Fungi are fascinating life forms that challenge traditional notions of animal intelligence. Although they have no brains, they show clear signs of decision-making and communication. But just how complex are these creatures and what can they tell us about other forms of consciousness? To begin investigating these mysteries, researchers at Tohoku University and Nagaoka Junior College in Japan teeth, Fanerokete bertina. According to the team’s research published in Fungal ecologytheir findings show that fungi can “recognize” the different spatial arrangements of trees and adapt accordingly to make the most of their world.
Many people only recognize fungi by above-ground mushrooms, but those formations are just the outermost representation of a vast network of underground threads called mycelium. These interconnected webs can relay environmental information throughout the system. stretches for many miles. However, mycelium growth does not necessarily stretch randomly in all directions, but looks like a calculated effort.
To demonstrate this ability, the researchers set up two 24 cm (9.44 inch wide) square soil environments and soaked blocks of rotten wood in the following solutions for 42 days: P. Bertina spore. They then placed the blocks in a circle or cross shape inside the box and allowed the fungi to stay active for 116 days. if P. Bertina If it grows randomly, it indicates a shortage basic cognition Decision-making — but that just didn’t happen.
Initially, mycelium grew outward around each block for 13 days without connecting to each other. However, after about a month, we found that both arrangements had highly intertwined fungal nests extending between all the wood samples. But then something amazing happened. By day 116, each fungal network was organized along more deliberate and well-defined pathways. In the circle settings, P. Bertina It showed uniform connections growing outward, but little growth inside the ring. Cross fungi, on the other hand, extended further from its outermost four blocks.
[Related: This robot is being controlled by a King oyster mushroom.]
The researchers theorized that in a circulating environment, the mycelial network may have decided that there is little benefit to spending excess energy on areas already occupied. In the case of the cross scenario, the research team believes that the growth areas of the four external posts served as “outposts” for foraging missions. Taken together, these two experiments strongly suggest that networks in anencephalic organisms communicate with each other through hyphal networks and grow in response to environmental conditions.
“You’d be surprised how many abilities fungi have. They have memories, can learn, and can make decisions,” said study co-author Yu Fukasawa from Tohoku University. paper announcement October 8th. “Frankly, the difference in the way they solve problems compared to humans is amazing.”
There is still much we don’t understand about these often overlooked organisms, but continued experimentation and analysis will lead to a better understanding of the broader evolutionary history of consciousness, and may even lead to advanced biology. Researchers believe they may be able to chart a path to a computer based on this.
