Short interesting facts about mushrooms. ​50 interesting facts about mushrooms. They are ancient, huge and incredibly tenacious

Mushrooms are a special type of plant organisms that live everywhere. It is perhaps difficult to find a place on Earth where mushrooms would not be able to find suitable conditions for growth. The sultry tropics and the Arctic, plains and mountainous areas, swamps and deserts, gardens and orchards, land and water are the home of mushrooms.

Mushrooms are characterized by a unique structure: their main body is the mycelium, consisting of interwoven mushroom threads. This is a kind of mushroom internet through which plants can transmit information about danger, about rain or drought.
Here's a wonderful picture we dug up on the Internet: this is a mycelium :))

And now - the most interesting facts about mushrooms that we managed to dig up in books and on the Internet:

Fungal spores can retain their ability to germinate for a long time. They can wait for an opportunity not a year or two, but ten or more years - and as soon as the opportunity arises - begin to grow. Sometimes, in the most unexpected places.

Predatory mushrooms

It turns out that there are even predatory mushrooms! They feed on worms. How do they catch, you ask... it turns out that predatory mushrooms know how to build traps! Their mycelium is arranged in peculiar rings, reminiscent of an adhesive fishing net. The more the victim tries to escape the bonds, the more the loops and rings of the ominous network tighten. A victim who carelessly falls into a trap is doomed. The process of absorption and digestion of the nematode lasts about 24 hours.

Perhaps that's enough about predators - mushrooms. Let's talk about other fungal representatives that live in the wild.
For example, about foxes.

And here's another:

Did you know that leaf-cutter ants can grow mushrooms, which they later eat? Moreover, they did this already 20 million years ago.

About real and artificial truffles

These underground mushrooms really look like French "black diamonds". There are decent specimens that can be distinguished from native French ones by those who really know a lot about truffles.

French truffles cost 400-700 euros per kilogram. The Chinese answer is the same amount of delicacy for 20 euros. True, Chinese truffles are colorless, but resourceful entrepreneurs paint them black. Another headache for French manufacturers is frog legs from China, which are also cheap and literally flood the market.

According to statistics, the best varieties of truffle are sold for 2 thousand euros per 1 kg.

Glowing mushrooms

Molds

Mushrooms are so different and so unusual in shape! Some are funny, some are scary, some are cute, some are unpleasant, some are repulsive... the world of mushrooms is very diverse. Today we plunged a little into this world... But we haven’t emerged yet, we’re just catching our breath and “swimming on” :)

Trembling orange.

A gelatinous something that changes its color depending on the humidity of the air. It can be white or yellow, it can turn almost brown... some tremors look very beautiful, like fairy flowers.

Raincoat.

These mushrooms can grow to gigantic sizes. Every now and then mushrooms weighing up to 5 kg are found. Raincoats are used in medicine as a means of removing radionuclides, for certain tumor diseases, and for treating the lymphatic system and endocrine system.

Shiitake - Japanese mushroom versus French champignons

Japan also has a mushroom that is used to treat many diseases. It's called shiitake.

Due to its nutritional and medicinal properties, shiitake is the most cultivated edible mushroom in the world, its production reaches 450 thousand tons per year.

Shiitake mushroom extract used in cosmetic products, penetrating deep inside, is able to replenish the natural resources of the skin, accelerate the regeneration process of its cells, that is, it has a strong rejuvenating effect. So, in 2002 Yves Rocher created a special line based on an extract from shiitake mushrooms, Serum Vegetal de Shiitake, intended for women over 40 years old with any skin type.

And the French say that there is nothing healthier than champignons.

By the way, mushroom treatment is called fungotherapy by specialists.

This is the most amazing mushroom in the world! In addition to its strange appearance, this mushroom has the ability to... walk. Well, not to walk, of course, but to move around. Of course, even the slowest of snails is a walker compared to Plasmodium... but, nevertheless, this is the only “walking” mushroom! Its other name is teardrop.

The photographs show all the stages of reproduction of this amazing mushroom.

By the way... the reproduction of plasmodia is also very unusual... by the time it is ready, the mushroom moves out into the open and gathers into a dense lump covered with a crust. Multi-colored fruiting bodies of strange, varied shapes grow from the lump... they contain spores that will be carried with the wind to a new place of settlement...

Veselka

This is the rarest mushroom in the world! It is the size of a chicken egg. As soon as this “egg” matures in the sun, it seems to shoot upward like a white arrow! Within a few hours, the arrow (or umbrella) oozes mucus (which, by the way, smells rather bad). And by the morning you will no longer be able to find the place where you spotted this miracle just now.

Perhaps that's enough useful information for today. Let's now just look at photos of various mushrooms. If someone is really interested in the topic, write, I will be happy to select material and compile it into an article especially for you.

In the meantime - the promised photos AMAZING MUSHROOMS

There are more than 100 types of mushrooms that can kill. Pale toadstool is one of the most dangerous, poisonous mushrooms in the world.
This mushroom is famous because it has caused more fatal poisonings than any other mushroom.

Fungi play an important ecological role by decomposing organic matter and returning important nutrients to the ecosystem. Fungi digest organic matter in rotting wood and lawns. Many plants require fungi to survive, as fungi extract minerals and water from the soil to the plant, while plants provide sugar compounds to the fungi.

In the 4th century BC, the Greek scientist Theophrastus mentioned truffles, morels, and champignons in his works. Five centuries later, the Roman naturalist Pliny also wrote about mushrooms. He was the first to try to divide mushrooms into beneficial and harmful.

