Podcast Swap Episode - Rainy Day Rabbit Holes Podcast Humongous Fungus

[00:00:00] Hello there, this is the Tyrant In Training Podcast and I am Kevin. I'm the host and usually this podcast has a guest on every week where they talk about how they would run their own country and they just make whatever decision they would like. Now, I am on holiday this week so what I wanted to do was I had a former guest on a few episodes back called Shea Drury. Shea has her own podcast with her co-host Jodie and what they do is they talk about the kind of weird history of the Pacific Northwest. So you're talking about like bootlegging and bigfoot and like paranormal activity.

[00:00:30] I think there's a ghost still haunting the Hollywood sign and stuff like that. So what I wanted to do is I wanted to throw on one of their episodes which is about a humongous fungus that I believe is a mass murderer. I'm sure it makes complete sense. Here is some out of a context quotes to give an idea of what this episode is about and of course you can follow it, you know, follow their podcast, The Rainy Day Rabbit Holes Podcast wherever you find sexy single podcasts in your area or you can go online and find it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and places like that and they have their own website.

[00:01:00] Rainy Day Rabbit Holes Podcast. So here it is and then we're going to dive into it.

[00:01:05] So have you ever heard of the zombie ant fungus? They asked for pictures from various angles because they were hoping that they could train dolphins to like deliver nuclear weapons.

[00:01:17] Welcome to Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, a uniquely Pacific Northwest podcast.

[00:01:47] I'm Shay.

[00:01:47] And I'm Jodi.

[00:01:48] And on each episode, we take you on a journey through the weird, the wacky and the wonderful tales that make the Pacific Northwest so special.

[00:01:56] So grab your North Face jacket, strap on your Tevas, pour yourself a cup of Northwest roasted coffee, maybe beer, and let's fall down the rabbit hole.

[00:02:08] Jodi, what do you think is the largest creature on earth?

[00:02:12] Oh gosh.

[00:02:13] I think it's a shark whale.

[00:02:15] What if I told you that the world's largest living organism is right here in the Pacific Northwest?

[00:02:22] We have shark whales?

[00:02:23] It's heavier.

[00:02:25] Really?

[00:02:25] Than 200 blue whales.

[00:02:28] Oh dang.

[00:02:28] And might be anywhere from 2,400 years old to 8,700 years old.

[00:02:36] Bonkers, right?

[00:02:36] Bonkers.

[00:02:37] That's quite a broad range.

[00:02:39] So today we are going to talk about Oregon's most fun guy.

[00:02:44] Oh, fun guy.

[00:02:45] I love fun guy.

[00:02:46] The humongous fungus.

[00:02:48] Finally.

[00:02:49] All right.

[00:02:50] You ready for this?

[00:02:51] I'm ready.

[00:02:51] I am a fungus lover.

[00:02:54] I'm a hiker, so hiking in the Northwest.

[00:02:57] Just wait until the end of this.

[00:02:59] All right.

[00:02:59] Here we go.

[00:03:00] Is that good or bad?

[00:03:01] That is ominous.

[00:03:01] I don't even know how I feel about that yet.

[00:03:04] I'm sure a lot of you listeners are outdoorsy types.

[00:03:09] Like me, I like to drink my wine on the patio.

[00:03:12] Hey, I drink wine anywhere.

[00:03:14] Patio.

[00:03:14] I'll drink my wine in the woods.

[00:03:16] Or a mountain peak.

[00:03:17] I'm sure you enjoy a stroll through the woods.

[00:03:20] And I'm sure while you're hiking, you're just taking in the beauty of nature.

[00:03:26] The sun shining through the trees.

[00:03:29] The breeze fluttering the leaves.

[00:03:32] Oh, I want to go.

[00:03:33] But I bet you don't stop to think about the possibility that you might be walking on a connected network of fungus that has spread over almost four miles and loves to kill.

[00:03:48] Kill.

[00:03:49] But now you're going to.

[00:03:52] Am I about to ruin hiking?

[00:03:54] No, you're not.

[00:03:55] I already knew about these things.

[00:03:57] So while I'm hiking, I imagine these things beneath my feet.

[00:04:01] Do you?

[00:04:01] Yeah.

[00:04:02] No, I never did, but I will now.

[00:04:04] I'm not a mycologist, but I am one at heart.

[00:04:08] And I have at least one grandkid who just also we just go hiking and look at mushrooms.

