The Astonishing World of Fungi: Karen Kenney's Book Launch

This past weekend, guests at The Thinking Spot bookstore, celebrated the launch of author Karen’ Latchana Kenney's latest book, a young adult non-fiction work delving deep into the mysterious and essential kingdom of fungi. The event provided a glimpse into the diverse forms, transformative potential, and surprisingly dramatic history of mushrooms, fueled by fascinating insights and hands-on demonstrations.

The Puffball Hook and the Ancient Giant

Karen’s inspiration for the book was highly personal and delightfully strange. After moving from the city to Minnetonka, she spotted a huge white ball in her yard, which she initially mistook for a volleyball. This object, which looked "kind of like a little moon" as it grew, turned out to be a giant puffball mushroom. Her curiosity was sealed when she poked it, and clouds came out of it.

To hook readers, Karen's book starts with the history of the perplexing Prototexites fossil found in Quebec in 1843. For over a century, scientists debated its nature, but research later revealed that this ancient specimen was likely a gigantic extinct fungus that reached heights of over 20 feet tall. This set the stage for exploring the vast scope of the fungal world, which scientists estimate contains between 2.2 million and 12 million different kinds of fungi.

Fungal Nuggets: From Zombies to Wet Computing

The discussion was packed with extraordinary details highlighting the fungi’s transformative role in nature and technology:

• The Humongous Fungus: The largest known organism on Earth is a parasitic fungus in Oregon, spanning 2,400 acres and estimated to be 2,400 years old.

• Controlling the Dead: One of the most captivating topics was the Zombie Ant Fungus (Cordyceps), which infects a carpenter ant, controls its movements, and forces it to climb a specific leaf (about 10 inches off the ground, facing north) where humidity is optimal for the fungus to grow and release spores from the ant's head. Karen confirmed that the mycologist who reviewed her book stated that this is "not at the moment" happening to humans.

• Future Tech: Fungi are influencing the future of computing. Dr. Andy, head of the unconventional computing laboratory, is working on integrating mushrooms with computer systems toward "wet computing," predicting that future computers will be hybrid systems combining wetware, hardware, and software.

• Healing and Cleaning: Fungi have crucial applications in medicine (psilocybin is being studied in assisted therapies for depression and PTSD) and environmental remediation, showing the potential to eat plastics and detoxify water and soil.

• Historical Innovation: Even early American technology benefited from fungi; during the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin suggested using bioluminescent fungus (or "flax fire") to illuminate the controls of the first combat submarine.

Community and Connection

A significant aspect of the launch was the presence of experts from the Minnesota Mycological Society (MMS), including President Peter Martin and mushroom identifier Ronza. They brought along various mushroom specimens, some of which were used to illustrate fungi lifestyles: Saprophytic (like edible oyster mushrooms, which can be grown on a roll of toilet paper), Mycorrhizal (symbiotic with living trees, like truffles), and Parasitic.

Ronza highlighted the importance of mushroom societies, noting that members partner with poison control centers to quickly identify consumed mushrooms, a service that "help[s] save people's lives every year". The enthusiastic dialogue and presence of local experts confirmed the deep community interest in fungi research and provided attendees with a tangible connection to the subject.