Event: MycoMythologies

I attended the event on MycoMythologies, partly because I needed to attend an event that I was actually interested enough in to talk about, and partly because fungi is biologically fascinating to me. I have always had a morbid fascination with death, less so spiritually and more so with the physical processes involved with it. In my "extensive" personal research, I have obviously looked into the role of fungi as a part of the global food web, and the importance of decay in restoring nutrients to ecosystems. This is likened to the concept of conservation of mass, except with inflows of natural energy and outflows of work exerted. Decay exists as an extant form of life, and death it inescapable. So I have always seen fungi as the end-all-be-all of organic life outside of the eventual heat death of the universe. 

The lovely Ms. Vesna, and me in the top left.

The more I understood about fungi, the more I realized I didn't understand. This experience with MycoMythologies was no different. Though I did spectate the discussion of the sociocultural and anthropological aspects of fungus throughout history, I really was more focused on how they described mycological biology, since it is so unlike anything else that exists in any other classification of life. When they talked about the reproduction of different types of fungus, I couldn't help but to be reminded about how fungus doesn't hit the familiar beats of cellular reproduction. Instead of the mitosis and meiosis that we learned about in grade school biology classes, cell division in fungus happens more as an afterthought, like a natural, occasional consequence of the development of hyphae. This is especially pronounced by the fact that fungi are so unlike anything else that exists that we've cordoned them off into their own kingdom. Examples of the peculiarities of fungi include the fact that a fungus is the largest living organism on Earth, spanning over 3.5 square miles in the Pacific Northwest, fungi have 28,000 some sexes, and that some fungi generate their own wind to spread their spores (BBC). 

The topics they touched on that I did find interesting was the concept of a linked neural connection within a single fungal organism, akin to the intertwined tree roots of a forest, or the neurons in a brain. Though fungal phylogenetics are complex and an imprecise science, from what we know, some fungi are unicellular and some are multicellular, some are more akin to bacteria and mold, some more akin to what we actually conceptualize as mushrooms (Harvard). They also talked about the variety of human uses for fungus, ranging from the mushrooms edible in a culinary context, to the mushrooms edible in a psychoactive context, to alcohol fermentation and herbal medicines (Bailey). The sheer diversity of the fungal kingdom results in a ridiculously varied usage of fungi and the many niches they end up filling. 

Fungal Neural Networks

One activity that they encouraged towards the end of the presentation was for watchers to go out into a natural space and collect mushrooms. They mentioned having a mushroom hunter kit, and safety procedures, and warned of the danger of consumptions of wild fungi. If the point is to foster interest in mycology by providing a hands-on experience, I think that this is rather banal. Instead, I find  intentionally culturing mold and fungal fermentation to be far more interesting and eye-opening experiences. My personal favorite memory regarding this, is from attempting to make a miniature self-sustaining terrarium, in what was an experience where I found success in failure. Though it had all the necessary components, including decomposers, plant-life, a water source, and some insects, unfortunately it just didn't take. The decomposers died, detritus accumulated on the soil, the spiders were unresponsive, and the grass developed a white, webby mold. However, when there is life, it does everything it can to keep it that way. Though the grass was dead, algae formed in the water which provided the necessary oxygen; maggots developed in the decay. Those maggots grew into fruit flies, which were then consumed by the spiders. With death comes life, and fungus is simply another step in the continuity of life. 

Mushroom Hunter Kit

Ultimately, fungi plays a large role in my life, whether it be in the context of food, fermentation, or possibly as a recreational substance. The presentation was very enlightening, and I thought that the approach they took to the subject was different from any I would have ever considered myself. I rate it a 9/10. 

References

Adams, Cat. “Earth - Six Bizarre Things about Fungi.” BBC, BBC, 30 Jan. 2015, www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150202-six-bizarre-things-about-fungi.

Bailey, Chris. “Fungal Fermented Foods.” Mycopia Mushrooms, 5 Jan. 2018, www.mycopia.com/blog/2017/07/10/fungal-fermented-foods.

Plant & Fungal Phylogenetics, huh.harvard.edu/pages/plant-fungal-phylogenetics.