Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

Merlin Sheldrake’s “Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures” chronicles the revolutionary ideas on how fungi and the larger organism they form—the ‘Wood Wide Web’—create, maintain and condition our world through intricate webs of underground mycelium, their impact on plants, animals and humans and their ability to self-organize, innovate and shape our environment.

In “Entangled Life”, Merlin Sheldrake delves deep into the mysterious and misunderstood territory of fungi and the intricate wood wide web that it forms. Fungi are one of the most ancient and ubiquitous organisms in the world and until now have remained largely hidden from us. We may be familiar with the more obvious species, such as mushrooms, toadstools and lichens, but the fuller extent of their profound impact upon our lives and our environment has until now been scarcely appreciated.

In this revolutionary work, Merlin Sheldrake does more than simply reveal the potentially beneficial, sometimes detrimental, properties of fungi and the wood wide web: he uncovers how these organisms can offer profound insights into how life itself is lived. From air-cleaning microfungi to delicious gourmet mushrooms, Sheldrake revels in the beauty and intricacies of these often-overlooked organisms.

Sheldrake points out that fungi are a key agent of change, forming partnerships and ecosystems which extract, store and convert energy and materials in the environment. He examines their important contributions to the global carbon cycle through their role in the decomposition of plant material and how they can act as a form of ‘trophic communication’, acting like a telephone line, that allow plants and animals to exchange vital information.

Contrary to widespread perception, with the abundant evidence in “Entangled Life”, Sheldrake demonstrates that fungi are more than just plants—they are agents of change and possess considerable intelligence, having the ability to act, think, react and even learn, revealing the very essence of life.

Our current understanding of mycelia’s intelligence has the potential to change our understanding and practices in agriculture, medical science and cultural relations. In agriculture, for example, Sheldrake highlights some studies which have found that certain fungal species can pass on information and knowledge to plants, allowing them to adopt new behaviours and respond to changes in their environment more rapidly. In medical science, mycelia’s memory has shown promise in increasing the efficiency of drug delivery, while it may also hold the key to curing diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

“Entangled Life” is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand how fungi, and their underlying networks, not only shape our world but influence our minds and our futures. With its thoughtful and detailed exploration into these intriguing organisms, Sheldrake’s work is sure to revolutionize the way we perceive, treat and protect the world around us.