[00:04:14] We found so many of these beautiful purple ones once.

[00:04:16] I can't wait for this episode.

[00:04:17] It's going to be amazing.

[00:04:17] Go.

[00:04:18] So located in the northeastern portion of the.

[00:04:21] I can't pronounce this.

[00:04:22] The Malheur.

[00:04:24] It's M-A-L-H-E-U-R.

[00:04:26] Malheur.

[00:04:27] Let's just go Malheur.

[00:04:28] I like Malheur.

[00:04:28] Malheur.

[00:04:29] So located in the northeastern portion of the Malheur National Forest in the Blue Mountains

[00:04:33] of eastern Oregon is one of the most intriguing things I think you could find in Oregon.

[00:04:39] It's a honey mushroom colony that has spread out under the topsoil, covers almost four square

[00:04:46] miles and might weigh as much as 35,000 tons.

[00:04:53] Can you imagine?

[00:04:55] A team of science hippies discovered the giant Armillaria oistiae.

[00:05:03] That's the Latin name for it, which I'm sure I butchered.

[00:05:05] In 1998, when they set out to map the population of this pathogenic fungus in eastern Oregon.

[00:05:14] Origin?

[00:05:15] I was going to say wait.

[00:05:16] Oregon.

[00:05:18] They used science magic like DNA fingerprinting to determine that this giant monster of a

[00:05:25] fungus is indeed one massive orgasm.

[00:05:28] I mean organism.

[00:05:30] Well, I mean, if we're going to dive into the parts of a fungus, it might be one giant.

[00:05:36] Right?

[00:05:36] But anyway, question.

[00:05:38] Did they think that this was multiple but then discovered they were all really connected underground?

[00:05:43] So they had found several large colonies of this one genus of fungus.

[00:05:52] And they took samples and they actually mapped out the genome of this fungus and discovered

[00:05:59] that it is genetically identical throughout this whole region.

[00:06:03] And it's actually one of five large colonies in that area.

[00:06:09] This is just the largest.

[00:06:10] Okay, let's keep going.

[00:06:10] Yes.

[00:06:11] It's a nasty beast.

[00:06:12] This one causes a deadly root disease that kills swaths of conifers.

[00:06:18] Oh, no.

[00:06:19] That's science hippie for evergreen trees, by the way.

[00:06:22] Right.

[00:06:22] So it's not one.

[00:06:23] I mean, fungus typically are doing good things.

[00:06:25] This is not.

[00:06:26] Well, fungus also break things down.

[00:06:29] Dead things usually.

[00:06:30] Well, they also make things dead.

[00:06:32] Clearly.

[00:06:32] It grows along tree roots, forming large mats of fine filaments or hyphae that excrete digestive enzymes.

[00:06:42] Yeah, this is turning into a horror story.

[00:06:45] Then it extends rhizomorphs, these flat shoestring-like tendrils that expand the fungus's network even more.

[00:06:53] So this network is called the mycelium.

[00:06:56] Mm-hmm.

[00:06:57] And I do believe that it was the basis of the mycelium network that the Star Trek Discovery ship uses to travel for you.

[00:07:05] Oh, my God.

[00:07:05] Fellow Star Trek nerds out there.

[00:07:08] So they based it on?

[00:07:09] Yes.

[00:07:10] There's some, I don't remember.

[00:07:11] It's been a while, but there's like, they find this giant tardigrade that can use the mycelial network to travel through space or something.

[00:07:23] I don't know.

[00:07:24] I can't remember.

[00:07:25] It's.

[00:07:25] Who knew my love for hiking and nature?

[00:07:28] Was connected to Star Trek.

[00:07:29] Holy cow.

[00:07:30] Look at us.

[00:07:31] We like connected our loves.

[00:07:34] So you might be wondering what makes this one organism?

[00:07:40] Well, the science hippies have debated this.

[00:07:43] And what they landed on is, quote, it is one set of genetically identical cells that are in communication with one another that have a sort of common purpose or can at least coordinate themselves to do something, says Tom Volk, a biology professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

[00:08:02] And so this mission for this fungus is to kill things?

[00:08:06] Well, I mean, it's killing things for food.

[00:08:09] Right, right.

[00:08:09] Right, right.

[00:08:10] So I don't think it's going like, I'm just going to kill.

[00:08:13] Well.

[00:08:14] But yes, it kills.

[00:08:15] It's a parasitic fungus.

