Weird Science: Mushrooms create their own wind

When it's time for a mushroom to disperse its spores, it can be tough to catch a breeze if you're hidden down on the forest floor. Researchers have found that mushrooms have devised a clever way around this problem: they create their own tiny breezes, by releasing water vapor, which cools the air, which creates tiny microcells of convection currents.

Not much wind, it's true, but enough to carry its tiny spores up into the air column and off to greener pastures.

Image courtesy Flickr/outpostbabu