Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
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- Author：Merlin Sheldrake
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Summary
"Merlin Sheldrake's marvelous tour of these diverse and extraordinary life forms is eye-opening on why humans should consider fungi among the greatest of earth's marvels。 。 。 。 Wondrous。"--Time
A mind-bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi， "one of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you" （Helen Macdonald， author of H Is for Hawk）。
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time - BBC Science Focus - The Daily Mail - Geographical - The Times - The Telegraph - New Statesman - London Evening Standard - Science Friday
When we think of fungi， we likely think of mushrooms。 But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies， analogous to apples on a tree。 Most fungi live out of sight， yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems。 Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live， and the ways we think， feel， and behave。
In Entangled Life， the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view， providing an exhilarating change of perspective。 Sheldrake's vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics， to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet， to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the "Wood Wide Web，" to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision。
Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question。 They are metabolic masters， earth makers， and key players in most of life's processes。 They can change our minds， heal our bodies， and even help us remediate environmental disaster。 By examining fungi on their own terms， Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms--and our relationships with them--are changing our understanding of how life works。
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD - LONGLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE
"Entangled Life is a gorgeous book of literary nature writing in the tradition of [Robert] Macfarlane and John Fowles， ripe with insight and erudition。 。 。 。 Food for the soul。"--Eugenia Bone， Wall Street Journal
"[An] ebullient and ambitious exploration 。 。 。 This book may not be a psychedelic--and unlike Sheldrake， I haven't dared to consume my copy （yet）--but reading it left me not just moved but altered， eager to disseminate its message of what fungi can do。"--Jennifer Szalai， The New York Times
A mind-bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi， "one of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you" （Helen Macdonald， author of H Is for Hawk）。
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time - BBC Science Focus - The Daily Mail - Geographical - The Times - The Telegraph - New Statesman - London Evening Standard - Science Friday
When we think of fungi， we likely think of mushrooms。 But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies， analogous to apples on a tree。 Most fungi live out of sight， yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems。 Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live， and the ways we think， feel， and behave。
In Entangled Life， the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view， providing an exhilarating change of perspective。 Sheldrake's vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics， to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet， to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the "Wood Wide Web，" to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision。
Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question。 They are metabolic masters， earth makers， and key players in most of life's processes。 They can change our minds， heal our bodies， and even help us remediate environmental disaster。 By examining fungi on their own terms， Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms--and our relationships with them--are changing our understanding of how life works。
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD - LONGLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE
"Entangled Life is a gorgeous book of literary nature writing in the tradition of [Robert] Macfarlane and John Fowles， ripe with insight and erudition。 。 。 。 Food for the soul。"--Eugenia Bone， Wall Street Journal
"[An] ebullient and ambitious exploration 。 。 。 This book may not be a psychedelic--and unlike Sheldrake， I haven't dared to consume my copy （yet）--but reading it left me not just moved but altered， eager to disseminate its message of what fungi can do。"--Jennifer Szalai， The New York Times
Reviews
Tamara Collin
，
Fascinating！！！ I loved this book so damn much。 Fungi are bloody incredible！
Wilte
，
Great book on the importance and omnipresence of fungi。 Lyrical writing about the Fungi Kingdom and its many facets， that fascinate Sheldrake。See my blog:https://wilte。wordpress。com/2021/04/1。。。 Great book on the importance and omnipresence of fungi。 Lyrical writing about the Fungi Kingdom and its many facets， that fascinate Sheldrake。See my blog:https://wilte。wordpress。com/2021/04/1。。。 。。。more