[00:08:16] There's debate on that, actually.

[00:08:18] Well, it is killing them.

[00:08:18] The communication that these.

[00:08:21] Well, we'll get into that.

[00:08:22] Yes, yes.

[00:08:22] Okay.

[00:08:23] That's part of.

[00:08:24] It's down the road.

[00:08:25] Okay, okay.

[00:08:26] Jumping ahead.

[00:08:26] For a few weeks a year.

[00:08:27] Jumping ahead.

[00:08:28] It fruits an innocent looking honey brown cap that looks remarkably like a stumpy penis.

[00:08:33] A chode, if you will.

[00:08:35] Because it kind of is.

[00:08:36] That's the sex organ of a...

[00:08:37] A spore boner.

[00:08:39] A spore boner, yes.

[00:08:40] Yes.

[00:08:40] It's edible.

[00:08:42] And then it fades back into the dark, loamy soil.

[00:08:46] Then the fungus spreads underneath the bark and kills the tree over 20 to 50 years.

[00:08:53] So this forest is literally dying in slow motion.

[00:08:57] Oh, that's awful.

[00:08:58] Each shoestring rhizome expands at a rate of 0.7 to 3.3 feet per year, making the possibility

[00:09:07] of this monster taking over the world in 40,000 years of possibility.

[00:09:12] Taking over the world?

[00:09:13] Now, I know this because...

[00:09:15] Oh my gosh, this is like one of those sidebar horror films.

[00:09:18] Right?

[00:09:19] It's like The Last of Us.

[00:09:20] They based The Last of Us on this fungus.

[00:09:24] Oh, got it.

[00:09:25] Okay.

[00:09:26] Now, obviously, this fungus cannot infect humans, but...

[00:09:30] Yet.

[00:09:30] We're going to get into some funguses that can infect...

[00:09:33] Well, and how smart funguses are.

[00:09:35] Okay.

[00:09:36] So I did...

[00:09:37] I know this is possible because I did a single math.

[00:09:41] A single what?

[00:09:42] A math.

[00:09:43] Don't check it.

[00:09:45] I'm sure it's correct because...

[00:09:46] A single math.

[00:09:47] A single math.

[00:09:49] Do you mean...

[00:09:50] Because besides being a historian, a comedian, a geologist, and a bird nerd...

[00:09:57] A bird nerd?

[00:09:58] Bird nerd.

[00:09:59] I'm a magician.

[00:10:00] I mean, a math...

[00:10:02] Magician.

[00:10:03] Maybe you're both.

[00:10:04] Maybe you're a math magician.

[00:10:05] And now, I'm also a mycologist, a.k.a. a mushroom nerd.

[00:10:12] Oh, yes.

[00:10:13] I'm with you.

[00:10:14] Let's link arms and nerd out.

[00:10:17] Let's do it.

[00:10:18] Let's all lick a toadstool.

[00:10:19] Now.

[00:10:19] No, no.

[00:10:20] Let's go.

[00:10:20] I never eat them.

[00:10:21] I always look up, is this edible?

[00:10:23] Yeah, that's great.

[00:10:24] It's edible.

[00:10:24] Bye.

[00:10:25] You live out your life.

[00:10:26] Yeah.

[00:10:26] You're good to go.

[00:10:27] Well, the problem is, is that most...

[00:10:29] A lot of edible mushrooms have a poisonous lookalike.

[00:10:33] And you'll have to know how to figure out, how to identify which one is.

[00:10:36] So I actually, sidebar here, went on training mission with mycologist.

[00:10:41] A training mission?

[00:10:42] Yes.

[00:10:42] Nice.

[00:10:43] So we went out foraging for mushrooms.

[00:10:45] They explained everything to us.

[00:10:46] And it turns out most mushrooms are edible.

[00:10:49] Most of them will not kill you.

[00:10:52] Most.

[00:10:52] But also, most of them will make you sick because the cellular makeup around the outside

[00:10:59] of it is really hard for your stomach to break down.

[00:11:02] So you'll have symptoms of being ill.

[00:11:04] But it's mostly from that and that it's not really poisonous.

[00:11:08] But yes, you're right.

[00:11:09] The lookalike is a major problem.

[00:11:11] Yes.

[00:11:12] I read a funny little clip.

[00:11:13] Don't remember where.

[00:11:14] And it said, all mushrooms are edible, but some mushrooms are only edible once.