In 1864, potatoes in Ireland were dying from a fungus called potato blight. At the same time, it was discovered that potato fields located near copper smelters were completely unaffected by the fungus.

This is how a small fungus gave impetus to the development of the science of pest control.

The microscopic fungus Pilobolus kleinii, which decomposes the dung of herbivores, has the ability to shoot its spores over long distances, giving them the highest acceleration in nature, 180 thousand times greater than the acceleration of gravity, according to a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE.

We use mushroom products every day without even realizing it. For example, yeast, which belongs to the group of fungi, is used in the preparation of bread, wine and beer. Medicines derived from mushrooms treat diseases and prevent the rejection of transplanted hearts and other organs. Mushrooms are also grown in huge quantities to produce flavorings for cooking, vitamins and enzymes for removing stains.

And finally, news from researchers from Johns Hopkins University:
Experts believe that Mushrooms make us better people
What is the essence of research? It's simple!

It turns out that people who eat hallucinogenic mushrooms in the right quantities can reap significant benefits from their gourmet hobby.
Recent studies confirm that when used correctly, hallucinogenic mushrooms make a person kinder, calmer, and happier.

Mushrooms and people are truly amazing creatures

One of the most mysterious living organisms on Earth are mushrooms. Scientists previously classified them as belonging to the plant kingdom, and because of this, mycology - the science of mushrooms - has long been part of the section of botany, rather than biology. It has now become clear that mushrooms stand somewhere in the middle between plants and animals, and researchers currently know about 100 thousand of their species.

What is a mushroom?

In lessons about mushrooms, schoolchildren are usually told that they consist of an above-ground part - the fruiting body, and an underground part - mycelium or, in other words, mycelium, which spreads in the soil or other substrate in the form of extremely thin, only a few microns thick , spider threads. Each of the threads, of which there are countless in mycelium, is called hyphae.

The fruiting body can live no more than ten days, and the mycelium exists for tens and even hundreds of years, perfectly tolerating drought or severe frosts.

At some point, sections of hyphae gather into balls, which gradually increase in size, and their cells, stretching out, form a young fruiting body (what we call a mushroom), which breaks through the substrate and grows. From now on we can admire it or collect it in a basket.

By the way, the mushroom can to some extent be considered the largest living creature on the planet. In North America, for example, there are huge myceliums covering hundreds of hectares. And their weight is more than the weight of seven whales!

About the propagation of mushrooms

Interesting facts about mushrooms can also be gleaned from the peculiarities of their reproduction. The body of the fungus, which we eat with such pleasure, is only its reproductive organ, which scatters spores that allow new myceliums to develop.

By the way, even in any room you can detect fungal spores by taking an air sample.

Traditional mushrooms, such as champignons, emit, for example, about 40 million spores, and the dung mushroom - 100 million. But the most prolific in this sense is the puffball mushroom, which has more than 7 trillion spores ready to reproduce. Moreover, they fly out at a car speed of 90 km/h and spread over an area of ​​more than 2 m.

The sprouting, soft-looking cap of the mushroom body is capable of breaking through not only soil, but also asphalt, concrete and even iron or marble. And where it cannot germinate, the mycelium gradually destroys the barrier.

Mushrooms can create their own weather

Trying to tell everything about mushrooms, one cannot fail to mention that these creatures can change weather conditions for themselves. After all, usually the above-ground part of the fungus spreads spores passively, that is, they move with the air current. And if there is absolute calm, then mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms, as researchers have discovered, produce water vapor, which creates air movement in the form of convection currents and can transport spores over some distance.

Beliefs associated with mushrooms

No matter what science tells us about mushrooms, humans have long associated many beliefs and rituals with them. For example, when picking mushrooms, you cannot talk loudly or swear, otherwise they will hide. And a huge harvest of mushrooms is a gloomy omen of future cataclysms.

A woman who sees mushrooms in a dream should expect an addition to her family, and a man should take care of his health by becoming more picky in his relationships with ladies.

It is interesting that some mushrooms, when germinating, form regular circles. In Holland and Germany, such mushrooms are not collected, since these “witch circles” are considered an enchanted place, and in Scotland - a place indicating a buried, enchanted treasure.

Separately about porcini mushrooms

Talking about cannot be ignored. In Rus' it has long been considered a delicacy and a king among its own kind. Even if we don’t mention its taste and aroma, which, by the way, remains even after drying, it still turns out that the porcini mushroom is a wonderful gift from nature.

It contains antibiotics, killing and antitumor substances. It is very useful for people with anemia and inflammatory diseases. In addition, it speeds up the healing process of wounds, normalizes the functions of the thyroid gland, improves the condition of nails, hair and skin, and also helps the body recover from infections. Not a mushroom, but a whole pharmacy!

About the shape of mushrooms

You can talk a lot about boletus, boletus and other objects of “quiet hunting” - this, of course, is not the entire mushroom kingdom.

There are also many mushrooms in our forests that have bizarre shapes and colors. For example, the horn mushroom, which has a bright orange color and resembles coral branches, or ripens from a white, egg-like body and takes on the appearance of a bright red lattice ball over time.

By the way, this mushroom is classified as a flower mushroom. There are especially many such mushrooms in tropical forests. There are absolutely unique creatures that resemble, for example, a glass-like mushroom from India, or a red mushroom armed with tentacles from Java. And the fungus Dictiaphorus bell-shaped, which grows in the forests of South America, can surely be considered the most outlandish. It grows in just two hours and then throws out from under its hat an openwork white blanket, which envelops the snow-white leg and glows with a greenish mystical color in the evening. Local residents, by the way, call her “The Veiled Lady.”