Virat
，
Absolutely fantastic。 It's totally mushroom magic and will send you into an exstacy of discovery and wonders。 Easy to read and beautifully written by Merlin Sheldrake it deserves to be read by the whole world。 Will change your perspective of life。 Highly recommended Absolutely fantastic。 It's totally mushroom magic and will send you into an exstacy of discovery and wonders。 Easy to read and beautifully written by Merlin Sheldrake it deserves to be read by the whole world。 Will change your perspective of life。 Highly recommended 。。。more
K。A。 Ashcomb
，
I cannot praise this book enough。 It is beautifully written from prose to shifting between personal and information。 This book made me see the world， fungi， and us， humans， from a new perspective， and I cannot ever walk in the forest without thinking about mycelium networks or lichen， which I already love to take macro photographs。 Now I know they （lichen） are "mini-forest，" as I have considered them to be， composed of fungi， bacteria， and algae。 And I now think fungi are our future， despite the I cannot praise this book enough。 It is beautifully written from prose to shifting between personal and information。 This book made me see the world， fungi， and us， humans， from a new perspective， and I cannot ever walk in the forest without thinking about mycelium networks or lichen， which I already love to take macro photographs。 Now I know they （lichen） are "mini-forest，" as I have considered them to be， composed of fungi， bacteria， and algae。 And I now think fungi are our future， despite the book being cautious about claiming it to be true。 I loved the notes at the back， reading everything thoroughly。 I am a "converted" mycophile now。 That said， the book isn't about making you one。 It is a scientific book discussing the studies done about fungi， what we know， what we can't know， and what opinions people held and have those opinions scientific merit。 。。。more
Danielle Crawford
，
An excellent book about how invisible fungal networks have shaped the ecology we can see and what we can learn from these mostly unseen and often overlooked elements of the environment。 I read it because I am very interested in soil/plant interactions but got so much more out of it。 Part ecological study and part philosophy， if you like to think about how the world is both smaller than we think and larger than we can perceive， this book is for you。
marie rose
，
Absolutely mind-blowing！ As a future zoologist （hopefully） with an interest in all things biological， this was a fascinating introduction into the world of fungi！ I took so many notes， and plan on using them to do further research。 I saw some reviews saying the book was boring/dry， but。。。it's nonfiction， not an action novel。 Personally， I found it hard to put the book down， so the writing seemed okay to me！ This book is part anecdotes of the author， part factual， so if you strictly want just sto Absolutely mind-blowing！ As a future zoologist （hopefully） with an interest in all things biological， this was a fascinating introduction into the world of fungi！ I took so many notes， and plan on using them to do further research。 I saw some reviews saying the book was boring/dry， but。。。it's nonfiction， not an action novel。 Personally， I found it hard to put the book down， so the writing seemed okay to me！ This book is part anecdotes of the author， part factual， so if you strictly want just stories OR just facts， I would suggest reading something else。 As for me， I wanted both， and was not disappointed！ 。。。more
Jennifer V
，
"There is a world beyond ours。。。That world talks。 It has a language of its own。 I report what it says。 The sacred mushroom takes me by the hand and brings me to the world where everything is known。。。I ask them and they answer me。" - Maria SabinaI loved this book。 I read somewhere that maybe up to 90% of the fungi in the world are still unknown to scientists。 That just blows my mind because what we already know about fungi is amazing。 Here are some if my favorite facts from this book:•It wasn't u "There is a world beyond ours。。。That world talks。 It has a language of its own。 I report what it says。 The sacred mushroom takes me by the hand and brings me to the world where everything is known。。。I ask them and they answer me。" - Maria SabinaI loved this book。 I read somewhere that maybe up to 90% of the fungi in the world are still unknown to scientists。 That just blows my mind because what we already know about fungi is amazing。 Here are some if my favorite facts from this book:•It wasn't until the mid '60s that fungi belonged to their own kingdom。 For much of history they were classified as plants but scientists now know they are actually closer to animals。 They have chemicals in their cell walls shared by crabs and lobsters •Plants only made it out of the water around 500 million years ago because of their collaboration with fungi which served as their root systems for tens of millions of years until plants could evolve on their own。•Fungi have survived throughout all five of Earth's mass-extinctions。•Mushrooms can rewire neural pathways in the brain to alleviate depression， PTSD， anxiety and addiction•Fungi has been found to be able to break down a range of pollutants。 