Dude, why is that mushroom glowing?

Many species of mushrooms glow in the dark. This bioluminescence is being studied by scientists to determine its function. Photo: REUTERS/Michele P. Verderane

If you think you see a glowing mushroom, you might not be having a psychedelic hallucination. Some mushrooms indeed are bioluminescent, including one that sprouts among decaying leaves at the base of young palm trees in Brazilian coconut forests.

Scientists have long wondered what possible reason there could be for a fungus to glow. They now have an answer.