Amazing mushrooms of the planet: “bleeding tooth” and “earth star”

To understand how unusual these living organisms are, we will describe the most interesting mushrooms in the world.

Hydnellum Peca or "Bleeding Tooth". This amazing mushroom can be seen in the coniferous forests of Central Europe and the northwest Pacific coast. The bright red liquid it secretes actually looks like drops of blood. In addition, it has a very bitter taste, which repels animals and people.

"Earth Star" This mushroom is classified as a raincoat mushroom that lives at all latitudes of the world. It is notable for its ability to change its appearance as soon as it emerges from the ground. The rays of this “star” gradually bend downwards, and the spherical fruiting body rises and “shoots” spores into the air. The Indians consider this mushroom to be able to predict future celestial phenomena.

The combed hedgehog is very interesting, which does not look like a traditional mushroom at all. It rather resembles algae that somehow ended up on a tree, where, by the way, the hedgehog loves to grow. Properly prepared, the mushroom is very tasty, but in addition, it is able to reduce glucose levels in human blood and has the ability to protect the body from toxic effects.

Looking at Plasmodium, you can learn some more interesting facts. You wouldn’t think about mushrooms that they can move, but it turns out that they can do that too. Plasmodium, of course, is not a sprinter, but in a few days it can climb its favorite stump. Like this! This miracle of nature walks, or rather rolls, in central Russia and looks very much like a jellyfish.

The brightest and fastest growing mushroom

Decorated with bright stripes, multi-colored trametes looks very attractive - this is a common type of mushroom all over the world that lives mainly on the trunks of dead trees. Scientists have found that the substance from this mushroom improves immunity and can provide serious assistance in the treatment of cancer, and it has been used in Chinese medicine for many centuries.

Here’s another interesting thing about mushrooms: by the way, these organisms can sunbathe. They produce vitamin D, and the color of their cap depends largely on how much sunlight they get where they live.

The Guinness Book of Records includes a fungus mushroom, which grows 1 cm in 2 minutes. Emerging from the ground, it looks like a grayish egg, the next day it is already an umbrella on a thin stalk, and on the third day the above-ground part of the mushroom disappears.

About the habitats of mushrooms: where they live!

Mushrooms are also amazing because they can exist in the most incredible conditions. They thrive both inside mammals and in the upper layers of the atmosphere, at an altitude of about 30 km. Researchers also have this interesting information about mushrooms: they, it turns out, can withstand any type of irradiation and can even grow on sulfuric acid.

And in 2002, on the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in a destroyed reactor, scientists discovered mushrooms that needed radiation for growth in the same way that plants needed light. These amazing organisms contain an incredible amount of melanin, the very substance that protects our skin from ultraviolet radiation.

There are also predator mushrooms that prey on small insects. They have sticky growths or other hunting devices. For example, a fungus can release spores that stick to the caterpillar's body and begin to germinate within it. The victim, of course, dies.

Mushrooms will help clean up the planet

Thus, an expedition from Yale University found a new species of fungus (Pestalotiopsis microspora) in the jungles of Ecuador. These organisms feed on polyurethane, and do so even without access to oxygen. This promises in the future the prospect of getting rid of material that practically does not decompose, heavily polluting the planet.

Mushrooms have a gender!

Of course, science cannot yet claim to know everything about mushrooms. Every now and then, researchers make discoveries in mycology. For example, scientists have isolated a gene that determines whether a mushroom is female or male. It, by the way, is located in short DNA sequences reminiscent of human sex chromosomes.

Fungi appear to be a very suitable model for studying sex differences at the genetic level.

Mushrooms are much older than dinosaurs

Mycologists have absolutely amazing information about mushrooms: as it turned out, they inhabited the Earth 400 million years ago! It turns out that they are older than dinosaurs. These are the oldest inhabitants of the planet, who lived together with giant ferns and, unlike the latter, did not become crushed, but modified and adapted, preserving their appearance to the present day.

And we apparently have many more interesting facts to learn about them. Too little is known about fungi yet, but it is already clear that these organisms are worth the most detailed and careful study.

Mushrooms are considered one of the most mysterious living organisms on the planet. For a long time, biologists could not accurately classify them. Initially, the science that studies mushrooms - mycology - was a branch of botany. But since in terms of the composition of carbohydrates and minerals they are closer to plants, and in terms of protein content - to animals, in 1960 mushrooms were allocated to a separate, separate third kingdom.

An interesting fact about mushrooms has already been scientifically proven: they are one of the oldest inhabitants of the Earth, appearing about 400 million years ago, even before dinosaurs. By adapting and changing, mushrooms were able to survive for hundreds of millions of years. There are supposedly 1 to 2 million species, but to date only about 100 thousand have been studied. Today we will tell you about the most interesting and surprising facts about mushrooms.

Structure and characteristics of mushrooms

Did you know that the above-ground, visible part of the mushroom, which we usually collect and put in a basket, is only a fruit, also known as a reproductive organ. The real body is underground. It is called mycelium (or mycelium) and consists of many thin threads. At a certain point, the threads gather into balls, which increase in size and break through to the surface. The body of the mushroom itself does not live long, but the mycelium can exist for tens and hundreds of years, perfectly tolerating both drought and severe frosts.

