Neither plant nor animal, they are found throughout the earth, the air and our bodies. they can be microscopic, yet also account for the largest organisms ever recorded. they enabled the first life on land, can survive unprotected in space and thrive amidst nuclear radiation. In fact, nearly all live relies in some way on fungi.
These endlessly suprising organisms have no brain but can solve problems and manipulate animal behaviour with devestating precision. In giving us bread, alcohol and life-saving medicines, fungi have shaped human history, and their psychedelic properties have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses. Their ability to digest plastic, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is being harnassed in breakthrough technologies, and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks, the 'Wood Wide Web', is transforming the way we understand ecosystems. Yet over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented.
These endlessly suprising organisms have no brain but can solve problems and manipulate animal behaviour with devestating precision. In giving us bread, alcohol and life-saving medicines, fungi have shaped human history, and their psychedelic properties have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses. Their ability to digest plastic, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is being harnassed in breakthrough technologies, and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks, the 'Wood Wide Web', is transforming the way we understand ecosystems. Yet over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented.
