How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures
Paperback, 368 pages
Published April 13, 2021 by Random House Trade Paperbacks.
When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave.
In Entangled Life, the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake’s vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the “Wood Wide Web,” to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision.
Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence …
When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave.
In Entangled Life, the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake’s vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the “Wood Wide Web,” to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision.
Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life’s processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms—and our relationships with them—are changing our understanding of how life works.
It is hard to believe that something so embedded in life on earth is something so mysterious! I have lived on this earth 26 years and did not know almost anything this book discussed. It was an amazing book, and a bite sized introduction into mycology. Loved it!
Ein sehr spannendes Buch über die Welt der Pilze und Flechten. Mir hat es großen Spaß gemacht, es zu lesen. Denn Merlin Sheldrake schreibt mit beeindruckendem Fachwissen, großer Begeisterung und Engagement über das Thema. Dabei romantisiert er nicht, sondern bleibt trotz deutlich lesbarer Leidenschaft sehr wissenschaftlich und faktenbasiert. Bei seinen Recherchen zum Buch beweist Sheldrake große Neugier und Wagemut, er schreckt auch nicht vor etwas ungewöhnlichen Experimenten zurück. Die Ergebnisse sind bemerkenswert, und man erhält interessante Impulse, die Welt neu zu denken.
Der Enthusiasmus, mit dem er den Lesenden das Thema nahebringt, ist ansteckend. Eine kurzweilige Lektüre mit Horizonterweiterung.
It was really enlightening to learn about the incredible impact that fungus has on all parts of the world.
I was especially intrigued at how plant roots and mycelium work together. It was also very surprising to hear about the impressive effects that truffles have on humans. I hadn't known that they had such an effect on people.
Fascinating topic, and the book started off well, but for me it kind of fell apart and started getting repetitive.
rich in references, to the point that if one wants to follow them all it becomes an endless rabbit hole