• The study of DNA revealed an interesting fact that some mushrooms are divided into male and female individuals. Having reached sexual maturity, mushrooms having such genes can produce common offspring.
• Mushrooms occupy a prominent place in the cuisine of most peoples. Being a rich source of easily digestible protein, they contain absolutely no fat or cholesterol. In addition, mushrooms are rich in vitamins and microelements that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of many systems of the human body. They remove toxins, stimulate metabolism, and some even inhibit the development of cancer.

• During the period of active growth, the pressure of the fungus reaches 7 atmospheres. The soft cap can penetrate not only concrete and asphalt, but also harder surfaces - for example, marble.
• The vitality and adaptability of mushrooms is amazing. They grow on plains and mountains, at altitudes of up to 30 thousand meters, in swamps and deserts. Both the Arctic and the sultry tropics can become their homeland. Even in the area of ​​the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, mushrooms managed to survive.
• Although mushrooms are 90% water, they can also sunbathe: when exposed to the sun, they, like the human body, produce vitamin D. Therefore, the stronger the concentration of sunlight, the darker the mushroom cap will be.

• Fungi are natural recyclers of dead plants. In just a few months they can turn a tree into soil. If it were not for mushrooms, there would be much more garbage on the planet.
• Reproducing by tiny spores, mushrooms release them into the air in huge quantities. For example, a champignon throws out up to 40 million spores, a dung mushroom - up to 100 million.

The record holder for reproduction is the raincoat. It throws more than 7 trillion spores over a distance of 2 meters, at a speed of about 90 km/h.

People began studying mushrooms in the distant past. In the 1st century AD e. The Roman botanist Pliny tried to divide them into useful and harmful to humans.

But to this day, opinions on the usefulness of mushrooms vary greatly in different countries. Interesting fact: the white mushroom, beloved and revered in Russia, is considered inedible in Switzerland, honey mushrooms and russula are not eaten in France, boletus mushrooms are not eaten in Italy, and in many countries only artificially grown mushrooms are eaten as food, without collecting wild ones. All of them are considered potentially poisonous.

In Russia, according to statistics, half of the residents collect mushrooms in the forests, about 20% prefer to buy them at the market, 16% in the store. Only 14% of Russians do not eat mushrooms at all. The most popular are boletus mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, aspen mushrooms, milk mushrooms, saffron milk caps, honey mushrooms, boletus mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, etc. In addition to their wonderful taste and nutritional properties, some mushrooms are also medicinal.

Our Russian delicacy - porcini mushroom - is actually a whole pharmacy. It contains substances containing antibiotics, normalizing the functioning of the thyroid gland, anti-inflammatory and antitumor. In addition, it has a good effect on the condition of the skin, hair and nails.

Champignons, honey mushrooms, row mushrooms and other mushrooms also have a medicinal effect. In the field, the skin of raincoats is often used instead of a plaster: its inner part is famous for its bactericidal properties. Nowadays, there is a whole science about the healing properties of mushrooms - fungotherapy.

There are about 5,000 species of mushrooms growing in Europe, and almost 150 of them are considered poisonous. In fact, only fly agaric, toadstool and a few others are truly poisonous. But different cultures have their own ideas about mushrooms. The roots of this hostility probably lie deep in history. Many famous personalities once died from mushroom poisoning.

For example:

• the entire family of the famous Greek poet Euripides;
• Pope Clement VII;
• French king Charles IV and others.

The Roman Emperor Claudius, a great lover of mushrooms, was poisoned by his own wife Agrippina, who prepared him a dish richly flavored with pale toadstools. In those days, this was a very popular way to eliminate opponents.

Many poisonous and hallucinogenic mushrooms grow in the United States and African countries, and they are also found in Russia. Not being an experienced picker, you should behave very carefully in the forest. If the red fly agaric itself gives a warning signal with its bright cap, then the gray panther fly agaric is not so noticeable, but no less dangerous.

Many poisonous mushrooms are skillfully disguised as edible ones:

• False honey mushrooms or thin mushrooms are very easy to confuse with edible mushrooms.
• The pungent russula is practically indistinguishable from the real thing.
• You can recognize that the poisonous olive omphalot is not a chanterelle only by smell.

The leaders in the presence of toxic substances with the possibility of fatal poisoning are, of course, the pale grebe and the fly agaric.

It would seem that what could be unusual about a cap mushroom? But in nature there are not only the usual white mushrooms, milk mushrooms and boletuses, but also mushrooms with very original shaped caps, for example:

• bright orange, similar to coral sprigs, horn mushroom;
• the latticewort is red, maturing from a white egg-shaped body into a bright red lattice ball;
• combed hedgehog, more reminiscent of algae than a mushroom.

There are quite a lot of similar flowering mushrooms growing in tropical countries. There is a completely unique in shape Indian glass mushroom or a red mushroom from the island of Java, armed with tentacles. The nature of Australia is famous for its even more bizarre shapes and colors.

One of the most unusual mushrooms in the world is the “Bloody Tooth” (Hydnellum Peca). A bright red liquid is released from it, very similar in appearance to drops of blood. The mushroom scares away people with its appearance, and animals with its bitter taste. You can meet the “Bloody Tooth” in the coniferous forests of Central Europe.

Among cap mushrooms there are their own record holders in size and weight: most often these are porcini mushrooms, champignons, puffballs, umbrellas, etc. Edible tinder mushrooms can reach very large sizes (up to 20 kg).

The fact that the kingdoms of fungi and bacteria are the most ancient on earth is interesting in itself. There is a lot in common between them, but there are also significant differences.

• ergot and smut that destroy crops;
• tinder fungus, enemy of trees;
• late blight, affecting garden plants, etc.