Anything from cigarette butts， herbicides， pesticides， crude oil， TNT and even some plastics。•Some fungal species discharge their spores ten times faster than a space shuttle after launch， reaching speeds of up to a hundred kilometers per hour-the quickest movements achieved by any living organism。•The dense meshwork of mycelium can be used to filter water。 Mycofiltration removes infectious diseases such as E。 coli and can stop up heavy metals like a sponge-a company in Finland uses this approach to reclaim gold from electronic waste。•Fungi may help to clean up nuclear waste sites-Chernobyl is home to a large population of fungi that grow towards radioactive particles， and appear to be able to harness radiation as a source of energy， as plants use the energy in sunlight。•The mycelium of some fungal species is electrically excitable and conducts waves of electrical activity along hyphae， analogous to the electrical of impusles in animal nerve cells。•Antiviral compounds produced by fungal mycelium reduce collony collapse disorder in honeybees。•In microfabrication， building materials and textiles are frown out of mycelium and in the future may be used to replace plastics and leather。•Some fungi have thousands of mating types， approximately equivalent to our sexes （one split gill fungus has more than 23K mating types， each of which is sexually compatible with nearly every one of the others）•Mycelial coordination takes place both everywhere at once and nowhere in particular。 For example， a scientist has observed waves of bioluminescence pass from the edge of one fungal culture to another， almost like it is releasing a chemical signal into the air。•In 2016 scientists brought back samples of lichen that had been mounted on the outside vof the ISS。 A handful of lichen species were able to survive in full space conditions by making themselves dormant in extreme conditions。Every single sentence above just blows my mind。 And I didn't by have the space for it but just look up "Ophiocordyceps" or "zombie ants"。 。。。more
Glynn
，
This was an interesting dive into the underground world of Fungus and Lichen and Magic Mushrooms etc。， I liked the various anecdotes the author intersperses and the fact that he mentions Sam Gamgee of Hobbit fame。 There are a ton of notes in this book。 In fact I think the notes are about 1/4 of the book。 The book is a bit rambling but fascinating all the way。 I got the hardcover from the library and it has a lot of nice photographs so I would recommend that instead of a kindle version。
Bas
，
Unfortunately， the most interesting part of the book only appears after about 100 pages of unnecessary author-centric dribblings。
Dave
，
Engrossing book about fungi。 Unexpected LotR reference。
Ann
，
This book was utterly fascinating。 Fungi are weird and wonderful。 Lichen is just freaky。 The digressions into mind-altering substance experiments was a bit distracting， so only 4 stars。
Amy！
，
Rounding up from 3。5 stars。This was a very pleasant， informative read！ I do not know how much of any of this information I will retain in the long term （or really even the short term）， but that is not a failure of the writing。 I enjoyed the experience of reading this。 Sheldrake presents the information in a way that is accessible to non-biologists， and he narrates the audiobook and has a very nice voice。 My biggest complaint is that his voice is perhaps TOO soothing， because it lulled me into a Rounding up from 3。5 stars。This was a very pleasant， informative read！ I do not know how much of any of this information I will retain in the long term （or really even the short term）， but that is not a failure of the writing。 I enjoyed the experience of reading this。 Sheldrake presents the information in a way that is accessible to non-biologists， and he narrates the audiobook and has a very nice voice。 My biggest complaint is that his voice is perhaps TOO soothing， because it lulled me into a meditative state， and I really had to force myself to focus on the words。 。。。more
Zach Irvin
，
I finished this one for my birthday。Loved this book。 I learned so much amazing things about fungi。 Sheldrake cares about these mycelium deeply。 That care emanates from the book; each chapter expresses through form and content the complex and connected world that happens mostly unnoticed around us。 It’s a world of chemicals， self-organizing organic systems， inebriation， predator and prey， give and take。 He strikes a balance between technical and deeply personal language that makes you feel at hom I finished this one for my birthday。Loved this book。 I learned so much amazing things about fungi。 Sheldrake cares about these mycelium deeply。 That care emanates from the book; each chapter expresses through form and content the complex and connected world that happens mostly unnoticed around us。 It’s a world of chemicals， self-organizing organic systems， inebriation， predator and prey， give and take。 He strikes a balance between technical and deeply personal language that makes you feel at home in the dirt。If nothing else the book is worth reading for the conclusion。 。。。more
