Merlin Sheldrake

There is a lifeform so strange and wondrous that it forces us to rethink how life works…Neither plant nor animal, it is found throughout the earth, the air and our bodies. It can be microscopic, yet also accounts for the largest organisms ever recorded, living for millennia and weighing tens of thousands of tonnes. Its ability to digest rock enabled the first life on land, it can survive unprotected in space, and thrives amidst nuclear radiation. In this captivating adventure, Merlin Sheldrake explores the spectacular and neglected world of fungi: endlessly surprising organisms that sustain nearly all living systems. They can solve problems without a brain, stretching traditional definitions of ‘intelligence’, and can manipulate animal behaviour with devastating precision. In giving us bread, alcohol and life-saving medicines, fungi have shaped human history, and their psychedelic properties, which have influenced societies since antiquity, have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses. The ability of fungi to digest plastic, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is being harnessed in break-through technologies, and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks, the ‘Wood Wide Web’, is transforming the way we understand ecosystems. Yet they live their lives largely out of sight, and over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented. Entangled Life is a mind-altering journey into this hidden kingdom of life, and shows that fungi are key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel and behave. The more we learn about fungi, the less makes sense without them.

‘A dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing book. I ended it wonderstruck at the fungal world. A remarkable work by a remarkable writer’ Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland The more we learn about fungi, the less makes sense without them. Neither plant nor animal, they are found throughout the earth, the air and our bodies. They can be microscopic, yet also account for the largest organisms ever recorded. They enabled the first life on land, can survive unprotected in space and thrive amidst nuclear radiation. In fact, nearly all life relies in some way on fungi. These endlessly surprising organisms have no brain but can solve problems and manipulate animal behaviour with devastating precision. In giving us bread, alcohol and life-saving medicines, fungi have shaped human history, and their psychedelic properties have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses. Their ability to digest plastic, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is being harnessed in break-through technologies, and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks, the ‘Wood Wide Web’, is transforming the way we understand ecosystems. Yet over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented. Entangled Life is a mind-altering journey into a spectacular and neglected world, and shows that fungi provide a key to understanding both the planet on which we live, and life itself. 'One of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you. Astounding' Helen MacDonald, author of H Is for Hawk

Cuanto más sabemos de los hongos, menos sentido tiene nada sin ellos. No son plantas ni animales y se encuentran en la tierra, en el aire y en nuestros cuerpos. Están por doquier, pero cuesta verlos. Además, pueden ser microscópicos, pero también representan a los organismos de mayor tamaño jamás registrados. Comen piedra, crean suelos, asimilan agentes contaminantes, se nutren de plantas, pero también las matan, sobreviven en el espacio e influyen en la composición de la atmósfera terrestre. Ha llegado la hora de descubrir el oculto y fascinante mundo de los hongos, formas de vida extrañas y maravillosas que nos obligan a repensar el funcionamiento de la vida. Al proporcionar a los humanos pan, alcohol y medicamentos, han cambiado la historia de nuestra especie, mientras que su capacidad para digerir plástico, explosivos, pesticidas y petróleo crudo se aplica en el campo de las nuevas tecnologías. Su capacidad para conectar plantas en grandes redes de colaboración subterráneas, la ‘Wood Wide Web’, está transformando nuestra comprensión de los ecosistemas. Los hongos tienen la llave para entender nuestro planeta y nuestras formas de pensar, sentir y comportarnos aunque su vida transcurra principalmente fuera de nuestra vista. Merlin Sheldrake obliga a reconsiderar los reinos de la naturaleza en esta aventura, y nos introduce al mundo espectacular y desconocido de los hongos: organismos infinitamente sorprendentes y esenciales para la vida en nuestro planeta que han cambiado el curso de la vida y continúan dando forma a nuestro futuro. La red oculta de la vida es un libro brillantemente escrito y ampliamente documentado que demuestra cuán fundamentales son estos organismos para la sostenibilidad del planeta. Y este es solo el principio porque tan solo estamos empezando a entender las complejidades y sofisticaciones de la vida de los hongos.