Welcome To Fungi Week!

Welcome To Fungi Week!

This story is part of Fungi Week, a deep dive into the myriad ways mushrooms and fungi make the planet a healthier place for all its inhabitants. It is supported by UPIC Health.

Ever since The Last of Us blamed the end of the world on a parasitic fungus, fungi and the undead have become pop-culturally inseparable. Which is a shame because, the closer you look, the more it starts to seem like fungi –– in their quiet, inconspicuous way –– just might be capable of saving the world.

Paul Stamets, granddaddy of all things mushroom, has called fungi “the neurological network of nature.” According to Stamets –– profiled by RTBC’s Michaela Haas later in this series –– fungi “collectively have the long-term health of the host environment in mind … devising diverse enzymatic and chemical responses to complex challenges.” In other words, not just a trippy tool for making jam bands tolerable.

In fact, fungi benefit life on earth in a seemingly endless number of ways. Cities use fungi to revive declining tree populations and cool down neighborhoods. In the aftermath of toxic chemical spills, fungi are deployed for environmental remediation. Therapists treat post-traumatic stress and OCD with “magic mushrooms.” Japan’s universal health care system covers mushroom-based cancer treatments. Designers are turning fungi into sustainable furniture, clothing and even living spaces.

For the next five days, we’ll dig into these myriad ways mushrooms and fungi make the planet a healthier place for all its inhabitants, be they human, zombie or otherwise. We’ll uncover the challenges and vast potential fungi hold for science, conservation and medicine. And we’ll tell you the stories of the mycophiliacs helping to make it all happen.

This series is generously supported by UPIC Health. 

Got your own case of mycophilia? Tell us how mushrooms make your world better at [email protected]