4 ms·

A Poetic, Mind-Bending Tour of the Fungal World

76 points by anarbadalov 6y ago

0xdeadb00f 6y ago
Great read. I love this part, in particular > Yes, I’m very fond of fermentation. Besides the fine flavors and health benefits, there’s the satisfying confusion of who —microbe or person—is domesticating who, a perspective shift that I find to be good medicine for my human-centeredness.
- OnACoffeeBreak 6y ago
  The concept that I took for a ride was this one: > If nothing decomposed, the earth would pile up kilometers-deep with the bodies of animals and plants. I remember trying to wrap my head around this idea as a child and feeling dizzy: Our lives take place in the space that decomposition leaves behind. Composers make; decomposers unmake. And unless decomposers unmake, there isn’t anything that the composers can make with. Coal was mainly formed during a period of time between trees evolving and fungi evolving the ability to break down lignin inside tree cellulose. In that time period composers (trees) made (grew and died), but decomposers (fungi, bacteria) could not unmake (decompose lignin). So, I imagine trees piling on top of each other as they died. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal#Formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal#Formation
  - bryanrasmussen 6y ago
    So this means that the often repeated idea that it will take millennia to build up coal supplies once depleted is incorrect because they will not ever be replaced? (not that I care, just find it interesting)
    - klyrs 6y ago
      Peat bogs still exist; so the world is still slowly producing (low grade) coal. OTOH peat itself has quite a lot of stored energy and humans gonna exploit... so who knows what the future will hold.
  - pvaldes 6y ago
    > If nothing decomposed, the earth would pile up kilometers-deep with the bodies of animals and plants Hem, not. Much more probably some animal would eat this corpses. Not to mention that life beings are lets say between 60% to 99% water and dried corpses would not take so much space. It is a suggestive idea, but is also wrong.
    - nanomonkey 6y ago
      You may want to think about what you are saying. Eating is decomposition; inside of your gut are the same organisms that are in the soil breaking down the cell walls so that you and other animals can absorb a fraction of the available nutrients. This is especially true for ruminants, which have separate guts for fermenting cellulose.
      - pvaldes 6y ago
        > You may want to think about what you are saying. Eating is decomposition Absolutely Not. Eating is much more sophisticated than decomposition. There is a microbial part... but also a mechanical pre-processing with teeth, cartilaginous spikes, muscles or even rocks, And cells evolved to produce strong acids (that could dissolve this same cells) And a complex enzymatic system in controlled environment and temperatures. Necessary to allow its correct function. And a net of sensors of satiety to avoid the stomach bursting, a gage reflex, a capture reflex, development of complex eyes and noses to hunt and identify food or poison, nerves... A complex absortion of nutrients and water, And compaction, dehydrating, filtration, classification, and release of useless stuff. Is much, much, more than just tiny organisms breaking things.
- josefdlange 6y ago
  I highly recommend The Botany of Desire (Michael Pollan) which dives even deeper on this thought across a variety of relationships in nature.
black_puppydog 6y ago
That article could definitely use more pictures of fungi. Just for the beauty of them. Missed opportunity. :)
beepboopbeep 6y ago
I am happy to see that this isn't another Stamets hand waving woo generator article on fungi. This is well written and interesting. >Our lives take place in the space that decomposition leaves behind. Great quote
MKais 6y ago
>I made a cider with apples harvested from Isaac Newton’s apple tree—called Gravity. I will definitely read a book written by a guy like this.
42droids 6y ago
I just love mushrooms. When I am going to be old and have nothing better to do, I will be growing all sorts of edible mushrooms haha. Most fascinating creatures of all.
tzury 6y ago
if you got the time, this movie will take you in the fasinating world of Fungi and the amazing work of Paul Stamets https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fantasticfungi https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fantasticfungi
ta1234567890 6y ago
> If nothing decomposed, the earth would pile up kilometers-deep with the bodies of animals and plants. But the opposite is also not true. We do have pretty deep layers of mostly-decomposed animals and plants. Along this line, what happens to all the radiation/energy the planet absorbs from the sun (is it radiated away, or is it somehow building up as matter)?
- headsupernova 6y ago
  fossil fuels!
  - ta1234567890 6y ago
    So have fossil fuels somehow made the planet bigger?
josefdlange 6y ago
Just finished reading Sheldrake's book. It's truly a spectacular read. Engaging use of language, clear but not condescending expertise, and a great sense of humor to boot. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to extend their (metaphorical) mycorrhizal tips.
neonate 6y ago
Son of the possibly great and certainly controversial (I think great) Rupert Sheldrake.