[00:11:19] Yes, yes, yes.

[00:11:20] And it's not very many, oddly.

[00:11:22] I mean, we all...

[00:11:22] It's a funny part of the first right out of the gate with this mission was, yes, there

[00:11:26] are poisonous mushrooms.

[00:11:27] We seem to have this idea that all of them are poisonous, only a few are edible.

[00:11:31] It is exactly the opposite.

[00:11:33] So...

[00:11:33] Yeah, but I still think that you should be really clear on your identification before you

[00:11:38] pop a mushroom in your mouth.

[00:11:39] And some of them have to be cooked before you can eat them or they will make you sick.

[00:11:43] Most of them, he said, should be cooked.

[00:11:45] Almost all of them.

[00:11:45] Like I've been eating one of those button mushrooms or whatever, raw forever.

[00:11:49] That's about it.

[00:11:50] But he said most of them will make you ill if you do not cook them first.

[00:11:54] Raw mushrooms make me fart like ever.

[00:11:57] Oh my God.

[00:11:58] Okay.

[00:11:58] Let's move on.

[00:11:59] Going on.

[00:11:59] Moving on.

[00:12:00] Shay's gas problem.

[00:12:02] So...

[00:12:02] And you know what?

[00:12:03] It's not because she drives an SUV.

[00:12:05] It's because she eats mushrooms.

[00:12:07] I have many gas problems.

[00:12:10] Our humongous fungus isn't the only big fungi in the woods.

[00:12:14] Like I said before, it is simply the largest of five individual non-contiguous and genetically

[00:12:20] distinct occurrences of Armilia oistiae in the Mahler forest.

[00:12:25] There is also another Armilia...

[00:12:27] Armilia...

[00:12:30] Armilari...

[00:12:30] Whatever.

[00:12:31] You know what I said.

[00:12:32] Colony in Michigan that is almost as big as the Mall of America.

[00:12:36] Oh man.

[00:12:38] Now this one is a different species.

[00:12:41] It's Armilaria gallica, but it still produces honey mushroom fruiting bodies.

[00:12:48] So let's get a little bit nerdy about fungi here.

[00:12:51] I love it.

[00:12:52] Now that's another thing.

[00:12:53] Go girl.

[00:12:53] Okay.

[00:12:54] I listened to a podcast that had a mycologist on it and it was fungi is how they said it.

[00:13:00] But then everywhere else it's fungi or fungi.

[00:13:04] Oh really?

[00:13:05] So...

[00:13:05] What do you mean everywhere else?

[00:13:06] Like where else are you looking?

[00:13:07] Well, I watched this amazing...

[00:13:10] I have a favorite YouTuber.

[00:13:12] It's Zee Frank.

[00:13:13] He does the True Facts videos and he did one that I'm going to mention here in a bit and

[00:13:18] he calls it fungi.

[00:13:19] And then if you look up how do you pronounce it, it's all fungi.

[00:13:23] Hmm.

[00:13:24] So is it regional?

[00:13:25] Is it fungi, fungi, or fungi?

[00:13:28] I say fungi.

[00:13:30] Okay.

[00:13:31] But I don't know why.

[00:13:32] How about we're all right and none of us are wrong?

[00:13:34] I agree with that.

[00:13:35] Let's do it.

[00:13:35] A hundred percent.

[00:13:35] What does it matter?

[00:13:37] It's like an accent really, right?

[00:13:38] Tomato, tomato, potato.

[00:13:40] Tomato, tomato.

[00:13:40] I don't care.

[00:13:41] Except for you're weird when you say tomato.

[00:13:45] Although most people think of fungi as a mushroom, the mushroom is basically just its reproductive

[00:13:54] organs.

[00:13:55] The real hot bod is the mycelium, these web-like bodies of rhizomorphs and hyphae.

[00:14:01] They can range in size from microscopic to our big beefy buddy in Oregon.

[00:14:07] And they aren't just big dumb blobs.

[00:14:10] They can walk and talk.

[00:14:11] Yes.

[00:14:12] They grow by extending the tips of the rhizomorphs through the substrate like rotting wood or

[00:14:16] soil, and they can communicate through chemical signals.

[00:14:20] They are constantly responding to the chemicals around them, learning, making decisions, and

[00:14:25] releasing chemicals to basically speak.

[00:14:28] They can actively interpret a chemical's meaning depending on the context and in relation to

[00:14:35] other chemicals.

