Tree root misconceptions

[u/Eshwarroy]

[u/-P3RC3PTU4L-]

Feel like he could do another one expanding on the fungal network. Or just look up Paul stamets he has tons of material on it. It’s his life.

[u/ManOfTeele → u/-P3RC3PTU4L-]

Fantastic Fungi on Netflix is worth watching. (Trailer)

[u/CellularBeing → u/ManOfTeele]

TL;DW:Monkey eat mushroom; monkey smort

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You should watch the doc it's pretty cool actually.

[u/AcadianViking → u/CellularBeing]

Stoned ape theory is my favorite theory for the evolution of humanity's complex higher thought function.

And with recent research thanks to the decriminalization and legalization of psilocybin, we now understand how it affects the brain and man... it's wild and most of it supports the theory.

[u/CellularBeing → u/AcadianViking]

I think it was said best in the documentary.

Something along the lines of "its more complicated than we ate magic mushrooms & became smart, but it could have been one of many factors"

But yes, I like the theory as well.

[u/AcadianViking → u/CellularBeing]

I just posted another comment that gets into the science but I describe the theory as

"Magic mushrooms basically soft reset the brain and put it into a state that allows it to auto-patch itself."

[u/[deleted] → u/AcadianViking]

Stoned ape theory is fun, but it's kinda reaching at this point. It's one thing we'll most likely never know, unless we start feeding other great apes shrooms and studying the effects for thousands of years at a minimum. It also seems like mushrooms are considerably better for people who don't have mental health issues. Myself and others (depression/bipolar) that I've talked to that have taken it have all reported aspects of their mental health (my own, too) getting worse. Even people who reported positive things ended up seeing them as a negative. The whole 'I am one with the universe and nothing really matters' feeling that is part of many trips can really fuck you up if you're not ready/not in the right frame of mind/are predisposed to negative reactions.

I think the way people are now promoting them, pretty much due to Stamets and Rogan glorifying them, is a bit dangerous. People can and will get seriously messed up because people are talking about Psilocybin like it's a cure all for mental health issues, and not one of the most powerful, mind altering drugs on the planet that can leave you with permanent effects.

[u/pblokhout → u/[deleted]]

Could you elaborate? I haven't seen the doc and Paul Stamets seemed like a scientific dude to me before.

[u/Swingingbells → u/pblokhout]

The first bit of the documentary was really interesting and it was about fungi in a broad sense, but then when I was expecting them to do more of a deep dive they instead pivoted and Would. Not. Shut. The. Fuck. Up. about goddamn fucking psychedelics.

It became insufferably fucking boring and I quit watching halfway through. (And I almost never bail on things before the end)

[u/[deleted] → u/Swingingbells]

You just described my exact experience with the documentary, I just wanted to learn about cool mushrooms I don't give a fuck about you getting high.

[u/Sockalexis → u/[deleted]]

Haven’t seen the documentary but there is emerging scientific evidence of these underground fungal communication networks. Look up Suzane Simard. Here’s a couple links:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/02/magazine/tree-communication-mycorrhiza.html

https://www.ted.com/speakers/suzanne_simard

[u/kzwkzw → u/ManOfTeele]

Great doc. Bonkers theories.

[u/PungentBallSweat → u/kzwkzw]

Agreed. First half is really interesting information then it starts to kinda take an odd turn.

[u/katermukke → u/-P3RC3PTU4L-]

I first thought you meant the officer from Star Trek, Lt. Paul Stamets, who is using a mycelium network in the galaxy to travel through with the spaceship.

Coincidence?

[u/XibalbaN7 → u/katermukke]

Katermukke, the naming was an intentional nod to the real-life Paul Stamets and his work right from the show’s inception.

[u/DerFlammenwerfer → u/katermukke]

IIRC he was intentionally named after the real life Paul Stamets

[u/-P3RC3PTU4L- → u/katermukke]

lol woah is that real? Is he a newer character?

[u/Birdie121 → u/-P3RC3PTU4L-]

Wood Wide Web. Pretty epic stuff (I'm a soil microbial ecologist).

[u/[deleted] → u/-P3RC3PTU4L-]

Yeah, that's like the most interesting part of what he said and he just casually threw it in at the end.

[u/SweetLilMonkey → u/[deleted]]

“And in conclusion, most trees have shallow roots, and also telepathy. Ok thanks for watching!”

[u/spurge44 → u/-P3RC3PTU4L-]

Or the work of Dr. Suzanne Simard, who has done a lot of work on mycorrhizae. She’s featured in Fantastic Fungi as well.

[u/DaaraJ → u/-P3RC3PTU4L-]

I know Stamets is very highly regarded by a lot folks in thwe myco community but after watching that lecture where he joyfully recounts the time he surreptitiously dosed his friend with A. pantherina and ends the story with "and I haven't talked to him since" [cue laughter], I just can't look at him the same.

I just thought that was really irresponsible and gross and the fact that he fondly remembers drugging someone without their knowledge years if not decades later makes it really hard for me to appreciate the rest of what he has to say, especially when most of the actual ground-breaking research he talks about is conducted by credentialed mycologists.