Estevon
，
Merlin Sheldrake writes and narrates with equal eloquence。 Full of lyrical phrases and passionate insights， I would be impressed if a reader were to finish this book without feeling more interested in the world of fungi。 It is a rare treat to finish a non-fiction book and want to immediately begin reading again。
Danielle
，
This was a fascinating look at the world of mycelium， but I don’t think this book is going to be for everyone。 It’s not a super long book， and the chapters progress to different sections of mycology so that makes it easier to keep track of things， but I did find the learning curve a bit steep in the beginning as I’d never even heard of mycelium before。 Having not studied formally in the life sciences， at times it was a bit hard to follow， but there was some repetitiveness that helped reinforce w This was a fascinating look at the world of mycelium， but I don’t think this book is going to be for everyone。 It’s not a super long book， and the chapters progress to different sections of mycology so that makes it easier to keep track of things， but I did find the learning curve a bit steep in the beginning as I’d never even heard of mycelium before。 Having not studied formally in the life sciences， at times it was a bit hard to follow， but there was some repetitiveness that helped reinforce what he was talking about。The Good:-Overall， it was a really fascinating read。 It covered a wide range of ideas in a short span， from a basic primer of mycology to psychedelic mushrooms and everything in between。 I liked how some of the chapters gave really practical examples of how people are using mycology to transform the world。-I finished the book wanting to continue learning about the topic and have already borrowed some of the books he mentioned。 You could sense his passion for mycology in every word and I found it contagious。The not so good:-Being clearly an expert， at times I felt like he struggled to bring explanations down to a level that the average reader could understand。 A few times， it was because of the complex subject， but other times I’m pretty sure it was the way he structured a paragraph or sentence that added to the confusion。 Not insurmountable， but made it a little frustrating。 All that said， The field of mycology is relatively new and the majority of his topics necessarily ended with something to the effect of “this really cool thing could be possible， but there are only a few experiments on the books so really we still have no idea。。。”。 For me， that’s not necessarily a problem， but if you read this book hoping for solid science facts， I’d reset expectations to see this more as an exercise in scientific curiosity and an open window to peer into a world of possibilities。 It’s exciting to me to know that with all our confidence （or even at times big-headedness） about how much we “know” through science， “knowing” can still be such a changeable concept and there are possible whole life systems we have no idea about。 Recommended for the curious。 。。。more
Ken Rideout
，
I admit it - Fungi are more fascinating and interesting than I ever expected。 The book meanders a bit much for my tastes and is overly indulgent on the transformative power of fungus at times， but nonetheless filled with interesting stories and left me feeling at times as if I am floating on a cosmic web of life which we are only beginning to understand。
Camille
，
🤯I loved this book so so much。It made my heartwarm for this author's fondness of mushrooms and for fungi in general。 After reading this book， I feel like there is still so much more I can learn。 Highly recommended 🤯I loved this book so so much。It made my heartwarm for this author's fondness of mushrooms and for fungi in general。 After reading this book， I feel like there is still so much more I can learn。 Highly recommended 。。。more
Ricky
，
I read this in preparation for the spring mushroom season。 The author focuses on the unknowns and possibilities of mushrooms， rather than science and what we already know about them。 Kind of like the bottom of the ocean， its interesting to learn that there is a ton of stuff about life that we just don't know。 Merlin is clearly most excited about the mysteries， and mystery #1 being his beloved hallucinogenic mushrooms which the book kept coming back to。Apart from a little truffle anecdote， there' I read this in preparation for the spring mushroom season。 The author focuses on the unknowns and possibilities of mushrooms， rather than science and what we already know about them。 Kind of like the bottom of the ocean， its interesting to learn that there is a ton of stuff about life that we just don't know。 Merlin is clearly most excited about the mysteries， and mystery #1 being his beloved hallucinogenic mushrooms which the book kept coming back to。Apart from a little truffle anecdote， there's really nothing about foraging， and I don't think common mushrooms like morels and chanterelles were even mentioned。The Hidden Life of Trees， a book primarily about trees and secondarily about fungi， had more concrete information about mushrooms and better descriptions of what they do。 I think I enjoyed that more。 。。。more
