Brainless but Smart? Fungi Have ‘Mind-Blowing’ Problem-Solving Power

Can organisms without a brain still demonstrate intelligence? Researchers from Tohoku University and Nagaoka College sought to answer this question by investigating the decision-making abilities of fungi, specifically their abilities to navigate around spaces.

While it might sound like something out of science fiction, the concept of basal cognition—intelligence that doesn’t require a brain—is proving to be a real phenomenon, even in organisms as simple as fungi.

“You’d be surprised at just how much fungi are capable of,” says Yu Fukasawa from Tohoku University. “They have memories, they learn, and they can make decisions. Quite frankly, the differences in how they solve problems compared to humans are mind-blowing.”

Fungi grow by releasing spores that germinate into long, thread-like structures called mycelium, which spread underground. While we usually notice only the small mushrooms that sprout on the surface, beneath the ground lies a vast network of interconnected mycelium. This network operates similarly to the neural connections in a brain, allowing fungi to gather and share information about their surroundings.

The study explored how wood-decaying fungi, specifically their mycelial networks, responded to different spatial arrangements of wood blocks. Researchers placed the blocks in two configurations: a circle and a cross. If the fungi lacked decision-making abilities, they would have grown evenly from a central point, without regard to the position of the blocks. However, what the researchers observed suggested a more complex behavior. (Read more from “Brainless but Smart? Fungi Have ‘Mind-Blowing’ Problem-Solving Power” HERE)