Extraction Of Fertile Nomadic Fungus Spores

With the recent acquisition of the BP Oil Transport Truck Nomadic Fungus specimen NFI has begun the very delicate process of examination and documentation.

We can verify at this point that the specimen produces ballistospores, which is a spore that is discharged into the air once the fungus has come into maturity. This specimen appears to be just short of maturing and discharging its first ballistosposes.

Using a 5X magnification lamp and micro-tweezers NFI has extracted a few spore samples. These spores which are practically invisible to the naked eye are structurally very solid and have evolved to float on the lightest puff of wind.

A Fresh Sample Walks in the Door

Most of the information that the Nomadic Fungi Institute gathers comes by way of digging through dusty filing cabinets located in musty library basements, or from people who commonly begin their statements with My Uncle once told me... or I found these strange photographs in an old shoe box.

It's not often that someone walks into the NFI office, pulls a large chuck of organic material from their pocket and says I'll trade this for a 4.10 shotgun.

One look at the plump purple and red mass the he held in his hand and we were on the phone to the local gun shop...

Our friendly barter from Lower Mud Lake Louisiana told us he saw this slimy treelike thing growing on a broken down BP oil transport truck. He was out hunting rabbits at the time, so with a few well placed shots he was able to extract a sample. Unfortunately, in his hast to vacate the area he dropped his shotgun, and due to the security guards chasing him he was unable to turn around and retrieve it.

As for the sample, it does indeed appear to be from the fungus family, and judging by the size of it's radiating lamellae it came from something much, much bigger than your average store bought portobello. The sample appears to be relatively fresh, meaty, and even slightly moist to the touch. It is quite possible that it could still produce fertile spores. But don't worry, as you can see in the photograph above, NFI has taken the appropriate precautions to contain and document this highly prized specimen.

Thank You To Our Supporters For A Wonderful 2013

As the sun sets behind the NFI filing cabinets, we would like to take a moment to thank all the people that have supported NFI during our first year of public operation. Your input of advice, time and legal tender has enable us to reach several of our goals and has set us up for a fantastic 2014.

2013 saw the launch of the NFI web site World Of Nomadic Fungi, which immediately jumped into the publication of our first of four eye witness accounts. We also posted information from the Wobblers Encyclopedia of Parasitic Fungi that focused on the natural history of Nomadic Fungus.

A real land mark was our acquisition of documents from the Bureau of Scientific Analysis and Protection pertaining to military testing of parasitic fungus.

And lets not forget the first known video footage of a Nomadic Fungi actually moving of its own accord.

The NFI presented at two public venues this year, the Art Conspiracy and the Art.Science.Gallery. Each enabled us to spread the word about Nomadic Fungi.

TWe also had the release of the NFI logo which may sound like a small thing but believe me, it is so very nice to have NFI letterhead that reflects the professional dedication that we and our supporters feel.

NFI is already hard at work making plans for 2014. You'll read more eye witness accounts, see more publications of documents, as well as the release of the Nomadic Fungi Advisory Chart.

There will be more public events, and if our computer technicians can manage it, the World Of Nomadic Fungi web site will soon have a shop page where you can sign up to become a NFI member. Thank You gifts such as limited edition prints, booklets and buttons will be available as enticing incentives.

Cheers to a great start and a fantastic 2014 to everyone!

Dr. B.F. Smith PhD

Nomadic Fungi Institute Logo Launch

As part of the Nomadic Fungi Institute's mission to inform the community about the spread of the parasitic fungus known as Nomadic Fungi we are very happy to announce the launch of the official NFI logo.

To mark this event the NFI has created a limited edition of artists trading cards. Fifteen of these artists trading cards will be included in the Art/Science Trading Card event at the Art.Science.Gallery in Austin Texas. Another fifteen will be included in the second annual Pagan Potluck event at the Liz Morris estate in Dallas Texas.

The NFI logo will be used on all official NFI letterhead and documents. It will also be incorporated into NFI field surveys as a marker of known Nomadic Fungi activity.

The NFI logo will be posted at Nomadic Fungi contamination sites in order to warn the public that they are entering an area with known levels of Nomadic Fungi spore activity. The NFI logo will use a color code system similar to the one used by the Homeland Security Advisory System in monitoring the threat of terrorist attacks, ie: Yellow- Guarded, Orange- Elevated, Red- High, Purple- Severe.

Documents Point To Military Testing Of Cordyceps Fungus

The Nomadic Fungi Institute has come into possession of documents that were released by the Bureau of Scientific Analysis and Protection (BSAP) through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). These documents cover a time period when secret military testing was being preformed on a genus of parasitic fungus known as Cordyceps. The code name for this project was the Nomadic Fungi Project*.  

The BSAP used the FOIA's exempt information clause to heavily censor these documents with long blackened bars obscuring a majority of the text. Judging from what can be gleamed from the documents much of the photographic documentation has been removed. 

Our preliminary studies indicate that the Nomadic Fungi Project began testing in the late 1950s, focusing on the invasive characteristics of a parasitic fungus known as Cordyceps, and how to optimize its ability to immobilize victims. Apparently it was a fluke that the researchers created a cordyceps that was quite effective at de-mobilizing motorized vehicles. The only drawback was the extended time required by the fungus spores to germinate.