In those places where mushrooms grow, tales are always told about them, stories and legends are composed. In the folk epic, mushrooms can be good or evil: they can reveal a buried treasure, or they can lead you into a swamp. But in real life there are such interesting facts about mushrooms that they sound no worse than any fairy tale for children and adults. For example:

• There are mushrooms that are taller than trees. Yes, yes, don't be surprised! This is exactly what everything looks like in the tundra. After all, the trees there are dwarf, no more than 20-25 cm, and the mushrooms tower above them. They grow very amicably, rushing to seize the short summer period. And deer eat the caps of tundra mushrooms with great pleasure.

• About 140 species of mushrooms contain hallucinogenic substances that have narcotic properties. Most of them grow in South America. Ancient shamans used this property of mushrooms in their rituals, and the Vikings used them to give themselves fearlessness and strength before battle.
• There are about 30 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark. In our country, autumn honey fungus is widely known, growing on old rotten stumps. In the dark, their flickering resembles the movement of living creatures. In the old days, people were so afraid of them that in their fairy tales they populated the forest with witches and goblin. And in the Brazilian and Japanese forests, during the rainy season, green neon mushrooms grow, scattering their glowing spores around. This unusual phenomenon is called bioluminescence.

• The largest white mushroom was discovered in the USA in 1985. He had a girth of 2 meters and weighed 140 kg. And the weight of the largest American mycelium (with an area of ​​900 hectares) was about two hundred tons.
• The most expensive mushroom is the truffle. It is grown today not only in France, but also in other countries. The cost of mushrooms is 400-700 euros per 1 kg. A white truffle weighing 15 kg was sold at auction for 330 thousand dollars.

• The only moving fungus, plasmodium (slime mold), is found in central Russia. This translucent gelatinous mushroom, similar to a jellyfish, does not even have a leg, but is able to move, albeit very slowly. Rolling from side to side, in a few days he can get to another place and even climb a stump or tree trunk.

• Veselka vulgare, which is very common in Russia, grows the fastest of all mushrooms. The mushroom was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Every 2 minutes it grows by 1 cm. From a grayish egg it quickly turns into an umbrella on a long leg, but it does not live very long - only two days.

• The most exotic mushroom can be called dictyophora bell-shaped, or “Lady with a Veil,” living in the South American tropics. It, like a fungus, grows in just two hours, and then releases an openwork white blanket from under its cap. In the evening, the mushroom glows with a green mysterious light, and after a couple of days it disappears.

So, today we took a look into the most curious mushroom world. Its study is constantly ongoing, so there are probably many more amazing discoveries ahead.

Mushrooms are full of surprises: they boast intelligence and can save the world. Here are 10 interesting facts about mushrooms.

10. This is the largest Kingdom on the planet

We don't know how many different species (of any genus, fungi or not) exist on Earth, but recent estimates suggest there are 8.7 million to 6.5 million on land and 2.2 million in the sea.

Of these, a staggering 5.1 million species—more than half the total—are considered fungi, outnumbering plant species by more than 6 to 1. And according to one of the world's leading mycologists, Paul Stamets, this ratio may be closer to 10:1. Of course, about 30% of the mass of the soil under our feet, both living and dead, is fungal in nature, and represents "the world's largest carbon store." “In fact, for every meter of tree root,” says Stametz, “there is a kilometer of mycelium—an overgrown underground network of branched tubular filaments, or hyphae, that provide the basis for fungal growth on the surface.”

Even if, as some have suggested, the total number of species approaches 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000), most of them are probably microbial fungi. And since many of them live on your body, there is no escape from them. Mushrooms are everywhere.

9. They are ancient, huge and incredibly durable

We know that fungi predate humans by millions, even billions of years, not just in the recent past. We discovered 90-million-year-old specimens of Cordyceps fungi and fossilized Prototaxites mushrooms dating back 420 million years in amber. We also know that the mushroom kingdom has long boasted some of the largest organisms on Earth. That the prehistoric mushrooms Prototaxites, for example, at one time reached a height of 7 m, while even the tallest trees were several tens of centimeters lower.

Even today, the largest living mushroom is capable of consuming many cities and even an adult Blue Whale. Possessing a huge mycelium of 9.5 sq. km, the giant mushroom Armillaria ostoyae from the Blue Mountains of Oregon, aged from 2400 to 8650 years, covers 10 square meters. km - the equivalent of almost 2000 football fields.

Mushrooms are also surprisingly resilient. Some species can survive in sub-zero temperatures by producing their own heat (hence the need to freeze meat to -20°C or lower), as well as relatively high temperatures of up to 65°C.

There is evidence that fungal spores can survive in interstellar space for hundreds of years, or perhaps even tens of millions of years if they become trapped in dark molecular clouds. Theoretically, this allows them to drift from one solar system for eternity, potentially dispersing life across all galaxies.

8. Mushrooms work wonders in medicine

For thousands of years, mushrooms have been used medicinally. The ancient Chinese used Ophiocordyceps sinensis (a fungus that grows on insects) as a cure-all, Hippocrates used Fomes fomentarius as an anti-inflammatory, and Native Americans used yeast mushrooms to heal wounds. Recently, penicillin (derived from the fungus Penicillium fungi) has been used as an antibiotic.

And we can expect to see a lot more mushroom remedies in the future. One of the most promising and potentially innovative species is the larch sponge (Laricifomes officinalis), a fungus that grows on Douglas fir trees in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. This lumpy fungus, which looks a bit like a wasp's nest, is extremely resistant to a range of influenza viruses, including (in combination with other fungi) the potentially devastating avian influenza, and yet it is completely harmless to us.