[00:14:36] So each mycelial tip acts almost like an autonomous individual, but also like a bee where it belongs

[00:14:45] to a colony.

[00:14:46] So research by Andrew Adamatsky, a professor of unconventional computing at the University

[00:14:53] of West England in Bristol, suggests that the movement of chemicals, nutrients, and electrical

[00:14:58] impulses flowing through the mycelium is basically a form of language.

[00:15:04] They use this language to find mates.

[00:15:07] Many fungi are horny apparently.

[00:15:10] Very.

[00:15:10] It's like what they start out to do.

[00:15:12] Yeah.

[00:15:13] They send out pheromones to attract whatever kind of mate that a fungus might find sexy,

[00:15:18] and then they communicate to negotiate that relationship.

[00:15:22] Do you think bigger is better?

[00:15:23] When they're out looking?

[00:15:24] Like...

[00:15:25] Bigger, better?

[00:15:26] Do you think they're more attractive?

[00:15:27] We have a better spore.

[00:15:30] It's not...

[00:15:31] It's not...

[00:15:31] You make...

[00:15:32] Look, you make a really big mushroom.

[00:15:34] I like it.

[00:15:35] It's not the size of the spore.

[00:15:36] Oh, I promised I was going to do better.

[00:15:38] It's the motion of the trees.

[00:15:41] I don't know.

[00:15:43] So...

[00:15:43] It's the quality.

[00:15:44] Exactly.

[00:15:46] When they get too big, they're kind of woody.

[00:15:50] Yeah, I'd imagine a little less appetizing.

[00:15:54] Fungal mating takes many forms, which we won't get into here, but suffice it to say, it's

[00:15:59] probably really kinky.

[00:16:01] They can even...

[00:16:02] Well, have you seen the myocytes?

[00:16:03] They're very kinky.

[00:16:05] The webbing underneath?

[00:16:07] Oh, yeah.

[00:16:08] Oh, God.

[00:16:09] Got a ride again.

[00:16:10] They can even get down with themselves.

[00:16:13] Some fungi are homothallic and can reproduce even solo.

[00:16:17] Oh, my God.

[00:16:19] Fungi even form mutually beneficial relationships.

[00:16:24] The fungi will combine their mycelium with plant roots, and as a result, the fungi make

[00:16:29] it easier for the trees to get more nutrients and moisture from the soil, and the fungi get

[00:16:34] to access the sugars from the trees.

[00:16:38] Symbiotic relationship.

[00:16:40] So the world of fungi is incredible, and we could talk about it all day, but that's not

[00:16:45] really Pacific Northwest specific, so we won't.

[00:16:48] We won't.

[00:16:48] Yeah.

[00:16:48] I mean, there's hours and hours on Netflix about it.

[00:16:51] Exactly.

[00:16:52] But before we get back to our buddy, the humongous fungus.

[00:16:55] Which is not on there, by the way.

[00:16:56] So you're only going to find that information here on this podcast.

[00:16:59] You will not find that on the Netflix.

[00:17:01] I had a hard time finding videos and podcasts about it.

[00:17:05] I only found one.

[00:17:06] This is a unique fungi we are talking about.

[00:17:10] This podcast was by a bunch of people who are really into mushrooms, and it did get a little

[00:17:14] boring, and I'm not going to name it.

[00:17:16] I mean, it just depends on who you are.

[00:17:17] I know.

[00:17:18] I was probably all in.

[00:17:19] I'm going to have to get that from you.

[00:17:21] I don't think that you...

[00:17:23] Me and the grandkid will listen to it on our way to our hike.

[00:17:26] It had really bad audio quality.

[00:17:28] Oh.

[00:17:28] It was like they were podcasting in a tin can.

[00:17:30] I feel like you're judging.

[00:17:31] I'm so judging.

[00:17:32] Because you're so much better than other people.

[00:17:34] I mean, that's true.

[00:17:35] You said it, not me.

[00:17:36] This quality that you're hearing right now is directly related to shit.

[00:17:42] But first, if you like the show, can you please make like a spore and spread our podcast?

[00:17:51] What?

[00:17:52] I told you this one's going to be full of puns.

[00:17:53] I like a mycologist over there.

[00:17:56] That's right.

[00:17:56] You can help us reproduce by telling your friends about the show.

[00:18:01] So send them to our website, rainydayrabbitholes.com.

