By Erik Goldman, Editor in Chief
They were the first multicellular organisms to emerge from the oceans and take hold on dry land.
They’ve lived and thrived for ages, molding every environment they touch. They’ve survived ice ages, extinctions, and the most extreme conditions this planet can generate. They underpin the great Web of Life—a web in which we humans are but a thread. “They” are fungi, and they’re the subject of a fascinating new film that reveals much about their vast but little understood kingdom.
Visually magnificent, emotionally touching, and intellectually challenging, Fantastic Fungi explores the fundamental role that mushrooms, molds, and the like have had in shaping the world as we know it. The film also posits the hopeful message that fungi can help us solve some of our most vexing problems.