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The Intriguing Intelligence of Fungi: Insights from Recent Research
Fungi are remarkable organisms that challenge our traditional views on intelligence. Despite lacking brains, they exhibit notable signs of decision-making and communication. This raises the question: how sophisticated are these life forms, and what can they reveal about different types of awareness? To explore this, scientists from Tohoku University and Nagaoka College in Japan conducted a straightforward experiment to assess the decision-making capabilities of a cord-forming fungus known as Phanerochaete velutina. Their research, published in Fungal Ecology, suggests that fungi can “recognize” various spatial configurations of wood and adapt their growth strategies accordingly.
The Hidden World Beneath Our Feet
While many people associate fungi with the mushrooms that sprout above ground, these visible structures represent only a small fraction of an extensive underground network known as mycelium. This intricate web is capable of transmitting environmental information across vast distances—sometimes spanning several miles. Interestingly, mycelial growth does not appear to be random; rather, it seems to follow a strategic pattern.
A Groundbreaking Experiment on Mycelial Growth Patterns
To illustrate this phenomenon, researchers created two square dirt environments measuring 24 cm wide (approximately 9.44 inches). They soaked decaying wood blocks for 42 days in a solution containing spores from P. velutina. Afterward, they positioned the blocks either in a circular or cross-shaped layout within each environment and allowed the fungi to grow for 116 days. If the fungus exhibited random growth patterns, it would suggest an absence of basic cognitive decision-making; however, this was not observed at all.
Initially, the mycelium expanded outward around each block for 13 days without interconnecting with others. However, after about one month had passed, both arrangements revealed highly intricate fungal webs linking every piece of wood together. Remarkably by day 116—each fungal network had organized itself into distinct pathways with clear intent. In the circular setup,P. velutina demonstrated uniform connectivity while largely avoiding growth into the center area; conversely, in the cross configuration it extended significantly beyond its four outermost blocks.
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The Implications Behind Mycelial Communication
The researchers hypothesized that within the circular arrangement there was little advantage for mycelium to expend energy growing into already occupied areas while suggesting that in the case of crosses—the four outer posts acted as “outposts” facilitating resource gathering missions.
Together these findings strongly indicate that networks composed entirely of non-brain organisms communicate through their mycelial connections adapting their growth based on environmental conditions.
“You’d be amazed at what fungi can achieve,” stated Yu Fukasawa—a co-author from Tohoku University—in an announcement regarding their study released on October 8th.
“They possess memory capabilities—they learn—and make decisions too,” he added.
“The ways they tackle problems compared to humans are truly astonishing.”
A Path Forward for Understanding Consciousness?
Although much remains unknown about these often underestimated organisms—researchers believe ongoing studies could enhance our understanding regarding evolutionary consciousness history while potentially paving avenues towards advanced bio-computational systems.
The post A simple experiment revealed complex ‘thoughts’ among fungi appeared first on Popular Science
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