You know, because we've been following this thread for a while now, with growing interest. There's a hidden world beneath our feet, a realm of mysterious creatures that challenge our understanding of intelligence. Mushrooms. Fungal intelligence, a concept that until recently would have made many scientists smile, has now emerged as one of the most exciting frontiers of modern biology. After the discoveries of the past years and months, a recent study on Phanerochaete velutina has revealed something extraordinary: this mushroom not only senses its environment, but is able to recognize shapes and geometries, adapting its behavior in ways that challenge our understanding of cognition. Let's see.
A surprising perception
Il Phanerochaete velutina is a fungus that plays a crucial role in wood decay in temperate forests. At first glance, it may appear to be a simple layer of white or orange velvet on the surface of the wood. However, closer inspection reveals a complex network of fibrous filaments, known as mycelium. These filaments are not just passive structures, but represent a highly sophisticated fungal network of perception and communication.
Michelle Starr, in an article published on ScienceAlert (I link it here) reports the results of a series of experiments conducted by a team of researchers led by the microbiologist Yu Fukasawa ofTohoku University in Japan. These experiments have shown that the P. velutina is able to distinguish between different dispositions of its neighbors and adapt its behavior accordingly. This suggests that the fungus possesses a form of fungal intelligence that allows it to perceive differences in the spatial arrangement of resources and adopt the best strategy to use them.
Fungal Intelligence, the revealing experiment
To test the perceptive abilities of the fungus, the researchers conducted an ingenious experiment. They used small blocks of wood already colonized by the P. velutina and arranged them in two different configurations: a circle and a cross. They then observed and documented how the mushroom mycelium changed over time. If the mushroom were not able to sense its environment and make decisions accordingly, one would expect it to spread indiscriminately. However, this did not happen. In contrast, the mycelium showed complex and apparently intentional behavior.
“You’d be surprised at how much mushrooms are capable of,” Fukasawa says. “They have memories, they can learn, they can make decisions. Frankly, the differences in how they solve problems compared to humans are astonishing.”
Fungal Intelligence Strategy and Adaptation
The mycelium demonstrated strategic behavior in both configurations. In the circular arrangement, formed uniform connections between all blocks, but avoided expanding into the inner area of the circle. This suggests that the fungus recognized that this area was not promising for the search for new resources.
In the cross arrangement, the fungus concentrated its mycelial connections on the four blocks at the ends of the cross. These points represented the best positions from which the fungus could explore its surroundings. This ability to recognize spatial arrangements and adapt its growth strategy accordingly is a clear demonstration of fungal intelligence.
Implications for understanding intelligence
These findings open up new avenues for exploring and understanding how fungi and other brainless organisms, such as slime molds, “think.” Fungal intelligence could be defined as the ability to process sensory information in autonomous biological systems.
The difference in network structure and wood-decaying function demonstrated by the fungal mycelium between the circular and cross-shaped arrangements could be a form of recognition by the fungi, which already express their own language. This discovery could have significant implications for the study of primitive intelligence in brainless organisms, for understanding its ecological impacts, and for the development of bio-based computers.
Towards new frontiers of research
Research on fungal intelligence is opening new frontiers in our understanding of cognition and adaptation in the simplest organisms. These discoveries not only challenge our traditional conceptions of intelligence, but could also have practical applications in fields such as computer science and ecology.
I study, published in the magazine Fungal Ecology, represents an important step toward a deeper understanding of the cognitive abilities of organisms that we often overlook. It reminds us that intelligence can manifest itself in surprising and unexpected ways, even in the most hidden corners of our natural world.
