Radiation-Eating, Mind Control, & Other Secret Superpowers Of Fungi

Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants, though in truth they are neither, and cannot be killed in a way that matters:

Decay exists as an extant form of life

The fungal kingdom ranges from athlete’s foot to mushrooms to the underground mycorrhizal network that allows trees to communicate with each other and share nutrients.

About that last one… Yes, really! Many plants depend on mycorrhizal fungi, which exchange soil nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen for carbon produced by plants, as ectomycorrhizal fungi surround roots, while arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi penetrate root cells to facilitate nutrient exchange. This symbiosis also means that when it comes to knowing* what’s happening, the fungus functions as though part of the plant, meaning that if more than one plant is connected to the same mycorrhizal network (as is almost always the case in the wild), then each plant has the same information as the entire network.

^{*Without getting too sidetracked, we’ll quickly mention that despite not having brains, yes, plants do process information, using various kinds of chemical signalling similar to animals’ use of hormones and pheromones, electrical signalling, and more. And yes, that includes sensory information, because plants are very receptive to light and dark, and thus can (to varying degrees) “see”. Perhaps the most clear example of this is Boquila trifoliolata, a plant known for mimicking the appearance of nearby plants. Researchers got curious (as researchers do), and placed one next to a plastic plant (so: no mycorrhizal or otherwise chemical signalling can be happening), and yes, it mimicked the leaf shape and color of the artificial plant that it evidently could indeed see. Fun stuff!}

You can read more about that one here, if you’re interested: Boquila trifoliolata mimics leaves of an artificial plastic host plant

Now, back to fungi:

Fungi were once classified as plants because many grow from the soil on branching, root-like networks, but they differ fundamentally in biology, for example:

• Most people know that unlike plants, fungi don’t use sunlight for energy but instead decompose organic matter or obtain nutrients from living organisms.
• Most people don’t know that fungal cell walls are made of chitin (the same material found in the exoskeletons of insects, arachnids, and the like) rather than cellulose as in plants.

On which note, yes, many fungi produce compounds including antibiotics, toxins, and psychedelic chemicals to defend themselves, exploit other organisms, or manipulate their surroundings, including:

• Altering minds: mushrooms in the Psilocybe genus produce psilocybin, which binds to serotonin receptors and causes hallucinations in humans, though it likely evolved to discourage grazing by slugs and snails.
• Zombifying ants: many Cordyceps fungi infect ants, alter their nervous systems and muscles, compel them to climb to elevated locations, and then release millions of spores from their bodies.
• Eating radiation: some fungi thrive in harsh environments, including the radioactive ruins of Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where at least 37 fungal species have been identified, and studies aboard the International Space Station found that fungi such as Cryptococcus neoformans can convert absorbed gamma radiation into usable energy.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

The Magic Of Mushrooms: “The Longevity Vitamin” (That’s Not A Vitamin) ← about ergothioneine, of which mushrooms are an excellent source

What kind of mushrooms? All kinds, but please stick to non-poisonous ones!

Take care!