'SpongeBob' Mushroom (Spongiforma squarepantsii) Discovered in the Forests of Borneo

[steven johnson]

Sandy Cheeks: It's easy if you approach it scientifically. Now, what is laughter?

SpongeBob SquarePants: The thing that used to give my life meaning and purpose, but now mocks me with its cruel indifference.

Sandy Cheeks: But technically, it's caused by your epiglottis obstructing your larynx, causing irregular air intake and respiratory upset.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Sounds painful.

Sandy Cheeks: Science makes anything sound painful, SpongeBob.

Sing it with us: What lives in the rainforest, under a tree? Spongiforma squarepantsii, a new species of mushroom almost as strange as its cartoon namesake.

Its discovery in the forests of Borneo, says San Francisco State University researcher Dennis Desjardin, suggests that even some of the most charismatic characters in the fungal kingdom are yet to be identified.

Shaped like a sea sponge, S. squarepantsii was found in 2010 in the Lambir Hills in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is bright orange -- although it can turn purple when sprinkled with a strong chemical base -- and smells "vaguely fruity or strongly musty," according to Desjardin and colleagues' description published in the journal Mycologia



'SpongeBob' Mushroom Discovered in the Forests of Borneo

[DeSwiss]

1. K&R!

Spongiforma squarepantsii


- This rocks!!!

[FirstLight]

2. too cool!

so interesting that there are so many fungi and mushrooms that they can;t all be known...

wonder if there's a cure for something in all those species?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. No, just the secret recipe to Krabby Patties. -nt