Learn More (Funga)

Funga: five facts:

• Plants and fungi depend on each other to live. Reportedly some fungi can provide up to 80 % of a plant’s nitrogen and all its phosphorus. Fungi can also provide to plants nutrients such as zinc and copper. In return plants can provide up to 30 % of the carbon the fungi require.

• Trees can interact with one another by “communicating” via fungi’s mycelia (tissue) network

• Yeasts live on our skin and inside us: yeasts are indispensable for making bread and beer

• The earliest lichen fossils date from 400 million years ago – but it is possible that lichens occurred even earlier.

• It is believed an individual Neanderthal with tooth decay included a penicillin-producing mould in his diet – presumably to take advantage of its antibiotic properties.

If you want to learn more, why not read Cambridge researcher Merlin Sheldrake’s 2021 book: “Entangled life”. He also has videos on YouTube!