• RegalPotoo@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    This is the sort of thing the cranky old wizard says to the hero before inevitably teaching them about mushrooms so they can go on a magical adventure

    • Ashyr@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Honestly, I’m not a mycologist, so someone with more expertise feel free to correct me, but I’m pretty sure that’s BS.

      • Liz@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        The concept of a mushroom being generally similar to humans is total horseshit. What they’re probably referencing is a mushroom with some signaling protein (or saccride or steroid or something) that is coincidentally similar some human equivalent and your immune system (for some reason) freaks out about it when you eat it. Then, as is referenced, the response to the mushroom happens to also be able to target some of your own cells, and now you’ve got an autoimmune disorder.

        That behavior is not normal for your immune system to do, by the way, otherwise cannibals would all die from allergic reactions to their unfortunate meals. But, the immune system is complicated, so shit happens sometimes.

    • VeganPizza69 Ⓥ@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The way in which organisms recognize “their own” vs outsider stuff is a different and complex topic, at least as fascinating as fungi.

      Liquid brains, solid brains | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

      Cognitive networks have evolved a broad range of solutions to the problem of gathering, storing and responding to information. Some of these networks are describable as static sets of neurons linked in an adaptive web of connections. These are ‘solid’ networks, with a well-defined and physically persistent architecture. Other systems are formed by sets of agents that exchange, store and process information but without persistent connections or move relative to each other in physical space. We refer to these networks that lack stable connections and static elements as ‘liquid’ brains, a category that includes ant and termite colonies, immune systems and some microbiomes and slime moulds. What are the key differences between solid and liquid brains, particularly in their cognitive potential, ability to solve particular problems and environments, and information-processing strategies? To answer this question requires a new, integrative framework.

  • CitizenKong@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I always liked the theory that fungi are actually aliens that came from some asteroid from another planet and have just been around long enough that nobody bats an eye at them anymore. I mean, look at slime mold and tell me that not basically Venom!

    • Doxatek@mander.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Slime mold is a protist not fungi :0. I’m just being a jerk here doesn’t matter lol. I love the slime molds they’re so cool I always liked having them in the lab each year as a teaching tool. Definitely venom

        • Doxatek@mander.xyz
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          1 year ago

          It’s just nit picking but I put in here because it’s somewhat interesting that it isn’t. I try not to be the well ACKSHULLY guy haha

          • Classy@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            I mean it isn’t exactly nitpicking, is it? Sure, we don’t tend to care that much about protists vs algae vs bacteria vs anything else that is tiny in common parlance, but these things are all VERY different from each other, aren’t they? Like, different kingdoms different? I mean, if someone ran around saying that rabbits were a form of reptile I wouldn’t think you were nitpicking for correcting them as being a mammal.

    • BastingChemina@slrpnk.net
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      1 year ago

      Have you ever heard about the blob?

      It’s a giant single cell intelligent organism that can move, learn, remember things, solve problems and teach others.

      Neither an animal, plant or fungus the blob favorite snack is oatmeal but it hate coffee.

  • can@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    #transcription

    hyperactivehedgehog

    I’m studying biotech and every time someone brings up mushrooms our current professor will look either extremely excited or pained and go “listen… mushrooms are neither plants nor animals nor something in between. They elude all attempts to categorize them. We do not know what they are. Some are immortal. Some produce life-saving substances. Some are so closely related to humans that eating them may cause an allergic reaction against your own body. I cannot teach you about the mushrooms”

  • cerement@slrpnk.net
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    1 year ago

    one passage I read warned that anyone who got too deep into studying mushrooms very quickly started to sound like they had gone off the deep end …

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Can confirm. I’ve been curious about mushrooms for years and joined a mushroom pick. There’s another guy who is normal like me. But everyone else, I’m 90% sure are forest druids and like a slow zombie bite, I’m already seeing myself become a crazy kook.