• @[email protected]
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      4818 days ago

      There’s a Paul Stamets video where he talks about how mushrooms are so closely related to humans that we both fight off similar pathogens and that is why they are so useful to us for medicine (penicillin for example.)

      • Todd Bonzalez
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        3918 days ago

        In the Paul Stamets TED talk, he never says that humans specifically are genetically close to fungi. He said that between all the different kingdoms of life, animals and fungi were more biologically similar than any other two kingdoms.

        That definitely explains why we can borrow useful defenses from fungi, like antibiotics, but it’s definitely not a reason to believe that our immune systems would have any difficulties differentiating between certain fungi and our own bodies, at least not for reasons related to direct genetic similarities.

        • @[email protected]
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          918 days ago

          You’re right, my word choice makes it seem like I was saying fungi and humans are genetically related. Thanks for clarifying.

        • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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          818 days ago

          There’s an enormous difference between kingdoms, so being more similar still leaves us very far apart.

          • @[email protected]
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            1118 days ago

            That’s true. To even get to the mushroom kingdom you have to jump into a lot of pipes.

          • @captainlezbian
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            317 days ago

            Yeah the similarities make sense when you look at sponges and sea lilies and the like, but the difference between a mushroom and a mammal is incredibly vast

        • @[email protected]
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          518 days ago

          Our immune systems can tell the difference between human blood types. Let alone fungus vs human.

        • @[email protected]
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          1318 days ago

          I was thinking, “he is a real mycologist,” before I figured out to whom you were referring.

            • Stamets
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              215 days ago

              Named after an Astromycologist anyway. I try to distance myself as much as I can from the Union busting real world mushroom man

    • @Shard
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      1318 days ago

      Holy shit. That’s mildly terrifying…

    • @Agent641
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      1218 days ago

      The ol’ bait and switch

    • @Potatisen
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      1218 days ago

      What other great mushroom facts do you have, mystery man?

    • @[email protected]
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      918 days ago

      most of it was bullshit. soon as you start down a taxonomy road you’re fucked with stupidity. most things in nature are on a spectrum.