New Scientist, June 3rd, 2020

There is so much we don't yet know about fungi 

Fungi are perhaps the most enigmatic organisms on the planet. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake says we are only just beginning to discover how they work.

By Gege Li

You may never look at fungi in the same way. This enigmatic community of organisms pulls the strings of life, yet we don’t know the half of what fungi get up to. Thankfully, Entangled Life: How fungi make our worlds, change our minds & shape our futures, by mycologist and author Merlin Sheldrake, is an eye-opening exploration of this mysterious taxonomic kingdom. 

Nothing illustrates this better than when he casts his focus underground. Mycelia – complex, branched networks of fungal cells in soil – form such elaborate connections between plants that they are “as much a part of planthood as leaves, or roots”, he writes. This relationship could date back 600 million years, when fungi are thought to have helped plants transition from water to land. 

We think fungi transmit brain-like electrical signals through mycelia to communicate with distant parts of themselves. Yet with only two studies looking at this in the past 25 years, writes Sheldrake, this intriguing idea has barely been explored. He says this is the case for most aspects of fungi life and behaviour. 

Our rigid definitions are also part of why it is so hard to describe fungi, which, due to the symbiotic relationships they form, often blur the line between themselves and other species. 

“To this day, fungi slip around the systems of classification we build for them,” writes Sheldrake. “We are unthinkable without them, yet seldom do we think about them.” 

Fungi are very efficient: whether they are decomposing matter to release nutrients such as nitrogen into the soil, facilitating communication between plants by forming networks between individuals or bending the minds of organisms by making psychedelic substances like psilocybin, they do everything with aplomb. 

Of course, we don’t really know how they achieve all of this, but that means there is ample opportunity for discovery. As Sheldrake puts it: “There have been so many questions, so few answers – and this feels exciting.” 

It is hard not to get caught up in Sheldrake’s passion and enthusiasm for fungi – amplified by the views and work of various researchers and mycologists he introduces in each chapter – and no less so than when he considers how these organisms can help build the future. 

Mycelia have proved to be strong and sustainable material for making everything from bricks to artificial skin, while certain kinds of fungi can help clean up polluted environments by decomposing hazardous waste. 

Entangled Life is a journey into an untapped world. It is both a wonderful collection of fungal feats to inspire enthusiasts and future mycologists alike and a personal account of Sheldrake’s experiences with these miraculous organisms.