logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
14m 41s

Could fungi actually be the key to human...

TED
About this episode
After a billion years of evolution, fungi are masters of invention and resilience. What wisdom can we draw from their long, remarkable existence? Mycologist David Andrew Quist explores how fungi's innate biointelligence, penchant for collaboration and incredible regeneration abilities can show us new ways to think about complex problems -- and may hold the secret to humanity's survival on Earth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 10
A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship | Sitoyo Lopokoiyit and Jacqueline Novogratz
In a conversation about visionary leadership, M-PESA CEO Sitoyo Lopokoiyit speaks with impact investor and Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz about how he grew a nascent mobile payment service into Africa’s largest fintech platform — which now handles nearly 60 percent of Kenya's GD ... Show More
19m 36s
Jul 9
"Marigolds," a poem about wonder | Safiya Sinclair
Poet Safiya Sinclair performs "Marigolds: A Letter to Wonder," an original poem she created for TED that explores memory, beauty and the fragility of life. After the poem, she talks with TED's Helen Walters about her writing process — and what it feels like when the creative muse ... Show More
9m 2s
Jul 8
The miraculous device that saved my farm — and changed my life | Josephine Waweru
Exhausted from carrying water up a hill to keep her small farm in Kenya thriving, Josephine Waweru received an unexpected call that offered a nearly unbelievable solution. She shares how one simple device allowed her crops (and her dreams) to flourish — and offers a glimmer of ho ... Show More
10m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
Is a fungus intelligent?
As regular listeners may recall, CrowdScience has delved into the strange world of fungi before, as we dug down into the forest floor to reveal how plants and trees are connected to the vast mycelial network known as the “wood wide web”. But what makes this network possible and h ... Show More
29m 9s
Nov 2023
Ancient traits in a modern world | Sunetra Gupta, Anders Sandberg, Subrena Smith
Is our neurobiology at odds with the modern world?Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesWe see the remarkable evolution of the human brain as one of the driving factors behind our success as a species. Our neurobiology evolved thoug ... Show More
54m 26s
Dec 2023
The Life-changing Magic of Fungi | Merlin Sheldrake
Have you ever wondered about the secret fungal networks operating unseen beneath your feet? My guest Merlin Sheldrake, author of the New York Times bestseller Entangled Life, reveals a surreal subterranean cosmos of mycelium underlying life as we know it. In this mind-expanding c ... Show More
52m 26s
Apr 2021
Ep137 - Daniel Dennett | From Bacteria to Bach and Back
How did we come to have minds? For centuries, this question has intrigued psychologists, physicists, poets, and philosophers, who have wondered how the human mind developed its unrivaled ability to create, imagine, and explain. Disciples of Darwin have long aspired to explain how ... Show More
1h 18m
Jun 2021
GIULIANA FURCI on the Divine Time of Fungal Evolution /239
So often fungi are pitched as being at the forefront of innovation, whether being used to create vegan leather, pharmaceuticals, or being incorporated into various biotechnology products, but this fixation on innovation can obscure our ancestral relationship to fungi and the wisd ... Show More
1h 13m
Oct 2017
Healing Mushrooms: Tero Isokauppila On The Magical, Mysterious, Health Promoting Properties Of Fungi
“It's impossible to truly quantify the myriad of ways mushrooms can positively impact your life, yet they're capable of doing all these things and so much more. Quietly, persistently, effectively.” Tero Isokauppila We tend to think of mushrooms as a pizza topping. Something we to ... Show More
1h 48m
Jan 2023
The Hidden Powers of Fungi
When you hear the word fungi, chances are mushrooms come to mind: button mushrooms, maybe portobellos, or chanterelles. But so much of the fungi kingdom is invisible — underground — and many say underappreciated. Fungi are vital to life on the planet, but scientists are just begi ... Show More
49m 12s
Dec 2021
DAWN OF EVERYTHING: The True History of Humanity
What if everything we think we know about the history of our species is wrong? That’s the provocative question at the heart of a new book by today’s guest, David Wengrow. Hailed as fascinating, brilliant, and potentially revolutionary, “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Hu ... Show More
1h 20m
Jul 2023
Ep. 154: Medicinal Mushrooms, Fungal Microbiomes & Alberta's Fungal Diversity (feat. Martin Osis)
Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by the magnanimous Martin Osis. Martin is passionate about wild mushrooms! He loves to look at them, touch them, smell them, taste them, and talk about them. For decades he has been educating and entertaining people and groups about mushrooms ... Show More
1h 41m