The book Intertwined Life takes you into the neglected and miraculous world of fungi and shows you that they represent the key to understanding not only the planet we live on, but also life itself. Embark on a pilgrimage that will change you beyond recognition.
The more we know about mushrooms, the less it makes sense without them.
It belongs neither to plants nor to animals. They grow through the soil, fly in the air and live in our bodies. They range in size from microscopic creatures to the largest known organisms in the world. They stood at the birth of life on land, can survive in open space and revel in radioactive radiation. And actually, to a greater or lesser extent, all life on Earth depends on them.
They are organisms that never cease to surprise us. Although they do not have a brain, they can solve problems and influence the behavior of animals with shocking accuracy. Through bread, alcohol and life-saving drugs, they have left an indelible mark on the shape of human culture, and recent research has confirmed that their psychoactive properties relieve a number of mental ailments. Their ability to break down plastics, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is building on the latest breakthrough technologies, and the discovery that beneath the surface they connect plants into underground networks — the "forest internet" — is revolutionizing our understanding of ecosystems. Nevertheless, more than ninety percent of mushroom species have not yet been documented.