[00:18:07] And from there, they can spread themselves throughout the world and listen wherever they want.

[00:18:14] Hey, friends.

[00:18:16] It's your girl Shay here.

[00:18:17] Hey, I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a podcast that I recently discovered.

[00:18:23] Now, you've probably already heard me talk about it.

[00:18:26] You've probably already heard us play her trailer on this show.

[00:18:30] But I really want you guys to go check out Ireland Crimes and Mysteries with my new friend, Nules.

[00:18:39] It is a true crime podcast that showcases really, really great stories from Irish history of crimes and mysterious disappearances.

[00:18:50] It's really, really well produced.

[00:18:52] And Nules is such a good storyteller.

[00:18:55] I have just been enjoying her podcast so much.

[00:18:59] And I've really been enjoying my new friendship with Nules.

[00:19:02] So please listen to this trailer and then go check out Ireland Crimes and Mysteries on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:19:13] And then also you can find her socials on Facebook, Instagram, you know, the usual.

[00:19:19] All right.

[00:19:20] Thanks so much, guys.

[00:19:23] Ireland Crimes and Mysteries.

[00:19:26] Welcome to Ireland Crimes and Mysteries.

[00:19:29] The podcast that delves deep into the haunting true stories of Irish crimes and unexplained disappearances.

[00:19:36] From the pages of history to the recent past, I bring you the compelling narratives that have both shattered and fascinated the Emerald Isle.

[00:19:46] Join me every fourth night on Sunday evenings at 7pm Greenwich Mean Time as I embark on a journey to uncover a different story each time.

[00:19:55] With the help of family members and friends in some episodes, I paint a vivid picture of who these individuals truly were.

[00:20:02] Their aspirations for the future and the deep love they shared with their loved ones before everything changed forever.

[00:20:11] So mark your calendars and join me, your host Nules, and follow my channel, Ireland Crimes and Mysteries, in order to never miss an episode.

[00:20:20] Together, let's shed light on the lesser known aspects of Ireland's past and explore the mysteries that still haunt its present.

[00:20:28] So keep your eyes open and your mind curious and don't miss out on a single episode of Ireland Crimes and Mysteries,

[00:20:35] part of the Spreaker Prime Network, part of the Spreaker Prime Network, and also available on all major podcast platforms.

[00:20:42] You can also follow me on my socials over on Instagram, Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and TikTok, to keep up to date with all my latest stories.

[00:20:53] Ireland Crimes and Mysteries

[00:20:55] So, have you ever heard of the zombie ant fungus?

[00:21:04] No.

[00:21:05] This is just a sidebar, has nothing to do with Pacific Northwest, but it has to do with fungus.

[00:21:08] So, you need to go on YouTube and subscribe to Z Frank.

[00:21:14] It's Z-E Frank.

[00:21:16] And he does this whole-

[00:21:18] Z Frank.

[00:21:18] Z Frank.

[00:21:18] He does a whole series about different stuff called True Facts.

[00:21:22] And this one is True Facts, fungi that control the insects they eat.

[00:21:27] Yeah.

[00:21:27] Now, I cannot pronounce this.

[00:21:28] Let me try.

[00:21:32] Ophicordyceps unilaterous.

[00:21:33] That wasn't too bad.

[00:21:34] Fungus found in tropical forests infects ants through spores, and it takes over.

[00:21:40] The fungus slowly penetrates the ant's exoskeleton.

[00:21:45] And as it's literally eating the ant alive, it alters the ant's behavior so that it is compelled to leave its nest for a microclimate that is more favorable to the fungus's growth.

[00:21:59] Then, it is compelled to bite into a leaf about 10 inches off the ground and just wait.

[00:22:09] It can't let go.

[00:22:12] Meanwhile, the fungus eats the ant's thorax away, and then it sends a spore boner through its head.

[00:22:21] I mean, fruiting body.

[00:22:23] Wow.

[00:22:23] This is very violent.

[00:22:25] Who knew fungi was violent?

[00:22:26] With a cap full of spores, and then the spores rain down on the forest floor on all of the ants that are busy working down there, and the process starts again.

[00:22:40] That is so creepy.

[00:22:41] That is so creepy.

[00:22:42] I've not heard of that actual process, but they do use fungi for pest control all the time.

[00:22:50] It's like natural and fascinating to me.

[00:22:53] Well, I have one more.

[00:22:54] I have one more creepy.