It could also be the key to developing effective smallpox vaccines, which is great news considering how few of us have been vaccinated and how little vaccine exists. Thus, the Department of Health and Human Services launched the BioShield project to study the agaricon fungus, and biologist Stamets called the preservation of the fungus' centuries-old habitats a matter of national security.

7. Raw mushrooms are inedible (especially the ones you eat)

Whether we like them or not, we all tend to think of edible mushrooms as health foods. And we're not entirely wrong, especially when it comes to medicinal mushrooms such as reishi (lingzhi), shiitake and lion's mane. However, there is an important caveat: all mushrooms must be cooked.

Because of their rough cell walls, which are composed primarily of chitin (the same protective fibrous substance that makes up the exoskeletons of arthropods), uncooked mushrooms are not digestible by humans. To make matters worse, many species (or even certain specimens that are “edible” due to their porosity) contain harmful pathogens and toxins that can lead to cell damage and digestive irritation, among other complaints.

Thorough cooking will not only remove these toxins from the mushrooms, but will also allow the release of proteins, vitamins and minerals, which is why we actually use mushrooms.
Surprisingly, this warning is especially important with regard to the usual “salad mushrooms” - porcini/champignon/portobello/brown/camelina mushrooms - those that many of us like to eat raw.

There is a truly creepy part of Stametz's interview with Joe Rogan where he says that these mushrooms should be cooked at high temperatures, but refuses to explain why. When Rogan tries to press Stamets about what the negative consequences might be, he simply looks him in the eyes and seriously says: “This is an explosive area of ​​conversation, and it puts my life at risk, so I reserve the right not to respond to this question".

It's not entirely clear what he meant, but we do know that the "unfortunate group of compounds" in this type of mushroom (agaricus bisporus) are carcinogenic. And although these mushrooms break down easily when cooked, they need to be cooked quite carefully, since even boiling these mushrooms for 2 hours straight does not completely eliminate the compounds.

6. They can be used to create paper and clothing

Mushrooms have great benefits in addition to their medicinal effects and satisfying gourmets. For example, the same chitin that makes them largely indigestible to humans can also be used to make paper. Scientists realized this in the 1970s when they explored the potential of shrimp chitin as an alternative to wood.

Additionally, some of the mushrooms best suited for papermaking—kawaratake and reishi—can easily be grown en masse. In fact, you only need a few pieces of equipment to quickly grow them at home, and then you only need to puree the pulp in a blender to form into sheets to dry.

Mushrooms can also be used to produce fabric and dyes to dye it. Romanians have long extracted amadou material from the Fomes fomentarius mushroom to make traditional felt hats, for example. But it turns out that clothes can be grown like mushrooms, from scratch. First, in petri dishes, living mycelial “tissue samples” are placed around 3D models and then transformed into customized, one-of-a-kind clothing. You can even make shoes in the same way. And, of course, it will all be 100% biodegradable and, in many cases, water-repellent, antimicrobial, and truly beneficial to the skin.

5. They can be used to shine in the dark

Are the tinder fungi real? (Fomes fomentarius) began to be used much earlier and for much more purposes than the production of hats. It has the remarkable ability to catch and hold the cold, inert sparks generated by silicon impact - which can start and maintain fires in the wild. Perhaps this is why Itzi the Iceman, a frozen 5,000-year-old mummy, was found to have a piece of such a mushroom in his bag.

But there is another way where you can use a mushroom to shine in the dark, and this does not involve any flame. Bioluminescent fungal species produce a green glow, or “Foxfire,” when the light-producing luciferin molecules react with oxygen—the same thing that happens in fireflies, anglerfish, and other bioluminescent organisms. More than 80 species of fungi, including Neonothopanus gardneri (coconut flower), are known to glow in the dark and, interestingly, they only glow in the dark, attracting insects at night to disperse their spores.

Naturally, this is very interesting to us. First, because of the compatibility of mushroom luciferin with plant biochemistry, scientists believe it could one day be used to genetically engineer bioluminescent trees as a sustainable green alternative to street lights.

4. They're not even close to plants.

They can grow like plants, and in some cases even look like plants, but genetically, fungi have much more in common with animals. Just like us, they inhale oxygen and release CO2, they do not need sunlight to reproduce, and they feed on other organisms. In addition, chitin, which makes up their cell walls, is not found anywhere in the plant kingdom, but is found everywhere in animals, including crab shells and insect shells. As you've probably noticed, mushrooms even taste a little like meat when you eat them, which is why they're (somewhat erroneously) used in vegetarianism as a meat substitute.

About 650 billion years ago, animals and fungi emerged from a common super-kingdom known as Opisthokonta. And it is believed that our common ancestors - opisthokonts had both animal and fungal characteristics. In other words, as Stametz puts it, animals evolved from fungi; people are fungal bodies.

And while we have far less in common with the grebe than we do with chimpanzees, our shared genetic ancestry may explain why fungal diseases in humans can be difficult to identify and treat without harming the person.

3. They invented the Internet (a billion years before we did)

Whether they are evolutionary cousins ​​or not, it is quite tempting to think of fungi as something that came before animals and, of course, humans, in the so-called “march of progress.” They do not move, they do not speak, they have no distinct culture (except in the purely biological sense of the term), and they are not even aware of themselves. At first glance, they are more “stupid” than jellyfish.

But are any of these traits really necessary or even desirable as a measure of practical intelligence?

