with U.S.
   President Bill Clinton) formally signed the Oslo Peace Accords.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords)


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Wiktionary's Word of the day:

   fermata: (music): A notation to hold a note for longer than its usual
   duration, until the conductor cuts it off.
   (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fermata)


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Wikiquote of the day:

   Worldly renown is naught but a breath of wind, which now comes this
   way and now comes that, and changes name because it changes quarter.
   -- Dante Alighieri
   (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri)