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California Resident Dies from Deadly Death Cap Mushroom Poisoning

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Tragic Incident in California: Death from Death Cap Mushrooms

A California man tragically died last weekend after consuming death cap mushrooms, marking the state’s third fatality linked to these toxic fungi since November. This alarming trend highlights the dangers posed by foraged mushrooms.

Between November 18th and January 4th, California reported an ASTONISHING 35 cases of mushroom poisoning. In a typical year, you would find fewer than five such cases, indicating a significant spike in poisonings.

According to Sheri Cardo, a communications specialist with the state health department, “The numbers we’re dealing with this year are relatively insane.” This spike has prompted serious concerns about mushroom foraging in California.

Following these incidents, a warning was issued by the health department on December 5, advising residents against consuming foraged mushrooms. The advisory specifically noted poisonings concentrated in areas like Monterey and the San Francisco Bay.

The latest fatalities occurred in Sonoma County. The county health department confirmed this as the first death attributed to wild mushrooms this season.

Sonoma County Interim Health Officer, Dr. Michael Stacy, urged residents to only purchase mushrooms from trusted grocery stores, stressing that death cap mushrooms bear a close resemblance to various edible species.

Stacy noted, “Early rains and a mild fall have led to an outbreak of poisonous death cap mushrooms in Northern California,” as he elaborated in a press release issued last Thursday.

The California Poison Control System highlighted that some individuals affected by death cap poisoning spoke Spanish and may have applied foraging practices from their home countries. Heather Hallen-Adams, director of toxicology for the Mycological Society of North America, explained that death cap mushrooms closely resemble other Amanita species that are safe and commonly collected in Mexico.

Death cap mushrooms contain a dangerous toxin known as amatoxin. If ingested, this toxin can severely damage vital organs, including the kidneys and liver. Symptoms of poisoning often take up to 24 hours to manifest, appearing as mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. More severe consequences, such as liver failure, can occur within two to three days.

Hallen-Adams also stated that approximately 90% of fatal mushroom poisonings are linked to amatoxin poisoning, with even a small amount—equivalent to that of a standard sugar cube—being lethal.

Reports indicate that three individuals in California now require liver transplants due to severe wild mushroom poisoning.

The death cap mushroom, scientifically known as Amanita phalloides, is an invasive species that originated in Europe, making its way to California via imported seedlings in the 1930s. It typically thrives near oak trees and occasionally near pines, growing several inches tall, featuring white gills, a pale yellow or green cap, and a distinctive ring around its stem.

Typically, the U.S. Poison Center receives about 52 calls annually regarding amatoxin poisoning, although not all cases are reported to the center.

Mike McCurdy, president of the San Francisco Mycological Society, indicated that the risk for this season may be declining. As an avid mushroom collector, he shared that while he observed many death cap mushrooms during his outings earlier this winter, he has seen significantly fewer lately.

“I think we’re nearing the end,” McCurdy noted after spotting just one death cap mushroom on a recent trip near Lafayette, California.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Meltwater Bursts Through Greenland Ice Cap

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Satellite image of the subglacial lake area post-outburst flood reveals damage to the ice sheets

10.1038/s41561-025-01746-9

Typically, when glaciers in Greenland melt, the water drains into the underlying bedrock before eventually reaching the ocean. However, in 2014, a significant surge of meltwater from a subglacial lake erupted through the Greenland ice sheet’s surface, creating a crevasse 25 meters deep.

“This phenomenon is unprecedented,” remarks Malcolm McMillan, a researcher at Lancaster University, UK. “While we are aware of the subglacial lakes in Greenland, witnessing the destruction caused as water erupts from the ice sheet’s surface is entirely new to us.”

McMillan and his research team initiated their study upon observing a sudden 85-meter deep crater on the ice sheet, captured by satellite imagery in August 2014.

They found that within a span of 10 days in late July and early August 2014, these craters formed following a rapid drainage of the subglacial lake. About a kilometer downstream from the crater, the team identified significant ice turbulence, with water surfacing.

The researchers theorize that the pressure from the subglacial lake increased sufficiently to force the water up through fractures in the ice, ultimately leading to its explosive emergence from the ice sheet, which resulted in a considerable crevasse and an ice tower along its path.

According to McMillan, the meltwater was compelled to surface due to being encased by frozen ice in the bedrock. “It seems that when water flows into a frozen environment, it can accumulate enough pressure to trigger this unforeseen outcome,” he elaborates.

McMillan aims to utilize satellite imagery in future research to ascertain whether similar eruptions have occurred and if this phenomenon is a consequence of rapidly melting ice sheets in the context of rising global temperatures.

“This marks the initial exploration of a phenomenon that we were previously unaware of, and the upcoming challenge is to comprehend its implications and underlying mechanisms,” he concludes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Comprehensive Cost Analysis: Mad Cap Driving Games Aren’t Fast Anywhere

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DEliver places you in the role of a delivery driver set in the late 1950s, and it visually impresses. Almost everything on the map can be destructed, allowing you to immediately indulge in chaotic escapades—whether it’s shaking your beach chairs, driving straight through a diner, or witnessing it spectacularly fall apart behind you. However, at the core of this game lies a void that could have served as a compelling hook.

You catch a glimpse of that potential during missions where you race against a rival delivery truck to reach your destination first. Your task is to press and hold a button, allowing the crane at the back of your truck to cleverly lift packages onto itself. Meanwhile, your rival attempts to force you off the road. After securing the package, you must deliver it while evading other drivers. This leads to amusing scenarios where you’re relieved to receive your commission while the hotel owner stands amidst the wreckage of his once-new establishment: collateral damage from your effort.




Keep Truckin’… Deliver at any cost. Photo: Konami

This one frantic mission stands out as the highlight of the game, and if subsequent deliveries followed a similar chaotic race against time, it might have thrived. Unfortunately, the quality and variety of each mission varies greatly. Some are enjoyable, like those capturing UFO images while dodging lasers, whereas others come across as tedious, such as balloon deliveries tied to a truck. Zany antics cannot compare to genuinely fun experiences.

While these side missions have their charm, they only serve as distractions. If the main game focused on rapidly delivering parcels, it might have resonated better. However, the sporadic enjoyment is overshadowed. By the storyline’s latter third, the premise of delivering goods fades away, replaced by uninspired narratives told through lackluster cutscenes. The protagonist, Winston Green, is a character weighed down by a murky past, facing off with his boss, Donovan, before the game veers into outright sci-fi absurdity involving Poe. Honestly, the perpetually irritable Winston ranks among the least appealing video game protagonists ever crafted.

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Similar to Grand Theft Auto, you can jump out of your vehicle and explore the environment, but you’re likely to find little of interest aside from a few vantage points and some side quests. These quests range from enjoyable (like racing against parachutists down mountains) to mundane (tracking down a mayor lookalike). Although there are some unique vehicles to discover, most missions require a delivery truck, rendering the novelty of driving, say, a hot dog van short-lived. There are even wooden frames filled with cash waiting to be found, but they’re hardly worth the effort. The shop offers spare parts for truck gadgets, but apart from a jet engine that provides a speed boost, they’re largely unnecessary.

This situation is deeply frustrating. All the emphasis on delivery focuses on odd, half-baked stories that present a visually stunning, destructible landscape but fail to fully utilize it, leading instead to courtroom dramas. It feels akin to a conspiracy theorist at a lavish champagne reception, spending eight hours discussing the plot of their lame science fiction novel. What a waste.

May 22nd, deliver at any cost for £24.99

Source: www.theguardian.com