Wander Wall
，
I really love your piece， it deserves a lot of audience。 If you have some great pieces like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Mary
，
Fascinating topic。 I didn't connect with the writing and the book dragged for me。 Fascinating topic。 I didn't connect with the writing and the book dragged for me。 。。。more
Rusty
，
A fantastic if rather technical read。 Every few pages I found myself putting the book down momentarily in absolute wonder at the interconnectivity of the world and the author's lovely way of expressing it。 Frequently I went back to reread passages aloud to my wife and other times just to better comprehend the matter。 Yes， this book is about fungi， but ultimately， Mr Sheldrake spends many pages thinking about how science informs our sense of perception and vice versa。 A fantastic if rather technical read。 Every few pages I found myself putting the book down momentarily in absolute wonder at the interconnectivity of the world and the author's lovely way of expressing it。 Frequently I went back to reread passages aloud to my wife and other times just to better comprehend the matter。 Yes， this book is about fungi， but ultimately， Mr Sheldrake spends many pages thinking about how science informs our sense of perception and vice versa。 。。。more
Jim French
，
This book is written in a maddening way--the conversational， discursive style makes it hard to read。 It's like someone telling a story you're very interested in but they toss in so many irrelevant details you get really frustrated。 Most of the content will be familiar to anyone who has had a botany course， but I'm afraid more recent material is buried beneath piles of verbiage relating to the author's personal experiences with mycologists。 This book is written in a maddening way--the conversational， discursive style makes it hard to read。 It's like someone telling a story you're very interested in but they toss in so many irrelevant details you get really frustrated。 Most of the content will be familiar to anyone who has had a botany course， but I'm afraid more recent material is buried beneath piles of verbiage relating to the author's personal experiences with mycologists。 。。。more
Kirsti
，
Merlin Sheldrake definitely has a British sense of humo（u）r。 He gets permission to go on an expedition with an elite truffle-hunting squad。 When he notices that they're all wearing camouflage， he asks， "Does that help you sneak up on the truffles？" They say no， it's to keep other truffle hunters from seeing them and learning where all the best truffle spots are。 （Truffles have never been domesticated， even though people have been trying for centuries。）Anyway， these are appealing and intriguing a Merlin Sheldrake definitely has a British sense of humo（u）r。 He gets permission to go on an expedition with an elite truffle-hunting squad。 When he notices that they're all wearing camouflage， he asks， "Does that help you sneak up on the truffles？" They say no， it's to keep other truffle hunters from seeing them and learning where all the best truffle spots are。 （Truffles have never been domesticated， even though people have been trying for centuries。）Anyway， these are appealing and intriguing accounts of different ways that fungi run the world。 Sheldrake explores how fungi might even save us from ourselves by cleaning up some of our pollution。Merlin is a biologist， his brother Cosmo is a multi-instrumentalist， their dad is a parapsychology researcher， and their mum is a therapist。 So I'm sure the Sunday lunches with the family are fascinating。 。。。more
Isobel Ramsden
，
An enlightening and beguiling book about fungi - makes a convincing case for them being more widely studied。 Amongst other things， Sheldrake discusses how they interact with plants， their use in everything from medicine to sustainable fashion， the growing network of 'radical mycologists' studying fungi in home laboratories and the challenges of studying and describing fungi。 An enlightening and beguiling book about fungi - makes a convincing case for them being more widely studied。 Amongst other things， Sheldrake discusses how they interact with plants， their use in everything from medicine to sustainable fashion， the growing network of 'radical mycologists' studying fungi in home laboratories and the challenges of studying and describing fungi。 。。。more
RJ Henne
，
4 1/4 stars。 'Entangled Life' covers absolutely everything in the title - Sheldrake's passionate for fungi is enthralling， not only is he a genius mycologist， but a gifted wordsmith too。 More than anything else， this book will convert you - fungi are the true rulers of our world， and by the final pages， you'll realise it is fungi that domesticated us， and not the other way round。 Some of the personal anecdotes of Sheldrake's research and travels really build-up the immersion in this book。 Some 4 1/4 stars。 'Entangled Life' covers absolutely everything in the title - Sheldrake's passionate for fungi is enthralling， not only is he a genius mycologist， but a gifted wordsmith too。 More than anything else， this book will convert you - fungi are the true rulers of our world， and by the final pages， you'll realise it is fungi that domesticated us， and not the other way round。 