No Brain? No Problem

It turns out fungi might be smarter than we thought.

A new study by researchers at Tohoku University and Nagaoka College in Japan found that fungi, despite lacking a brain, can make decisions and adapt their growth to their environment.

“We typically think of intelligence as something that requires a brain, but fungi show us there are other ways to solve problems,” said co-author Yu Fukasawa in a statement. “They have memories, they learn, and they can make decisions. Quite frankly, the differences in how they solve problems compared with humans is mind-blowing.”

Fukasawa and his colleagues focused on a wood-decaying fungus, Phanerochaete velutina, and its decision-making process when encountering different spatial arrangements of wood.

Fungi grow through a network of underground threads called mycelium, which can stretch for miles and act somewhat like neural connections, explained Popular Science.

To test their cognitive abilities, researchers placed decaying wood blocks in either a circular or cross-shaped arrangement inside two square dirt environments, each 9.4 inches wide. They then observed how the mycelial network reacted over 116 days.

The findings showed the species employed a peculiar growth pattern for each arrangement.

In the circular arrangement, the fungi spread uniformly around the wood but avoided the center. The team suggested that the P. velutina recognized that further growth into already-populated areas would be a waste of energy.

Meanwhile, in the cross arrangement, they created denser connections between the four outermost blocks, which the researchers believe acted as “outposts” for future foraging expeditions.

This ability to adapt its growth strategy indicated that fungi can communicate and make decisions, even without a brain.

“It’s like they’re running calculations to optimize their growth,” said Fukasawa.

Though much remains to be understood about these brainless organisms, the discovery could lead to a better understanding of how different forms of cognition evolved and even inspire future technologies, such as bio-based computers.