Thank you, Eugenia, for this thoughtful article. I work in mycology- first in industry with Fungi Perfecti's R&D team, and now in academic science. I also feel a deep commitment to help regenerate our social and economic systems to be more harmonious with the natural world. I really believe that’s possible, and fungi and microbes are incredible potential sources of inspiration for ecological and technological innovation. I'm trying to understand and utilize mycological metaphors in a scientifically-grounded way.
What you're writing about is a continual concern of mine, and I really hear you. There’s a risk in collapsing complex science into simplified, feel-good narratives. We are also in a real crisis, and we do need bold new systems. For example, the current political/funding crisis here in the US is directly harming mycology, mostly young mycologists, including my lab and our soil mycology research. So not leaning into systems change harms the sciences too. But our understanding of fungal networks, particularly mycorrhizal systems, is still emerging. We’re at the tip of the iceberg, with knowledge on mycelial networks, both in higher fungi and mycorrhizal ones. But I think we can thread the needle with metaphor regarding science that is still in progress.
This is difficult and complex work. I don’t think we should shut down these conversations as they’re essential IMO. But we definitely need more input from practicing scientists to ground this inquiry in nuance and possibility. Right now, much of the narrative is led by folks from business and organizational design. I’m interested in helping bridge those worlds and creating more closeness between them. I would love to be in deeper dialogue about how we can integrate these domains with care and rigor.
I also secretly hope we can have a chat about this topic sometime so please reach out if that's ever of interest :)
Thank you for this article and the explanation about how mycelium makes connections and why. I learned some, but having been totally ignorant before, this opened a new windows for me.
Thank you for your article. It's going into my reference file, because I'm writing a sci-fi book about the survival systems of trees. But a good sci-fi book should always be based on a strong foundation of scientific principles.
Thanks so much for this, Eugenia. Been dwelling a lot on the ways we shrink nature and the stories we tell about it when we only frame it as benevolent. There’s a whole other world of lessons to be found in the tension and balance of self-interests, etc. Cheers.
Thanks for sharing your fresh perspective. I learned a lot from this article. Clearly you have a deep wisdom and understanding and it resonated with me.
This is the best explanation of how mushrooms work I have ever read. I particularly like the differentiation of the single-celled yeasts, and the multi-celled hyphae that add to themselves one cell at a time, branching and re-branching into that cottony stuff we call mycelium.
I love it that you push back on our desire to turn fungi into a generous and nurturing entity. Although you have to admit, in all kinds of ways, mushrooms are pretty darned poetic. 😊
Mycelium are literally magic on earth, i cant believe somethting so goth, and whimsical, terrifying yet comforting exists, and people say theyre bored of earth
Thank you, Eugenia, for this thoughtful article. I work in mycology- first in industry with Fungi Perfecti's R&D team, and now in academic science. I also feel a deep commitment to help regenerate our social and economic systems to be more harmonious with the natural world. I really believe that’s possible, and fungi and microbes are incredible potential sources of inspiration for ecological and technological innovation. I'm trying to understand and utilize mycological metaphors in a scientifically-grounded way.
What you're writing about is a continual concern of mine, and I really hear you. There’s a risk in collapsing complex science into simplified, feel-good narratives. We are also in a real crisis, and we do need bold new systems. For example, the current political/funding crisis here in the US is directly harming mycology, mostly young mycologists, including my lab and our soil mycology research. So not leaning into systems change harms the sciences too. But our understanding of fungal networks, particularly mycorrhizal systems, is still emerging. We’re at the tip of the iceberg, with knowledge on mycelial networks, both in higher fungi and mycorrhizal ones. But I think we can thread the needle with metaphor regarding science that is still in progress.
This is difficult and complex work. I don’t think we should shut down these conversations as they’re essential IMO. But we definitely need more input from practicing scientists to ground this inquiry in nuance and possibility. Right now, much of the narrative is led by folks from business and organizational design. I’m interested in helping bridge those worlds and creating more closeness between them. I would love to be in deeper dialogue about how we can integrate these domains with care and rigor.
I also secretly hope we can have a chat about this topic sometime so please reach out if that's ever of interest :)
I'd love that!
Thank you for this article and the explanation about how mycelium makes connections and why. I learned some, but having been totally ignorant before, this opened a new windows for me.
Thank you for your article. It's going into my reference file, because I'm writing a sci-fi book about the survival systems of trees. But a good sci-fi book should always be based on a strong foundation of scientific principles.
Thanks so much for this, Eugenia. Been dwelling a lot on the ways we shrink nature and the stories we tell about it when we only frame it as benevolent. There’s a whole other world of lessons to be found in the tension and balance of self-interests, etc. Cheers.
Thank you for this wonderful article debunking and clarifying without taking factions or dividing. An absolute joy to read!
Thank you so much for the article. I shared it with quite a few people now and I hope they will read it or listen to it too. 🙏✨
Thanks for sharing your fresh perspective. I learned a lot from this article. Clearly you have a deep wisdom and understanding and it resonated with me.
This is the best explanation of how mushrooms work I have ever read. I particularly like the differentiation of the single-celled yeasts, and the multi-celled hyphae that add to themselves one cell at a time, branching and re-branching into that cottony stuff we call mycelium.
I love it that you push back on our desire to turn fungi into a generous and nurturing entity. Although you have to admit, in all kinds of ways, mushrooms are pretty darned poetic. 😊
Speaking my language! Nerded out on the same thing not too long ago: https://open.substack.com/pub/solarpunkdc/p/mushrooms-are-the-ultimate-solarpunk?r=dmmlc&utm_medium=ios
thanks for sharing!!
This was absolutely fascinating - thank you!
“The great tragedy of science: the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.” Thomas Huxley
Eugenia, so great to get articles so well written and heartfelt, thank you.
I researched mycelial networks for my book 'Custodians' and was delighted to discover than this interconnected and interdependent reality was not just underground. I wrote about even newer developments on my Substack here: https://vincentmcmahon.substack.com/p/seeing-the-unseen-how-science-reveals
Cool!
As a subject matter expert, you’ve written this very well and made it easy to get invested in fungi (and their history).
I love this it should be sent to our President
Mycelium are literally magic on earth, i cant believe somethting so goth, and whimsical, terrifying yet comforting exists, and people say theyre bored of earth
Such a refreshing voice in a sea of obviously AI written or AI assisted substack articles.