Newsletter 294
BIG Little Science Centre
ISSN 1920-9932 BIG Science (Print)
January 2017
ISSN 1920-9940 BIG Science (Online)
Where Will the BIG Little Science Centre Go Next?
Jim Hebden, Ph.D. at the BIG Little Science Centre
The BIG Little Science Centre is making plans to move. Our lease with the School Board
will not be extended indefinitely and the time remaining at our present location is limited
and uncertain. Discussions are underway with certain parties to secure a new and
permanent location so that our next move will, hopefully, be our last one. To this end, we
know we will need to secure funds and are now undertaking a capital fundraising
campaign. The amount needed, the location of our new facility and the plans for the new
facility will remain unknown until firm decisions can be made as a result of a successful
end to our discussions.
If any member of the public wishes to get involved with helping us in our drive for
funding, please contact our Executive Director, Gord Stewart, at 250-554-2572.
Sincerely, Jim Hebden, President, BIG Little Science Centre Society
This Newsletter is a publication of BIG Little Science Centre Society
Mailing Address Box 882 Station Main Kamloops BC V2C 5M8
Location: 655 Holt Street Kamloops BC V2B 5G2 Website http://blscs.org
Executive Director: Gord Stewart Phone (250) 554 2572 or (250) 554 BLSC E-Mail: [email protected]
Assistant Operator: Susan Hammond Phone (250) 554 2572 or (250) 554 BLSC E-Mail: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor: Dr. Gordon R. Gore F-411, 3255 Overlander Drive, Kamloops BC V2B 0A5
Home phone 778 472 2014
EDITOR's E-Mail: [email protected]
Back issues of BIGScience can be viewed at <http://web.blscs.org/newsletters> .
The BIG Little Science Centre is open to the public at these times:
Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
CLOSED SUNDAYS and HOLIDAYS
Phone: 250 554 2572 E-mail [email protected] or [email protected]
A family membership is $60.00/year. An individual membership is $45.00/year. A family membership consists
of five directly related people. (This includes any combination of grandparents, parents and children).!Individual
day rates are:
Adults (16 to 59) $6 Seniors (60 plus) $4 Youth (6 to 15 years old) $3
Family $15.
Children 5 years old or younger) Free
Visit our website blscs.org for more details on the benefits of membership.
Drop-in Visit Information
What is a Drop-in Visit?
During drop-in times our hands-on rooms are open for visitors to tour at their leisure. The
rooms have approximately 140 stations of hands-on activities to try. We also have an activity or
show running Saturdays!
Drop-in Visiting hours
• Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 4:00
• Check Facebook or twitter for the latest information.
For safety purposes we require children under age 16 be accompanied by a minimum number of
supervising adults:
• For children 4 years old and under, 1 adult per every 3 children is required.
• For children 5 years old to 9 years old, 1 adult per every 5 children is required.
• For children 10 years old to 16 years old, 1 adult per 10 children is required.
The BIG Little Science Centre is Closed Sundays and Holidays.
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A Primer on Poisonous Mushrooms and Spring Mushrooms to Watch For
By Dr. Gary Hunt*
People have been collecting and eating wild mushrooms for thousands of years. Drawings and other artefacts from ancient
civilizations suggest that mushroom collecting goes back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Whether you are a beginner or
experienced collector interested in mycophagy (the eating of fungi), it is essential to learn how to determine the difference
between edible and toxic species. There are numerous urban myths about how to determine edibility and none of them are
true. Some examples: If you cook them with a silver spoon and the spoon blackens, they are toxic. If you cook them with
rice and the rice turns red, they are toxic. If an animal has taken a bite out of a mushroom, they must be edible for humans.
There is no single test that can determine edibility. Therefore, there are no shortcuts and the only safe procedure is to
accurately determine the species and consult valid literature (keeping in mind the internet is rife with misinformation) or
an expert about edibility. The edibility of many species is unknown. Never consume a species that is listed as “edibility
unknown.” The widely held belief that most wild mushrooms are poisonous and should not be touched is untrue. Out of
the thousands of different kinds of wild mushrooms in North America, only about half a dozen are deadly poisonous.
There are many more non-toxic species than poisonous and even the most deadly can be handled with no risk (you must
ingest pieces to be poisoned). Once you know which distinctive features to look for, it is as easy to tell a lethal Death Cap
from a savoury Chanterelle as it is to distinguish zucchinis from bananas.
Chemically, mushroom toxins are diverse and include eight major classes of compounds. The most toxic are the
cyclopeptide amanitins. They block the synthesis of cellular proteins causing liver and kidney damage. In BC, species
containing amanitins include the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) and Deadly Galerina (Galerina marginata).
Amanita phylloides, Death Cap. The most toxic
mushroom known. Introduced from Europe on
nursery stock, it is now seen frequently in fall
through the Fraser Valley, lower mainland and on
Vancouver Island.
[Photo credit: Mykoweb.com]
Galerina marginata, Deadly Galerina. Having
the same toxins as the Death Cap, it is common
in our area on wood debris and buried wood.
[Photo credit: Mykoweb.com]
*Dr. Gary Hunt is Professor Emeritus at Thompson Rivers University. He is a mycologist and taught in the
Department of Natural Resource Sciences for 18 years.
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People most at risk from accidentally eating the Death Cap include immigrants from Asia, and now most recently from
Syria, and unsupervised toddlers. People new to North America or Europe may confuse the Death Cap with edible species
they were accustomed to eating in their home country. In October 2016, a three-year-old boy in Victoria died from Death
Cap poisoning. The mushroom he ate part of was in a downtown planter container.
