Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures

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Entangled Life would be better if it discussed fungi biology more and Merlin Sheldrake less. I did learn some worthwhile, interesting tidbits, but ended up skimming a lot of sections where Sheldrake was just going on some meandering philosophical journey of what fungi might mean or things that could be. I just don't like him much. He seems like a nice guy, but it's difficult for me to relate to him or what he cares about. ENTANGLED LIFE is all about fungi (because they're fun, guys!), written by an author for whom this is clearly a passion project. It's like a non-stupid version of Goop Lab, only completely mushroom-oriented... or like Bill Nye for a higher grade level. In his quest to study the wild shroom, Sheldrake does all kinds of things like tromping through the rainforest to count flowers for a mushroom network, experiencing a "fermentation bath" (rotting wood and mushrooms-- ahh, relaxing!), or tripping out on LSD in a controlled lab environment... for SCIENCE! I learned so much from this book and had a lovely time reading the elegant prose and lush descriptions, following along as the author asked more questions than he answered on a quest for knowledge and enlightenment. Ezek a hírhedt „zombigombák”, amelyek megfertőznek egyes hangyafajokat, átveszik idegrendszerük fölött az irányítást, majd ráveszik őket, hogy felmásszanak egy növény szárán, és a megfelelő magasságban lehorgonyozzanak. Itt aztán szerencsétlen jószág fejéből kinő egy hercig kis gomba, ami szétszórja spóráit a többi hangya nagy örömére. Ez a horrorisztikus eseménysor ihlette például a Last of Us c. sorozatot is, ami tán a legrosszabb gombamarketing, ami csak elképzelhető.

Egyre inkább úgy látom, hogy a működő ismeretterjesztő irodalom kulcsa az, hogy szerzője milyen eredményesen tudja „kiszervezni” saját lelkesedését az olvasóba. Sheldrake ebből a szempontból kiválóan teljesít – az a fajta gombabolond ő, aki még a doh bűzét is képes „élettel teli szagként” érzékelni, mi több, képes elérni, hogy mi magunk is elfogadjuk ezt a megközelítést*. Mikológiai olvasókönyve ilyen értelemben úgy működik, mint amikor egy hiperaktív, ezer fokon égő idegenvezető visz minket végig valami világvégi skanzenben: hiába pici és koszlott, hiába béna a büféje, mégis ideig-óráig elhisszük, hogy ez Föld Anya köldöke. Merlin Sheldrake (isn't his name the coolest!?) talks about these things and so much more. Bunches and bundles and gobs and heaps of fungi facts! But it's not just plants whose lives are made possible by fungi. It is also our own. They live in our guts and help us get nutrients from food. Food that wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for fungi! They nourish us with their mushroom "fruit".... as long as we know which to avoid! Eat the wrong mushroom and it's bye bye to you. Psilocybin found in certain "magic mushrooms" help alleviate depression and break addiction.In my natural sciences studies over the years, though I was aware of fungi roles I hadn't focused much on them. I found this book an important other dimension, adding considerable complexity to physical being. It is not only informative, but also interesting — at least I would think so for those that strive to broaden their perspective. Appropriately, Sheldrake is tentative in these descriptions, and offers a range of terms and metaphors, for none seems exactly right. Each articulation seems either too anthropomorphic or too reductive. Some expressions attribute too much intelligence, choice or even feeling to the mycelium; some too little. Sheldrake is feeling his way towards new vocabularies and concepts. A great deal of ecological thought now asks us to take more note of the relationships of interdependency that embed and sustain us, including many too large or small for unaided vision. The interpenetration of these systems raises questions about the boundaries of our selfhood. It is difficult now to think simply in terms of inside and outside, or self and not-self. Sheldrake uses the term “involution”, coined recently to shift emphasis from the evolution of separate life-forms to the emergence of these systems.

Francis Gooding writes about the relationship between plants and mycorrhizal fungi ( LRB, 20 May). Fungi extend the reach of plants’ roots, bringing them water and essential nutrients in a form they can absorb; they also protect them from pests and diseases. In return plants provide the fungi with the carbon that makes up their bodies; many fungi are entirely dependent on plants for this. However, when plants are given fertilisers, they have less need of the fungi and will stop supplying carbon ‘exudates’. Best Coloring Book: Mushrooms of the World with Pictures to Color by Jeanette Bowers and David Arora Yet as amazing as mushrooms are, they are just the above-ground extensions of the fungi below. The fungal world is a wild and fascinating place, and has shaped our environment in ways that we are only beginning to understand. The eight books below explore the Fungi Kingdom, sketch out its relationship to the human world, and reveal its paramount significance to life on this zany planet. Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets Psilocybin Treatment for Mental Health Gets Legal Framework: https://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...All of these characters tell their story in personal terms rather than scientific detail. Children who read this book might see the forest floor in new ways, engaging with the natural world as if it were intelligent, sentient, and friendly. Finally, the groundbreaking POC Fungi Community can be found on Facebook. Mixing social justice and political activism with mycology, the POC Fungi Community is an important resource for rethinking what mushrooming can accomplish in the world. Macfarlane, Robert (7 August 2016). "The Secrets of the Wood Wide Web". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019 . Retrieved 31 August 2020.