Even slime mold is smarter than some of humanity's brightest and best, according to a 2010 study. By planting oat crops to model cities around Tokyo, the scientists observed how a sample of yellow slime mold (Physarum polycephalum) established, strengthened and refined the nutritional connections between them. And by the end of the experiment, this mycelial network not only bore a striking resemblance to the existing Tokyo subway system, but was also more efficient. Unlike humans, the fungus constantly strengthened the busiest trunks—those that carried the most nutrients—and removed those that had become reserves.

This is how mycelium works in nature, transmitting not only food but also important information about the environment, including the exact location of food sources (like fallen branches) and predators (like their footsteps), over vast distances. It even forms mutually beneficial alliances, or “guilds,” with other organisms.

In this way, mycologists think of mycelium as nature's internet, with individual parts branching out to explore their environment, and the entire network benefits from these discoveries. Stametz calls it "nature's neurological network" and even believes that one day we will be able to communicate with it. With "a level of complexity that exceeds the computing power of our most advanced supercomputers," mycelium can tell us everything about the environment, as well as the organisms within it, and this could be vital to our survival on this planet - or any other. Given the stunning effectiveness of mushrooms, there may be similar networked organisms throughout the universe.

2. Eating Certain Mushrooms Instantly Makes Us Much Smarter

According to ethnobotanist Terence McKenna, human evolution from Homo erectus to the much more intelligent Homo sapiens was made possible by eating certain types of mushrooms, the revolutionary psychoactive effects of which we discovered when we came down from the trees. Although McKenna's hypothesis is controversial, it is not as unrealistic as it seems, but it is less exciting than the facts.

Increasingly, scientists are discovering that psilocybin, a psychoactive alkaloid found in the mushrooms Psilocybe semilanceata, cubensis, azurescens, and cyanescens, is a brain activator. More specifically, the connection promotes the growth of new neurons (a process known as neurogenesis) and optimizes the connections between them (neuroplasticity), freeing us from established patterns of thinking and behavior and dramatically enhancing cognitive abilities. And this can happen within hours of consuming even a small amount of psilocybin, enhancing your competitive edge in the workplace.

There are also many reports of almost magical relief from depression, anxiety, drug addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, aggression, and other negative states of mind. Paul Stametz himself, thanks to a particularly profound experience with magic mushrooms, was immediately and permanently cured of a lifelong stutter.

Although these substances are illegal in most countries (although some are already making progress in this area), not only is psilocybin safe for humans, in fact, they work in concert with the brain allowing it to do what it is supposed to do, but more efficiently.

1. Mushrooms can save the planet

In fact, mushrooms save the planet every day, because without them, dead plants would not turn back into soil, and life on Earth would soon disappear under mountains of lifeless debris. However, there is another, perhaps more important way that mushrooms can save the world - from you and me.

It is already well known that many species of mushrooms are excellent for biological remediation—removing toxic substances such as pesticides from healthy soil. These chemicals are widely used throughout the world and cause enormous damage to the environment as well as to global bee populations critical to natural pollination.

In addition, MykoMed, another Sametz product, promises to stop the collapse of bee colonies, which is a major threat to our nutrition. Made from polypore mycelium, which attracts bees, it prevents bees from dying prematurely. This means that younger, stay-at-home "sitter" bees won't replace older, nursing "worker" bees that are killed prematurely by, say, chemical pesticides, but can instead focus on protecting and maintaining the hive. Considering that 30% of our crops and 90% of wild plants depend on pollination, this is very good news indeed.

Fact No. 1: all the mushrooms have not yet been counted

Scientists consider mushrooms to be the most diverse living creatures on our planet. There are so many of them that for each type of plant there are 6 types of mushrooms; with the most approximate calculation, it turns out that there are about 2 million species of mushrooms. At the same time, only 100 thousand have been studied, and even less have been classified.

Fact #2: Fungi have a kingdom.

The long debate about whether mushrooms are plants or animals ended in 1960, when they were separated into a separate kingdom of fungi. In terms of protein content, mushrooms are closer to animals, and in terms of the composition of carbohydrates and minerals - to plants.

Fact No. 3: most of the mushroom is invisible to us

The body of the mushroom is the mycelium located in the ground. It can extend over vast distances. And the mushroom itself is a fruit intended for the implementation of a reproduction program.

Fact #4: Mushrooms are older than dinosaurs

It has been proven that mushrooms existed 400 million years ago, that is, long before the appearance of dinosaurs. They are one of the oldest inhabitants of the planet, along with ferns. But if the giant ferns that survived from the same period were significantly reduced, then the mushrooms, adapting, changed and, it seems, all these species still exist.

Fact #5: Mushrooms are very durable

If mushrooms were less tenacious, they would not retain their diversity. Anyone who has ever suffered from a fungal infection or struggled with fungal damage to walls can imagine how tenacious they are. It is extremely difficult to remove the fungus. Still would! Mushrooms survive at an altitude of 30 thousand meters above the ground, withstand high radiation (mushrooms survived at the center of the Chernobyl accident) and pressure of 8 atmospheres. They can even live on the surface of sulfuric acid!

Fact #6: Mushrooms tan

Surprisingly, mushrooms produce vitamin D, if, of course, they have enough sunlight. The color of the mushroom cap depends on this.

Fact #7: Mushrooms move

Not all, of course. Nowadays there is only one “walking” mushroom: “Plasmodium”. You can find it in central Russia. This mushroom does not have a stem and in appearance resembles a shrunken jellyfish. It is translucent and gelatinous. Moves by waddling from side to side. The speed is low, but it can get to a more suitable place in a few days, sometimes even climbing a stump.

