Latest news with #BotanicGardens
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Elderly hiker dies after collapsing at Penang's Botanic Gardens
Rescue personnel attempted to revive 60‑year‑old Lim Kee Wan, who collapsed during a morning hike at the Botanic Gardens in Penang. (JBPM pic) PETALING JAYA : A 60-year-old man died this morning while hiking on the Moongate Trail at the Botanic Gardens, Penang. A spokesman from the state's fire and rescue department said they received a distress call at 9.56am about a hiker, identified as Lim Kee Wan, who collapsed while hiking. Personnel from Bagan Jermal station were dispatched and reached the scene at 10.11am. 'The team attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation but this proved unsuccessful. The victim was pronounced dead by medical personnel at the scene. 'The body was then brought down the hill and handed over to the police for further action,' the spokesman said in a statement today.
CNA
4 days ago
- Science
- CNA
Singapore Botanic Gardens embarks on digitalisation effort to aid research
The Singapore Botanic Gardens is embarking on its largest digitalisation effort. It will capture more than 850,000 local botanic specimens and documents in a two-year project. These will go toward enhancing international research and the study of climate impact using AI.
Scoop
5 days ago
- Scoop
A Smart Choice For Car Rental In Christchurch City
Christchurch is a city of resilience and reinvention, with an expanding mix of art, gardens, and green space — and the best way to experience it all is with a car rental in Christchurch City. A car gives you access to more than just the city centre. Head to the Port Hills for panoramic views, explore Lyttelton's harbourfront cafes, or drive to Akaroa for a French-inspired day trip. With a rental, the entire Canterbury region is within easy reach. Travelling with your own vehicle also makes it easier to explore Christchurch's many attractions, such as the Botanic Gardens, New Regent Street, and the International Antarctic Centre, all without juggling schedules or relying on taxis. Car rentals are ideal for business travellers, families, and visitors wanting a more flexible experience. Booking a car rental in Christchurch City ensures you're ready to go — wherever the road may lead.
DW
08-07-2025
- DW
'Mushroom lady' found guilty of murder using death caps – DW – 07/08/2025
Death cap mushrooms were at the center of an Australian murder trial. What are death cap mushrooms, and why are they so deadly? A jury in Australia has found Erin Patterson guilty on three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. The murder weapon: Toxic mushrooms. Prosecutors argued Patterson intentionally served four of her family members with meal portions containing toxic death cap mushrooms in 2023. Patterson denied being guilty, originally telling police she had used store-bought mushrooms from a supermarket, then an Asian grocer in Melbourne. A search of such stores found no evidence that poisonous mushrooms had ever been sold. During the trial, Patterson said she may have foraged for the mushrooms but could not say for certain where she had obtained the death caps. Deadly by name and by nature, death cap mushrooms ( are full of a highly stable toxin called alpha-Amanitin. The toxin is so stable that it won't break down when exposed to heat in cooking. When a death cap is eaten, people don't usually feel symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea until at least 6 hours later. During this time the alpha-Amanitin toxins are making their way through the bloodstream into organs of the body. The toxin primarily acts in the liver, where it causes cells in the liver to die. Alpha-Amanitin binds with RNA polymerase-II enzymes, preventing the cells from creating new proteins. Eventually, the liver starts to shut down. Death can occur within 24 hours. The Amanita genus of fungi is well-known for their toxic properties. This group include the fairytale "toadstool" commonly known as the fly agaric, death caps, and "destroying angels". But some other Amanita mushrooms are edible. Most cases of death cap poisoning are often a case of misidentification — their classic white appearance and domed cap looks like many other types of fungi. Identification of mushrooms requires a knowledge of different parts of the anatomy: the cap or fruiting body, the gills or spores beneath the cap, and the stipe — or stalk. While death caps look like many other mushrooms, one defining characteristic is they smell. Bad. "They don't store well at all, unless you dehydrate them. They quickly go very stinky and very nasty," Brett Summerell, a fungi expert and Chief Scientist at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Australia, told DW. Because of the risk of misidentification by amateurs, it's usually recommended that foragers go for edible species that cannot be mistaken. Of course, foraging under the supervision of a trained mycologist — a fungi scientist — is usually a safe option. The jury ultimately didn't find Patterson's defense believable that she mixed up foraged mushrooms in the same container as store-bought ones. The prosecution argued Patterson knowingly put the toxic mushrooms in the home-cooked lunch and disposed of evidence. Summerell said the likelihood that death caps could get into store-bought products "is, to be honest, farcical." The reason? Death caps only grow next to oak and