Electrical impulses generated by fungi can be used to communicate, and the vocabulary of these amazing natural creations can be more than we might expect. This theory was put forward by Professor Andrew Adamatsky of the British University of Western England.
Previous studies have shown that fungi conduct electrical impulses through long structures called hyphae (filaments are the filament-like elements that make up fungi). Professor Andrew Adamatsky of the University of the West of England at Bristol decided to analyze the electrical signals that mushrooms seem to send to each other. This allowed him to identify patterns that show a striking similarity to human speech.
Electrical measurement of impulses transmitted by fungiAndrew Adamatsky
Max 50 “words”…
Adamatsky looked at the electrical impulses generated by four types of mushrooms: enoki (Flutips Flamolina), common slit (schizophrenia municipality the father) , Omphalotus nidiformis and Chinese Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis). To make this possible, insert the microelectrodes into the media colonized by the fungi. The pulses have been translated into binary strings, a mathematical language used by computers, which uses combinations of ones and zeros instead of words.
The research, the results of which were published on the academic website “Royal Society Open Science”, showed that electrical impulses are often grouped into sentences resembling the structure of sentences, and that the source of the mushroom “word” was 50.
More complex “camels” generate common cracks – they grow on decaying wood.
Fissure vulgaris (Schizophyllum common)Irina Petrova Adamatsky
Mushroom Cordyceps militarisIrina Petrova Adamatsky
…doesn’t seem to be accidental
Adamatsky suggested that the most likely reason for these electrical activities was to preserve the integrity of the mushrooms. A similarity can be found in the howling of wolves, the purpose of which is to maintain the safety of the herd.
“There is also another option: mushrooms say nothing,” Adamatsky said.
Although, he noted, the motives do not appear to have been accidental. But before they can be accepted as a form of language, scientists need to get more evidence of it.
Dan Pepper, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter and Associate Professor of Science, said: “While this is an interesting explanation, he seems a bit excited to suggest that it is a language and will require more research and critical hypothesis testing. Member of the British Mushroom Biology Research Committee of the Fungi Society.
Pointing to directions for further research on the “language” of mushrooms, Adamatsky noted: “We should not expect quick results: we still have not deciphered the language of cats and dogs, despite the fact that we have lived with them for centuries, and search for connections Electrical fungi in pure childhood.
Searching for pulses transmitted by fungiAndrew Adamatsky
Searching for pulses transmitted by fungiAndrew Adamatsky
Main image source: Irina Petrova Adamatsky
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