12 Comments

I following fungus (and you too) but looking also on all other possibilities. Reading your posts about arsenic gave me a thought... that we both could be right. So, I entered 'fungus vs arsenic' in a search box and found out something about fungus what I did not know. Some fungi can usefull for removing arsenic and there is also an opposite-some fungi produces arsenic....What if arsenic is produced inside the body? Could be interesting research if you have time for it.

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...can be usefull...just a mistake

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Thanks for your comment! Arsenic is and inorganic metalloid which is not part of our essential mineral group. No metals can be created in the body, or other pure elements for that fact, they must be derived from external sources: air, food and water. Elements inside us can be reconfigured in to different compounds but we cannot create them as they appear on the periodic table. Arsenic is a toxin to all living organisms.

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I thinking about this: ''The methylation of As(III) has been observed in a number of organisms, including humans. For example, higher eukaryotes and bacteria have been reported to produce monomethylarsine or dimethylarsine, fungi which produce trimethylarsine (Bentley and Chasteen, 2002; Dombrowski et al., 2005), and methanogens and aerobic eubacteria which produce methylated arsines (Honschopp et al., 1996).'' Volatization of As in less toxic form. So, I understand that fungi could be natures natural defence against Arsenic? More As = more fungi to deal with it? ''Poisoning events due to a gas produced by certain microbes was assumed to be associated with the arsenic in paint. In 1893 the Italian physician Bartolomeo Gosio published his results on "Gosio gas" that was subsequently shown to contain trimethylarsine.[8] Under wet conditions, the mold Microascus brevicaulis produces significant amounts of methyl arsines via methylation[9] of arsenic-containing inorganic pigments, especially Paris green and Scheele's Green, which were once used in indoor wallpapers. Newer studies show that trimethylarsine has a low toxicity and could therefore not account for the death and the severe health problems observed in the 19th century.'' My thoughts is: more As in the body,, more fungi will be there. There is a lot reports of agresive fungal infections during pandemic... ''Microcystis sp. PCC7806, Nostoc sp. PCC7120, and Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 are typical freshwater cyanobacteria. All of them are dominant species in the blue algal eruption. However, little is known about As metabolism in these prokaryotic blue-green algae. In this study, we characterized the patterns and molecular mechanisms of As biotransformation in these three species. By rapidly methylating and volatilizing As, these widespread cyanobacteria may be major contributors to the global As cycle.'' -- So, more As = more cyanobacteria will gather there? ''Cyanobacteria and their toxins can make people sick. In fresh water, such as lakes and ponds, harmful blooms are most commonly caused by cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae), which are a kind of single-celled organism called phytoplankton. Some cyanobacteria produce toxins (poisons) called cyanotoxins.''

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I understand what you are saying. Methylation is purely the body or organism converting the element in to a bound form that can be eliminated. However, initially it was thought that arsenate for example, the methylated form humans make, was less toxic even if it remained in the body. That has since been disproven. It can attach to zinc fingers that control embryonic growth, laying the ground for uncontrolled cancerous growth in fully grown humans. If it remains in the body it can undergo catalysis at any given point in to another form of arsenic.

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I find this interesting also: ''High arsenic residues make Cordyceps sinensis a concern in China. Arsenic toxicity is related to its species. Many studies have evaluated the toxicity of total arsenic, but few have studied its species. In this study, the species of arsenic in C. sinensis and its potential health risk were investigated. SEC-HPLC-ICP-MS was used to analysis of arsenic in C. sinensis and unknown arsenic (uAs) was discovered. Additionally, arsenic in C. sinensis was mainly found in alkali-soluble proteins. The trend of arsenic transformation indicated that unknown arsenic in C. sinensis may be converted into free inorganic arsenic, which enhanced toxicity. The result of risk assessment indicated that there were potential health risks of uAs. Hereon, we proposed recommendations for the use of C. sinensis and regulatory recommendations for arsenic standards. This study contributed to the toxicity reveal, safety evaluation, and risk assessment of arsenic in C. sinensis.''

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It is fascinating how Fungi thrive in highly toxic environments. It is apparently how the Chernobyl area has become so clean after the meltdown. Thank you for sharing!

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About Chernobil I did read long ago that scientists has discovered ( or maybe they made one) bacteria (/or fungi/or whatever else...lol I don't remember) which ''eats'' radiation...

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Hi yes that was a single or more species of Fungi!

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And ..also, it is apparently why fungi takes over the world -plants, animals, humans...fungi is everywhere. THat's how I understand that.

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I’m researching to find some information on why my family who moved from NC to Michigan became overweight and diabetic. The information you provide is very helpful, thank you. I do have a burning question, why would nature provide so many opportunities for Arsenic to attack the body? It’s the same question as why would we have viruses that chase us down only to infect us. We know the viruses don’t exist the way it’s been taught. I also believe arsenic in it’s many forms isn’t natural. Why would something colorless,

Odorless and otherwise difficult to detect have so many ways to harm the body. I don’t think it’s natural but I’m just beginning this research. Also, is the lead causing problems or is the arsenic in the lead? I’m heading in that direction too.

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Bravo!

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