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Who runs this world?


A quick bio recap, anyone? "Fungi" are neither plants nor animals. There are about 29,000 microfungi estimated so far. In a small decaying leaf, you can spot 145 different species of fungi. They are nature’s scavengers tasked to break down all the non living organic matter by feeding on them. Impartial that they don’t care if its your sh*t or you yourself. So, its not Obama but the fungi that run the world actually. And fungus spread by dispersing their spores – which are like seeds in the plants kingdom.

This blog is about a special fungus called Pilobolus. Pilobolus will attain its nirvana if it can decompose a lump of cow dung. Now, being an immobile mushroom, how does it locate the cow dung? Seriously mates, that was the most awesome thing I came across recently.

  1. Pilobolus has evolved a way to shoot its spores out. The spores fly away at 35 feet per second, at a height of six feet, and land as far away as 8 feet on the nearby patch of grass.
  2. A cow might eat that grass together with the spores
  3. The spores are very tough that the cow cannot digest them. They pass through the animal's digestive system and are excreted in the dung, where they will grow again.
  4. The process repeats.

Now, who imparted such an intelligent cycle into the fungus world? Or did they discover it themselves? Where is their brain? Do they have such awareness of the grass and cows and the chemicals inside their intestines?

Me being an atheist, tend to reason things using non-divine theories. And my recent addiction is ‘Emergent Behavior’ theory which comes close to explaining everything. You may do your own research on emergent behavior and I would gladly buy you barrels of beer to discuss it in deep. And someday soon, I hope to exploit this to create a new programming model. Self aware Machines, not too far away.

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  1. UnknownMarch 25, 2009 at 2:43 PM

    what about the cell? where is its brain? How does it know to divide? making a copy of itself? and where is the info stored that when billions of such cells combined together it should be in the shape of .. you, the dog, the fish.. or.. the bird?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 27, 2009 at 6:16 PM

    Hey I can go thru anything for beers, try me :P

    ReplyDelete
  3. Raja SPMarch 30, 2009 at 12:44 PM

    Macbookpro, its no-where stored that millions of cells shall become you and me. And that is the crux of emergent behaviour theory. Read more on the fascinating subject. I would love to discuss this.

    Babul, i reserve the topic for our next beer.

    ReplyDelete

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