This article is a brief review of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Save the World, by Paul Stamets.

Paul Stamets is huge mycophile. He loves fungus, and all the benefits they can impart on our species. Through this book, he is able to turn any mycophobe into a fully-fledged devotee of fungus.

Before reading this book, mushrooms were just another biological kingdom; now I want to learn as much about these organisms as I can. Animals are more closely related to fungi than to any other kingdom of organisms. We share many of the same vulnerabilities; subsequently, they can provide solutions to many toxic problems faced, and created, by humans.

Mycelium are the vegetative bodies of mushrooms. They form branching networks of single cells, which share a form with many other phenomenon, from the early universe, to the Internet and brain cells. These branching networks may be one cell thick, but within a single cubic inch of soil there can be over 8 miles of cells. Paul Stamets believes these networks act as a form of consciousness and can communicate between other cells within the network.

Stamets discusses how fungus can benefit humans in many ways. They feed us, protect us from pests, and clean up the messes we make in our environment. Since a fungus does not have a skin, they have to rely on chemicals they produce and excrete to protect them from bacteria, and other microorganisms. As humans we can use these defenses to our advantage.

Fungus helps create and maintain the ecosystems around it. To create a sustainable habitat we need to learn to use mycology to our advantage. By inter planting mushrooms with our plant crops, we can aid in the recycling of nutrients within the ecosystem. Some fungi even form a mutualistic relationship with the plants around them, exchanging micro nutrients with the plant in exchange for sugars. They can even connect plants together, letting one feed off of the other, equalizing growth to the benefit of all the organisms in the ecosystem.

Last update: May 21, 2009
01:47 pm

Published in : Research, Green Tech

Keywords : Mycelium, running, Paul Stamets, Stamets, save the world, fungi, ecosystem, restoration, myco, remediation, mushrooms, farming,

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