11 Interesting Facts About Mushrooms
There’s a chance that you have heard some groovy stuff about mushrooms, whether it is the edible kind, the non-edible species, or of psychedelic sorts, but we are about to blow your mind with the most fascinating, least well-known facts about your favorite fungi.
We bet you'll want to add some Mushroom-Inspired Jewelry to your collection after Reading These 11 Interesting Facts:
Mushrooms are closer to humans than plants. Their genetics developed over 1300 million years ago. Just as humans do, mushrooms breathe in oxygen and exhale CO2.
The strongest natural material in nature is Sporopollenin, which is what mushroom spores are made of.
Mushrooms can survive space radiation.
Before Earth was covered in trees, mushrooms covered all of the land.
In Oregon, there is a massive 2400-year-old honey mushroom that covers 2200 acres of land. It is said to be slowly killing off the trees in the forest and is reported as the largest living organism on the planet.
There are more than 75 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark.
Magic Mushrooms are the safest drug in world, ranking below cannabis, alcohol and prescription drugs.
Mushrooms have been studied and proven as a natural way to replace plastic, as well as be an alternative to reduce plastic waste. There is a TED Talk by Eben Bayer called, “Are Mushrooms the New Plastic,” where he explains how fungi can be used to build containers that are easy to create and convenient to recycle.
Mushrooms kill fear. A 2013 study on mice found that animals became less likely to freeze up when they heard a noise after ingesting mushrooms.
Mushrooms are known as immuno-modulators, which help to protect and regulate the immune system (take that COVID!).
Truffles (the mushroom’s cousin) are the most expensive natural food in the world. A whole truffle varies between $2,000 to $4,000. Truffles have even been auctioned and sold at an upwards of $4 million.