Fact #8: Mushroom grows at the speed of bamboo

In Russian forests you can find a mushroom called “Veselka”, which is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the record holder for the fastest growth. Every 2 minutes it grows by a centimeter! On the first day it looks like a grayish egg, on the second it becomes an umbrella on a high leg, and on the third it is no longer visible.

Fact #9: The mushroom is the most gigantic living creature on Earth

Don't believe me? A very large white mushroom was found in America (Wisconsin) in 1985. It weighed 140 kg and had a reach of two meters. But, as we remember, this is only the visible part. A mycelium was found in Oregon, covering an area of ​​900 hectares and weighing several hundred tons! But in Switzerland they discovered a mushroom about 1000 years old - honey fungus, measuring 800 x 500 meters. Its mycelium occupies 35 hectares of the Swiss national park in Ofenpass.

Fact #10: Mushrooms are predators and killers

Fungi feed on nematode worms, placing traps on them from mycelium rings. If a worm touches such a trap, it sticks to it and immediately becomes entangled in the threads of the mycelium. There is no chance of escape. Fungal spores can germinate inside living things. But if a person gets sick, then the caterpillar, for example, dies. And the mushroom develops.One small toadstool is enough to kill 4 people. But you will need several fly agarics. Potent poisons were prepared from mushrooms and were actively used to eliminate opponents. Emperor Claudius was poisoned by his wife Agrippina by making toadstool soup.

Fact #11: Mushrooms are healers

Mushrooms have been used as medicines since ancient times. Even now, in many homes, “tea” or “milk” mushrooms grow in jars, a drink from which improves immunity and fights inflammatory diseases. In 1940, A. Flemming isolated penicillin from yeast fungi, opening the era of antibiotics. Champignons, purple rows, meadow and autumn honey mushrooms, milkweed, chaga and talkers have medicinal properties. And the skin of raincoats is used instead of an adhesive plaster - its inner part is sterile and has bactericidal properties.

Fact No. 12: Most Russians eat mushrooms

Half of Russian residents collect mushrooms for food on their own. Every fifth person buys them on the market. 16% - in the store. 14% of Russians have never eaten mushrooms and do not plan to do so.

Fact #13: Mushrooms are a valuable nutritious food.

Mushrooms are a source of protein and, to a lesser extent, carbohydrates, and contain absolutely no cholesterol. By the way, precisely because mushrooms do not contain animal saturated fat they cannot be classified as animals. In addition to protein and carbohydrates, mushrooms are rich in vitamins B1, B2, D, selenium, potassium, niacin and antioxidants.

Fact #14: Mushrooms are hallucinogens

Many mushrooms contain substances that cause euphoria and hallucinations. The ancient shamans and Vikings knew this. Shamans used this property of mushrooms to perform rituals, and the Vikings used it to give themselves courage and attack the enemy with all fearlessness and power.

Fact #15: Billions of fungal spores fly in the air

Fungi reproduce by spores. By taking air samples in almost any room, you can detect fungal spores. If we talk about traditional mushrooms, then an ordinary champignon releases up to 40 million spores! Dung fungus – 100 million spores. The record holder is the puffball mushroom, which releases more than seven trillion spores! In this case, the spores are thrown at a distance of more than two meters and they fly at the speed of a car: 90 km/h or 25 meters per second.

Fact No. 16: a mushroom can “pierce” marble

During the growth period, the turgor pressure of the fungus reaches seven atmospheres (equal to the pressure in the tires of a ten-ton dump truck). Therefore, a seemingly soft mushroom cap can break through not only asphalt and concrete, but also harder surfaces such as marble and iron. If the cap itself does not pass, then the mycelium will gradually destroy the barrier.

Fact #17: Mushrooms are taller than trees

These mushrooms grow in the tundra. The trees there are dwarf, 20-25 cm high and bend to the ground. And the mushrooms are standard, so they rise above the treetops. It is interesting that they grow almost simultaneously, rushing to release spores during the short summer, and they are a very spectacular sight. Most of all, this period pleases the deer, who happily eat the caps of these mushrooms.

Fact #18: Mushrooms glow in the dark

Some mushrooms have luminous mycelium. For example, autumn honey fungus growing on rotten stumps. At the same time, the mycelium penetrates the stump thickly. In the dark you can see how rotten things glow - phosphorescent. This sight used to greatly frighten people, who immediately populated the forest with witches and goblin. What’s interesting is that the flickering of such lights resembles the movement of living creatures, as it changes with every tilt and every turn of the head.

Fact #19: Ladies and gentlemen mushrooms

It turns out that mushrooms are divided into male and female. This is evidenced by the structure of fungal DNA, which resembles human sex chromosomes. This was reported by Joseph Heitman, who studies the fungi Phycomyces blakesleeanus at Duke University Medical Center. Sexually mature mushrooms can produce common offspring. Not all mushrooms have similar genes, which means that among mushrooms there are also evolving individuals, and who knows what such evolution will lead to.

Fact No. 20: mushrooms in legends, traditions and dream books

It is interesting that in those places where mushrooms grow actively, including in Russia, there are many legends and traditions involving mushrooms. At the same time, mushrooms can be good: “Forest Mushroom” and evil: “Witch’s Mushroom”. Mushrooms helped a person survive in the forest, show him where the treasure was hidden, or they could lure him with lights, intimidate him and destroy him. A dream in which a woman saw mushrooms foreshadowed an imminent pregnancy. If a man dreamed of mushrooms, then he had to be picky in his relationships with women.