Researchers have uncovered a rare and intelligent fungus. The fungus is called Phanerochaete velutina, and while it isn’t overly intelligent—it won’t be taking over the world anytime soon like the fungus in The Last of Us—it still shows signs of recognizing shapes and even being able to communicate about its surroundings with the rest of its fungal network.
The researchers who made the discovery highlight their findings in a paper published in the journal Funal Ecology. In the paper, they discuss how they conducted various experiments, including one where they arranged small wood blocks in several different shapes and allowed the fungi to spread within the shapes.
As the rare and intelligent fungus spread, they found that it was able to make different decisions based on the type of arrangement the blocks had been set up in. Instead of just spreading out from a central point, they were able to change how they spread out to fit the shape more effectively. This suggests a rudimentary level of intelligence is found within P. velutina.
According to the paper, when the fungi were placed in a circle arrangement of blocks, they were able to figure out where the blocks were and then pass that information to the rest of the network, as they never moved to the center of the circle. They seemed to realize that no blocks would be found there. The researchers say this means that the fungal mycelium can “recognize” the difference in the spatial arrangement of wooden blocks.
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It’s a startling discovery that could hopefully help the researchers discover other advancements in a variety of fields, including how we study microscopic organisms like slime molds. It could also help us with further research into developing better brain organoids, like the world’s first bioprocessor, which can operate faster than any current computers.
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