76 points by anarbadalov 6y ago

Great read. I love this part, in particular > Yes, I’m very fond of fermentation. Besides the fine flavors and health benefits, there’s the satisfying confusion of who —microbe or person—is domesticating who, a perspective shift that I find to be good medicine for my human-centeredness.

OnACoffeeBreak 6y ago
The concept that I took for a ride was this one: > If nothing decomposed, the earth would pile up kilometers-deep with the bodies of animals and plants. I remember trying to wrap my head around this idea as a child and feeling dizzy: Our lives take place in the space that decomposition leaves behind. Composers make; decomposers unmake. And unless decomposers unmake, there isn’t anything that the composers can make with. Coal was mainly formed during a period of time between trees evolving and fungi evolving the ability to break down lignin inside tree cellulose. In that time period composers (trees) made (grew and died), but decomposers (fungi, bacteria) could not unmake (decompose lignin). So, I imagine trees piling on top of each other as they died. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal#Formation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal#Formation
- bryanrasmussen 6y ago
  So this means that the often repeated idea that it will take millennia to build up coal supplies once depleted is incorrect because they will not ever be replaced? (not that I care, just find it interesting)
  - klyrs 6y ago
    Peat bogs still exist; so the world is still slowly producing (low grade) coal. OTOH peat itself has quite a lot of stored energy and humans gonna exploit... so who knows what the future will hold.
- pvaldes 6y ago
  > If nothing decomposed, the earth would pile up kilometers-deep with the bodies of animals and plants Hem, not. Much more probably some animal would eat this corpses. Not to mention that life beings are lets say between 60% to 99% water and dried corpses would not take so much space. It is a suggestive idea, but is also wrong.
  - nanomonkey 6y ago
    You may want to think about what you are saying. Eating is decomposition; inside of your gut are the same organisms that are in the soil breaking down the cell walls so that you and other animals can absorb a fraction of the available nutrients. This is especially true for ruminants, which have separate guts for fermenting cellulose.
    - pvaldes 6y ago
      > You may want to think about what you are saying. Eating is decomposition Absolutely Not. Eating is much more sophisticated than decomposition. There is a microbial part... but also a mechanical pre-processing with teeth, cartilaginous spikes, muscles or even rocks, And cells evolved to produce strong acids (that could dissolve this same cells) And a complex enzymatic system in controlled environment and temperatures. Necessary to allow its correct function. And a net of sensors of satiety to avoid the stomach bursting, a gage reflex, a capture reflex, development of complex eyes and noses to hunt and identify food or poison, nerves... A complex absortion of nutrients and water, And compaction, dehydrating, filtration, classification, and release of useless stuff. Is much, much, more than just tiny organisms breaking things.
josefdlange 6y ago
I highly recommend The Botany of Desire (Michael Pollan) which dives even deeper on this thought across a variety of relationships in nature.

black_puppydog 6y ago

That article could definitely use more pictures of fungi. Just for the beauty of them. Missed opportunity. :)

beepboopbeep 6y ago

I am happy to see that this isn't another Stamets hand waving woo generator article on fungi. This is well written and interesting. >Our lives take place in the space that decomposition leaves behind. Great quote

MKais 6y ago

>I made a cider with apples harvested from Isaac Newton’s apple tree—called Gravity. I will definitely read a book written by a guy like this.

42droids 6y ago

I just love mushrooms. When I am going to be old and have nothing better to do, I will be growing all sorts of edible mushrooms haha. Most fascinating creatures of all.

tzury 6y ago

if you got the time, this movie will take you in the fasinating world of Fungi and the amazing work of Paul Stamets https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fantasticfungi https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fantasticfungi

ta1234567890 6y ago

> If nothing decomposed, the earth would pile up kilometers-deep with the bodies of animals and plants. But the opposite is also not true. We do have pretty deep layers of mostly-decomposed animals and plants. Along this line, what happens to all the radiation/energy the planet absorbs from the sun (is it radiated away, or is it somehow building up as matter)?

headsupernova 6y ago
fossil fuels!
- ta1234567890 6y ago
  So have fossil fuels somehow made the planet bigger?

josefdlange 6y ago

Just finished reading Sheldrake's book. It's truly a spectacular read. Engaging use of language, clear but not condescending expertise, and a great sense of humor to boot. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to extend their (metaphorical) mycorrhizal tips.

neonate 6y ago

Son of the possibly great and certainly controversial (I think great) Rupert Sheldrake.