beech trees. Death caps, like many fungi, are mycorrhizal, meaning they have a symbiotic relationship with the tree species. Death caps obtain their nutrients from nearby tree roots and return nutrients to the nearby soil. But because they can only grow at the base of oak and beech trees, it means there's no chance of them sprouting in a commercial setting, where spores are cultivated in highly controlled conditions — and with no trees in sight. Death caps aren't native to Australia, and neither are the oak and beech trees that support them. The trees were first introduced into Australia from Europe in the 19th Century, and death caps in the 1960s. Summerell and other mycologists are now discussing the possibility of removing oak trees in some parts of Australia. "We have argued that, in Sydney, if it's at all possible, we should start to think about removing oak trees from some of these suburbs just from the point of view of a public health risk," said Summerell. Removing introduced oaks could harbor positive benefits, both from a public health perspective by removing the risk of the top cause of mushroom poisoning, as well as providing more space for native Australian plant life.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Invasive shot-hole borer from WA could wreak havoc on Sydney's heritage trees
The chief scientist of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney is warning of an imminent and deadly risk to the city's trees posed by an invasive beetle that has led to the removal of thousands of trees in Perth. The tiny polyphagous shot-hole borer, which is native to south-east Asia, is a 'fungus farmer' that burrows into trees and can spread a fungus that kills the host tree. The larvae of the beetle feed on the fungus, which then colonises the tree's water and nutrient conducting vessels and blocks them, causing stress and dieback that can eventually lead to the tree's death. The beetle was first detected in a tree in Perth in 2021 and a year later had spread to more than 200 locations across the West Australian capital. About 4,000 trees, including Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs – which are not native to WA – have been cut down during attempts to eradicate the beetle. The beetle can't establish the fungus in all tree species, and it is not known how many types of trees in Australia – native and introduced – could become targets. Overseas, more than 400 host species have been recorded. The West Australian government has its own list of species found to be susceptible. The WA government announced last month that a national management group made up of state, territory and federal representatives had determined it was no longer feasible to try to eradicate the invasive pest and control strategies would shift to managing it. Brett Summerell, the chief scientist at Sydney's botanic garden, said they had been preparing for the beetle to make its way to eastern Australia, where it could have a huge impact in places such as formal gardens. 'We've been concerned for the past couple of years, but that concern is now heightened because the potential for it to be accidentally brought into the Sydney region is quite significant,' he said. Summerell said with the focus shifting from eradication to management in WA, it was 'inevitable' that the beetle would spread further in Perth, and there would be increased opportunities for it to expand – likely via the transportation of infested wood such as firewood. 'I just see the opportunities for people to pick up infested wood and travel east, even all the way to the Sydney region. That risk is going to be heightened because we're moving from eradication to management.' He said because it was not known how many tree species were susceptible, 'it's just a big experiment about to happen'. In Sydney there are large populations of known hosts such as plane and fig trees meaning there was the potential for large numbers to be severely affected, Summerell said. Shot-hole borers could impact the heritage values and appearance of popular parks and gardens – and the amenity trees provide through natural urban cooling. Carol Booth, the policy director at the Invasive Species Council, said it was critical that governments fund research to investigate more control options, including collaboration with overseas researchers. 'One of the highest priorities should be to contain it for as long as possible to give us the time to develop more effective control methods,' she said. The council wants to see more work to investigate the potential impacts of the shot-hole borer in Australia and which native species might be susceptible. 'The big unknown is what is going to be the environmental impact,' she said. 'What the impact is going to be overall in forests. It's really uncertain.' Signs of polyphagous shot-hole borer infestation included tiny entry and exit holes – about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen – in a tree's bark and wilting and dieback of branches, often starting in the upper canopy. Summerell said monitoring for the presence of the beetle was critical, as was educating the public to identify the signs of a potential infestation, which could start in a backyard tree. 'The more sets of eyes we have looking for potential problems, the more likely we are to find it early,' he said. 'If there are little holes and dots in the trees where it's obvious a borer has been … they should report that.'