Magic mushrooms (species of Psilocybe) contain indole alkaloids. Although the most common effect for the majority of
people is a sense of euphoria and hallucinations, there is a risk of nausea, dizziness and anxiety or panic attacks. There are
10 species of Psilocybe in BC and they vary widely in amounts of alkaloids and therefore in the effects they produce.
Recent research demonstrates that these alkaloids, given in controlled doses, can relieve symptoms of clinical anxiety and
depression. Some individuals report that a single dose will relieve symptoms for several weeks.
Psilocybe semilanceata. Common in grass and pastures, it stains
blue when handled indicating the presence of psilocybin.
[Photo credit: Mykoweb.com]
In summary, the cardinal rule of collecting for the table is NEVER EAT A MUSHROOM YOU DON’T KNOW
PERSONALLY. Be sure of your identification by having collected it several times so you are familiar with the key
features and how they change with age. Then, find it in a field guide and carefully review the features and, consult an
experienced collector. Proceed with caution by eating a small amount the first time. Like any other food, individual
allergic reactions to particular species can occur. Your efforts in conscientious collecting and sampling will be generously
rewarded with a marvellous variety of flavours, aromas and textures not to be found in the animal and plant kingdoms.
What to watch for in spring
Although the majority of larger, prominent mushrooms occur in fall (August to November depending on rain and
temperature), there is a large variety of interesting species to be found in spring. As you walk about this spring, whether it
is in urban areas, grasslands, sagebrush, or forests, look down and enjoy the fungi.
Morels are identified by a honeycombed cap with vertically oriented
ridges. Black morels are preferred over yellow morels for edibility.
[Photo credit: Mykoweb.com]
The ever-popular morel (Morchella species) is primarily a saprophyte, and thus fruits in almost every imaginable habitat
including forests, orchards, gardens, road cuts and barbecue pits. Morels generally fruit only in spring and are often very
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abundant on burned areas the first spring following a fire. Wander through burned areas and keep in mind that morels are
often difficult to spot because their dark colour blends amazingly with burned soil. Remember that May is morel month
most years, but they arrive earlier depending on temperature. There are two categories of morels. Yellow morels have a
cream, pale brown or yellowish brown cap. Black morels have a ray, dark brown, or black cap. They are excellent edibles
but must be thoroughly cooked. Raw or undercooked specimens will likely cause intestinal upset for several hours and the
reaction is exacerbated by alcohol consumption.
There are several other mushrooms common on burn sites. They vary in edibility and some will make you sick or are
potentially deadly if eaten raw. None compare to morels as edibles so best to just enjoy looking at these and stick to
morels for eating. These others are referred to as false morels and elfin saddles. They are very distinctive from morels and
with careful observation would never be confused. They have caps that are wrinkled and “brain-like” (Gyromitra gigas)
or saddle-shaped (Gyromitra infula).
Gyromitra infula, Elfin Saddle. The cap
may have two or three lobes and usually
looks wrinkled.
[Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Whether you are out in spring or fall, be on the lookout for shallow pits in the forest humus. These indicate that forest
animals (squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, etc.) are collecting belowground mushrooms called truffles. They are an
important food source for many animals. Scrape in the humus near these pits and you may find yourself a truffle.
Although they are not poisonous (unless you find one that is dark purple inside), most in our area have little flavour to
humans.
A shallow pit indicating an animal
has been collecting truffles. Note the
small potato-like truffle at the edge of
the pit. The squirrel was startled and
dropped his find.
[Photo credit: R. Fogel]
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Believe it or not, mushrooms come up through shallow snow and at the leading edge of snow banks. Logically enough,
they are known as “snowbank” mushrooms. There is an impressive variety of over 50 species that have this habit and they
include morels.
Hygrophorus sp., An example of a
snowbank mushroom.
[Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons]
Look on sticks and logs for colourful cup fungi. There is a big variety of them and many are extremely photogenic.
Sarcocypha coccinea,
Scarlet Cup Fungus.
One of many cup fungi that grow on
wood.
[Photo credit: Mykoweb.com]
Resources
An older, but still good, guide for identification of mushrooms in BC is Mushrooms Demystified (2nd. Ed.) by David
Arora, Ten Speed Press. He has also written a smaller pocket guide called All That the Rain Promises, and More. Because
classification and scientific names are continually changing, most guides have a website that lists name changes. A good
website for identification is, mushroomexpert.com.
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7
Science KIDbits How Does a Seatbelt Work?
You need:
1 toy car or truck (battery powered or windup)
1 heavy object (a brick or stack of books or another toy vehicle)
masking tape
Try this:
1. Place a small toy human figure on a toy car or truck. Do not fasten the figure to the vehicle. Let the vehicle
move toward a suitable obstruction (another toy vehicle or a brick) and collide with it. Observe what happens
to the unattached passenger.
2. Repeat, but this time, give the toy human figure a ‘seat belt’. (Tape it to the vehicle.)
Question:
Why are you more likely to survive a collision with a seatbelt than without one?
The tendency that all massive bodies have to resist change in their states of motion is given a special name:
inertia.
Without a seatbelt: When the vehicle stops suddenly, the unattached passenger tends to keep moving forward,
colliding with the windshield (or worse).
With a seatbelt: The passenger is attached to the much more massive vehicle, and he or she will decelerate at
the same rate as the vehicle.
Dr. Gordon R. Gore
Founder, BIG Little Science Centre (retired)
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The Law of Inertia applies to this motocross bike and rider.
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More Good Memories
Gordon Gore, Founder
At David Thompson Elementary: Phillip Charbonneau, Steve O'Hara and
Jake Harris demonstrate the 'mysteriously balancing shoe box'.
At Bert Edwards Science School: The magnetism demonstration is ideally suited
for a 'show' with lots of spectator involvement.
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