The Chinese have been eating lingzhi, or reishi, mushrooms as medicine for two millennia. However, the most commonly eaten type, known in Chinese as chizhi or red lingzhi, has for a long time mistakenly been considered by people around the world to be the same species as the European glossy ganoderma, whose Latin name is Ganoderma lucidum. After researchers collected some wild red lingzhi from an oak forest near Wuhan in China’s Hubei Province, collaborating researchers in Taiwan and China discovered that red lingzhi was actually a new fungus species that had never been recorded. Accordingly, they have officially named it Ganoderma lingzhi. Their findings have been published in Fungal Diversity, the top international journal of mycology.
Wu Sheng-hua, head of the research project and a fungus expert with the National Museum of Natural Science, says that lingzhi mushrooms belong to the ganoderma genus of the polypore family. Wu says that the annual net output value of lingzhi mushrooms is estimated to be as high as NT$100 billion (US$ 3.34 billion) globally. There are currently more than 100 known species of lingzhi mushrooms, with each species containing somewhat different substances with different effects, so more research needs to be done on them, he says.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者黃美珠
靈芝在華人用於養生已兩千年歷史，然而，最常食用的「赤芝」，長期被國際誤認為和歐洲的「亮蓋靈芝」同種，且都以「ganoderma lucidum」做為拉丁學名。經過學者前往湖北武漢附近的櫟樹林採集野生赤芝，兩岸合作研究發現「赤芝」竟然是尚未被記錄的新種真菌，因此正式定名為 「ganoderma lingzhi（靈芝的漢語發音）」，研究成果將刊登在國際真菌學術期刊排名第一的《Fungal Diversity》。
負責這項研究的國立自然科學博物館研究員吳聲華說，靈芝為多孔菌的靈芝科，估計每年全球產值高達新台幣一千億元，已知有一百多種不同的靈芝，不同種類靈芝的成份和功效都不盡相同，有待進一步分析。
（自由時報記者胡清暉）
Photo: George Tsorng, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者叢昌瑾
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 我們很早到達電影院。 ˇ We arrived at the theater very early. χ We arrived the theater very early. 註︰arrive 為不及物動詞，後面如果有受詞要用 at 或 in。例如：They arrived in Taipei yesterday.。一般大地方，如國家、省、大城市等前面用 in，凡小地方城鎮、學校等則用 at。 2. 開車半小時以後，我們到達了海灘。 ˇ After half an hour’s drive, we got to the beach. χ After half an hour’s drive, we got the beach. 註︰come, go, get（來、去、到達）某地時，在表示地點的名詞前面應該用 to，如 go to school, go to Taipei, come to Shanghai 等。如果這些動詞後面所跟的是 here, there, home 等副詞，則不用 to。 3. 明天我會回辦公室。 ˇ I will be back in the office tomorrow. χ I will be back to office tomorrow. 註︰to be back 一語裡的 back 是副詞，不是介詞，所以後面要用 at (the market) 或 in (the office)。 假如假期結束，要回學校上課了則可說： ? Kids will be back
RSS