Some of the personal anecdotes of Sheldrake's research and travels really build-up the immersion in this book。 Some were a little too dramatic for my taste in later chapters but still a lovely touch。 The scope of species cherrypicked for this book cover a HUGE array of topics， from psychedelics， truffles， carbon cycling， fermentation， and much more。 I definitely preferred the first half of this book - while every chapter is a neat pocket of the fungal universe， some later passages felt less compelling and lacking in flow （never anything less than jaw-dropping though， I think anyone who has read the whole thing will agree）。 Absolutely anybody who wants an eye-opening account of the world's more underappreciated organisms， and how entangled our lives are with them， need look no further。 VERY re-readable！ 。。。more
Doctor Moss
，
If you told people there was a fibrous network threading its way invisibly through just about every living and nonliving thing on Earth， and that that network carried communications signals and enabled coordinated behavior of its tendrils， some of us would be all over the news。 A monstrous plot by aliens， the New World Order， Bill Gates， Hillary Clinton， 。 。 。 But it’s fungi。 And it’s nothing new， it’s been here for a very long time， a billion years or more。As the author， Merlin Shedrake， says， If you told people there was a fibrous network threading its way invisibly through just about every living and nonliving thing on Earth， and that that network carried communications signals and enabled coordinated behavior of its tendrils， some of us would be all over the news。 A monstrous plot by aliens， the New World Order， Bill Gates， Hillary Clinton， 。 。 。 But it’s fungi。 And it’s nothing new， it’s been here for a very long time， a billion years or more。As the author， Merlin Shedrake， says， most of us probably think of mushrooms if we ever think of fungi at all。 Well， maybe that and athlete’s foot。 But we’re missing an awful lot。The “entangled life” Sheldrake is talking about is mycelial networks — living networks branching out from fungal spores。 That network is ubiquitous， on deserts， in frozen climates， inside animals， entwined with plants roots， threading through and breaking down decaying matter， 。 。 。 The mycelia spread in exploratory directions， but patterns show themselves — branches with tips that find nourishment communicate in some way to other tips on other branches， changing the branching behavior of the entire network to take advantage of the nourishment some of the tips find。How is this different from， for example， the way that plants seek light and grow in the direction from which sunlight reaches them？ I’m not sure， but in the case of the plant， it may be that each branch of the plant is separately attracted to the light and grows in that direction。 In the mycelial network， the mycelia that haven’t found the nourishment have no way of being attracted directly to it — their redirection towards it depends on a communication system that links it with those mycelia that have found the nourishment。Mycelial networks are almost unimaginably ubiquitous。 They weave through soil， but also through paper， trash heaps， rocks， 。 。 。 。 humans。Fungi comprise their own kingdom of life。 They are neither animals nor plants。 Almost all plant life is dependent on fungi as partners to access nutrients in soil。 And the origin of plants on dry land looks to have arisen through that same partnership （between fungi and green algae）。Fungi also partner with animals， including humans， particularly in digestive processes。 Sheldrake describes in some detail the relationship， for example， between termites and white rot fungi to break down the cellulose in wood for digestion。Reading Sheldrake， and seeing the world through his eyes， human insignificance is striking。 We are a small part of the biome， we haven’t proven our place in the major leagues of evolution， and， in some sense， we may not even be very smart in the measures that count。Sheldrake quotes Darwin on how to characterize intelligence: “Intelligence is based on how efficient a species becomes at doing the things they need to survive。” In the things that matter to their survival， fungi， collectively， are very smart。 They can solve maze-like problems， finding the most efficient routes to nourishment and proliferation， faster than we could solve similar problems （arguably， slime molds are better than we are at solving maze problems， too）。 Our intelligence may be more general， more flexible， but we’ve yet to demonstrate how much of an advantage that is over the time scales of evolution。 We are newcomers to the game， relative to proven winners like fungi。Fungi can even take over and control the behavior of some animals。 Sheldrake tells the grisly story of how one species of fungus， Ophiocordyceps unilateralis， turns carpenter ants into “zombies。” The fungus infects the ant， controls its body （curiously， without controlling or directly infecting its brain）， and directs the ant to climb a plant stalk and clamp its jaws around the plant。 