Deadly morel mushroom outbreak highlights big gaps in fungi knowledge

Ars Technica

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Media Conglomerate: Advance Publications

Deadly morel mushroom outbreak highlights big gaps in fungi knowledge

Enlarge / Mature morel mushrooms in a greenhouse at an agriculture garden in Zhenbeibu Town of Xixia District of Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (credit: Getty | Xinhua/Wang Peng) True morel mushrooms are widely considered a prized delicacy, often pricey and surely safe to eat. But these spongey, earthy forest gems have a mysterious dark side—one that, on occasion, can turn deadly, highlighting just how little we kn…