Mushrooms are so much more than just a pizza topping. With new information and applications cropping up constantly, the world of fungi-related research is as deep and complex as mushrooms themselves. These seemingly innocent bundles of caps and stalks are just the fruiting body of a complex underground network of fungal threads called mycelia. Neither plant nor animal, the fungal kingdom lives mostly out of sight, but these days, never out of mind. From medical interventions to mind-altering hallucinations, from gourmet cuisine to deadly poison, the potential of mushrooms is mighty and mysterious.
With such a rich and historically significant impact on the world, mycology (the study of fungus) is the subject of much fascination. And with starring roles in The Last of Us and Fantastic Fungi, mushrooms are, well, mushrooming in popularity. Here are some of our favorite listens about the fungus among us.
Nonfiction titles about mushrooms:
Terence McKenna, ethnobotanist and mystic, sets forth a theory about the influence of psilocybin-containing plants and mushrooms on the evolution of the human race in Food of the Gods. Going back hundreds of thousands of years, he presents a theory for how these plants helped humans adapt to their environment, form language, and even develop civilizations. Jeffrey Kafer narrates this fascinating history that will make listeners reconsider what they think they know about the roots and rise of human culture.