The fungus grows mycelium around the ant， binding it to the plant， and then it digests the ant’s body， finally sprouting a stalk through the ant’s head from which to shower new fungal spores down on new ant victims。 With humans， it’s not so grisly a story — we should be thankful that athlete’s foot isn’t complete zombification。 Of course the fruit of fungi， mushrooms， can certainly affect the cognitive behaviors of humans。 Sheldrake devotes a chapter to some of the history and biology of psilocybin mushrooms， including their potential therapeutic uses。The pattern of co-evolution between fungi and plants or animals provides a provocative counterpoint to the view of evolution as competition for survival。 The very existence of plants owes itself to cooperation， not competition， between species。 Fungi and plants have made an evolutionary bargain whereby plants receive mineral nutrients from the soil via fungi’s mycelial networks， and fungi receive from plants the carbon compounds they need to build and maintain themselves。 The association between plant roots and mycelial networks （the “mycorrhizal networks”） further enables resource sharing and interspecies cooperation， e。g。， resource-sharing between fir and birch trees — the “wood wide web” as it has been called。 That network can carry not only resources， but also what function as warning indications of dangers （e。g。， diseases or toxicities） encountered by one tree or plant for others to which they are connected。 Sheldrake discusses some of the experiments that confirm that such “signals” are passing through the mycorrhizal network and can’t be accounted for via some other means。Sheldrake is not implying any kind of altruistic， intentionally cooperative community of plants via fungal networks。 He’s careful not to infer intentions where what we can see are events， and he notes that the same mycorrhizal networks that can enable resource sharing can also enable potentially harmful agents， such as bacteria or viruses， to spread quickly through a forest。 The mycorrhizal network is no latent， or archaic， Eden。 I learned a lot from Sheldrake’s book， much more than I can recite here。 But the overwhelming takeaway for me， as with some other books I’ve read on the relatively unnoticed vast bulk of the planet-wide biome， is that this is not our world。 We may place ourselves at the top of the pyramid of living things， but the base is much wider， and maybe even much wiser。 。。。more
Krokki
，
Merlin Sheldrake is a great story teller， who steadily guides and keeps us up-to-date with the latest in fungal science and the entangled world we breathe in。Ruler of te underworld， sorcerer of the soil or jaintors of nature; in any case - there are alot of unknowns about the marvelous mycelium and mushrooms around us。The underground mycelium networks are astonishing and also possible problem solvers on many fields; from breakdown of atomic waste or plastics to medicine and food。 We need to stri Merlin Sheldrake is a great story teller， who steadily guides and keeps us up-to-date with the latest in fungal science and the entangled world we breathe in。Ruler of te underworld， sorcerer of the soil or jaintors of nature; in any case - there are alot of unknowns about the marvelous mycelium and mushrooms around us。The underground mycelium networks are astonishing and also possible problem solvers on many fields; from breakdown of atomic waste or plastics to medicine and food。 We need to strike a firmer relationship and knowledge with and about this creature; who is niether plant nor animal。 Like in mysteries and magic， there are explanations our naked eyes might miss。 Let's Go fungal and find out！ 。。。more
Michael Fischer
，
Dass Pilze mehr sind als der Teil， den wir essen， war mir bewusst。 In welchem Ausmass Pilze den Boden， die Luft， Pflanzen， Tiere und somit auch uns durchdringen und besiedeln ist erstaunlich。 Nach der Lektüre dieses Buches bleibt das Gefühl zurück， dass das Leben auf diesem Planten ohne Pilze nicht denkbar wäre。 Sie verbinden Bäume zum ‚Wood Wide Web‘， können so gross werden wie Zypern， bilden riesige kommunizierende Netzwerke， tauschen mit Pflanzen Nährstoffe aus， bauen Schadstoffe ab， können d Dass Pilze mehr sind als der Teil， den wir essen， war mir bewusst。 In welchem Ausmass Pilze den Boden， die Luft， Pflanzen， Tiere und somit auch uns durchdringen und besiedeln ist erstaunlich。 Nach der Lektüre dieses Buches bleibt das Gefühl zurück， dass das Leben auf diesem Planten ohne Pilze nicht denkbar wäre。 Sie verbinden Bäume zum ‚Wood Wide Web‘， können so gross werden wie Zypern， bilden riesige kommunizierende Netzwerke， tauschen mit Pflanzen Nährstoffe aus， bauen Schadstoffe ab， können die Kontrolle z。B。 über die Hirnfunktion von Ameisen übernehmen und diese somit für die eigene Verbreitung nutzen。 Nicht zuletzt können sie auch unser Verhalten durch die Wirkung des Psilobycins auf unser Gehirn verändern。 。。。more
Leslie
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Fungus yeah！ An author named Merlin who looks like the Sherlock Holmes of fungi Yes！ loved this book！ I am SUCH A NERD sheesh。
Jennifer
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