Beginning in 1962, experimentation was being conducted on the spores, focusing on speeding up the germination process. By 1967 a cultivated spore was developed that cut the germination time down from two months to just under one week (5-6 days). 

There were serious concerns voiced at this time concerning the containment of such an aggressive fungus, and what would happen if a containment breach were to occur. Despite these concerns testing and development continued until Febuary 19^th, 1971 when President Nixon suddenly shelved the project and all documents were sealed.

Over the next few months the Nomadic Fungi Institute will be posting more from this cache of documents.

Mr. Rotifer H. Wobbler

*Apparently our Founder Mr. Rotifer H. Wobbler based the name of the Nomadic Fungi Institute on the rumored existence of this secret military testing project. Unfortunately due to his sudden disappearance in 1973 and the fire that destroyed his home, we cannot be certain.

Dramatic Footage Of A Nomadic Fungi In Action

This amazing footage could be the very first documentation of a vehicle being manipulated by a Nomadic Fungus. Unfortunately, due to the way it was delivered to the Nomadic Fungi Institute verification is proving quite difficult.

As far as we can recall, this ground breaking document was slipped into the Nomadic Fungi Institute mail slot about a year and a half ago. It is recorded on a VHS cassette half way through a season four episode of Friends.

The first person in the office that morning must have seen the video cassette laying on the floor, picked it up and placed it next to the coffee maker. For a year and a half it remained there being utilized as the spot for dirty spoons.

The fact that this footage was ever seen is a bit of a miracle. It was during our annual spring cleaning and the video cassette was heading for the recycle bin when someone suggested we might play it as back ground noise.

So, there we were cleaning to the sounds of canned laughter. On screen, Rachel is massaging a bald girl's head and Ross walks into the room, the bald girl gets up and leaves. Ross and Rachel jump into each other's arms and start kissing madly. Then there's the sound of a railroad crossing bell and suddenly it's midnight and you're looking through bushes at an empty parking lot. The sounds of cicadas fill the air, then whirling onto the scene is a yellow Ford Mustang topped with a multi plumed Nomadic Fungi. It spins around a few times and almost runs over the camera as it zooms out of view.

Then Ross and Rachel are back on the screen looking at each other sheepishly. And that's it! That's all the information we have. No descriptive letter, no scrawled note, just a video cassette in a cardboard sleeve with Ross, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler smiling up at us as if we were all old friends.

Hail Damaged Car Grows Nomadic Fungus

On June 12th, 2012 baseball sized hail rained down on our house for over 30 minutes. Nothing in the Lakewood area escaped damage. Houses, trees, cars ... simply everything in the neighborhood was pulverized. Here's a few video documents of hail storm: Jeff Mailey,  Robcat2075

Earlier that week, I was riding high because I had just bought a new car.  Well, it was a new car to me. And since I paid cash, I didn't have to pay full auto insurance coverage. I could get by with just the state required liability coverage. That would save me hundreds of dollars! I was bragging to all my friends about how I was beating the system and sticking it to the man. Then the hail storm came.

Just a few pea sized pellets at first. The kind that make you think about maybe moving the car.  I was just pulling my coat out of the closet when the big boys started coming down. The noise was incredible. My wife and I just stood there frozen. That's when the dining room window shattered. Then the skylight above us exploded. We were instantly covered in glass and rain water.

Screaming and yelling, we ran around the house like crazy people.  Afterwards, we nailed planks of wood and sheets of cardboard and blankets over the smashed windows. Sixteen windows in all. I didn't even know we had sixteen windows in the house.

As for my new car, it was reduced to a pile of rubble. Every inch of it was dented. All the windows were gone. Even the seats had big holes in them. I scrounged up a black tarp, threw it over the car and went back into the house.

Over the next few months, all of our energy, time and money went into getting the house repaired. We were both brown bagging it for lunch, and I was taking DART (public transport) to get to work. As the carpenters, glaziers and roofers each completed their tasks, our lives settled back to normal and I finally felt like facing my car.

When I stepped out the back door of our house I was expecting the worse. I wasn't expecting a ten foot tall mushroom! It was growing from the interior of the car, through the front windshield and up into the sky. It had to be at least ten feet tall. There were a half dozen thick tubular branches sprouting from the top, and the whole thing was covered in a golden brown velvet. It smelled like omelets.

I was dumbstruck. I mean this was definitely more than what a normal neighborhood body shop could handle. Who do you call? A body shop, a mechanic, an arborist? I just started calling anybody I could think of. After about 12 or 13 calls I realized I sounded a bit deranged, and that people were starting to hang up on me...

It was a few days later that I stepped out the back door again, and the F***** car was gone! Completely gone. Not even an oil stain on the driveway. The whole area looked like it had been raked, scrubbed and vacuumed clean. I screamed and cussed and kicked over the patio furniture... then I turned around and went back inside.

So, with my car now missing and no funds in the bank for a new one. I am still brown bagging it for lunch and taking DART to work. On the bright side, using public transit gives me more time to read, which is how I came across the Nomadic Fungi Institution. Any chance you guys can help me find my car?