Cordyceps are a mushroom containing the chemical cordycepin which Dr Cornelia de Moor is investigating for its cancer inhibiting properties.
At every stage of their life, fungi reveal just how much like us they are. It’s a powerful connection, that explains why we work so well together. So we are all much more mushroom than you could ever imagine.
The saprotrophic properties of fungi have immense potential in recycling chemical waste at many of the world’s industrial sites.
So what we’ve seen is certainly not in support of the idea that fungi are kind of protecting themselves from being eaten until mature, you could argue that that mushroom actually wants to be eaten, so what’s it all about?
Mycelium is the feeding apparatus of fungus and it is voracious in consuming organic waste but it has other marvellous properties in packaging.
The brilliant way the mycelium of a saprotrophic fungus uses digestive juices, just like humans, to break down waste makes it a recycling machine like no other. And it doesn’t stop there.
When a fungus does not reciprocate in the nutrient exchange symbiosis it starves the tree and becomes, not a willing partner but, a killer.
But though this unstoppable appetite can be deadly in the natural world, some scientists are looking to turn it to our advantage.
Bryn Dentinger of Kew Gardens and Richard Hickey discuss the close relationship, or symbiosis, between fungi and plants.
Symbiosis is defined as the interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.
Fungus has many properties which can be of benefit to humans including many applications in medicine and antibiotics. The first being penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928.
But as impressive as spore dispersal might be, it’s just the beginning of the fungus’s life story. It’s the next stage that truly reveals why they are so vital to all life on Earth.
Professor Richard Fortey and Dr Patrick Hickey introduce the Magic of Mushrooms as we travel from spores through medicine, industry and finally fruiting.
Fungi are magical, inspiring folk lore and tales of great mystery. Fungus can kill, but it can also transform lives. Discover Mushroom Magic and Fungal Fantasy.
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