[00:22:55] It invades these things, and then they take it home.

[00:22:57] I have one more creepy one.

[00:22:58] Go for it.

[00:22:58] To talk about it.

[00:22:59] It's in this video.

[00:22:59] That's one thing about fungi.

[00:23:00] I love fungi, and I find it fascinating, but it is freaking creepy.

[00:23:05] It is creepy.

[00:23:05] It is so creepy.

[00:23:06] So there is one that takes over a specific species of fly, and as it eats the fly's thorax, it will avoid the important internal organs, and it will slowly replace the fly's thorax with itself.

[00:23:23] Oh, my goodness.

[00:23:26] So wait, so it's like a disconnected self.

[00:23:29] Like is it a whole new self?

[00:23:30] Because they're no longer connected, right?

[00:23:32] Because like the mushroom is all connected.

[00:23:34] Yeah, no.

[00:23:35] I mean, this is just a fungus.

[00:23:37] Right, right.

[00:23:37] Right, so now it's disconnected and off spreading somewhere else.

[00:23:41] Right.

[00:23:41] Wow.

[00:23:42] So this is part of the way it reproduces.

[00:23:44] So it's eating the fly's fat, and then it leaves the internal organs alone so that the fly will continue to live while it eats everything around it and replaces the fly's thorax with itself.

[00:24:00] And then when it's ready, it engulfs the rest of the fly and grows these little spore cannons on the fly's back and then shoots them off.

[00:24:13] But it gets worse.

[00:24:15] Spore cannons.

[00:24:15] Oh, my God.

[00:24:16] As this is happening, it excretes sexual pheromones, which attract other flies.

[00:24:22] Right.

[00:24:23] They come in and try to mate with this corpse of the infected fly.

[00:24:28] And while they're doing that, those little spore cannons spooge all over that fly.

[00:24:35] And it takes it home.

[00:24:37] And it becomes infected.

[00:24:40] Right, right.

[00:24:40] And then this just keeps going.

[00:24:42] Right.

[00:24:42] Does it spread from fly to fly, like if they're around?

[00:24:45] I don't know.

[00:24:46] I don't know.

[00:24:46] Or does it have to get it from the fungi?

[00:24:48] That's pretty gross.

[00:24:48] That's so gross.

[00:24:49] It's so...

[00:24:50] It's so gross.

[00:24:51] It's so alien-ish to me.

[00:24:53] It is.

[00:24:53] It's so extraterrestrial when I think about fungi.

[00:24:57] I don't know why.

[00:24:57] It's just different than all of the other things that we know about.

[00:25:00] I don't know.

[00:25:01] Yeah.

[00:25:02] It is very, very extraterrestrial to me.

[00:25:05] It is creepy.

[00:25:06] Okay.

[00:25:07] I mean, these things have brains and they don't have brains.

[00:25:09] I know.

[00:25:10] They have thought processes without brains.

[00:25:12] I don't know what to do with it.

[00:25:13] My brain can't.

[00:25:14] Yeah.

[00:25:14] We have a hard time.

[00:25:16] The concept of it is really difficult to get.

[00:25:20] Yeah.

[00:25:20] We have a hard time dealing with any sort of intelligence that doesn't work the same as ours.

[00:25:26] Anyway.

[00:25:27] Okay.

[00:25:28] All right.

[00:25:28] Let's get back to the humongous fungus in Oregon.

[00:25:31] What's his name again?

[00:25:32] The humongous fungus.

[00:25:33] Well, I mean like the...

[00:25:34] You want me to try to say that again?

[00:25:35] Never mind.

[00:25:35] Never mind.

[00:25:36] Never mind.

[00:25:36] Off the hook.

[00:25:37] You're off the hook.

[00:25:38] You're off the hook.

[00:25:38] Thank you.

[00:25:38] I cannot pronounce that.

[00:25:40] It's bad.

[00:25:41] And I listened to it being pronounced like 15 times and still can't do it.

[00:25:45] Oh, you know what you should have done?

[00:25:46] You should have recorded that and then you could just insert it every time.

[00:25:50] Right.

[00:25:51] I should.

[00:25:52] Oh, you know what?

[00:25:52] I'll just...

[00:25:53] That's what I'll do.

[00:25:54] Like the clip of it.

[00:26:10] Living orgasm on earth.

[00:26:12] I'm organizing.

[00:26:13] I was...

[00:26:13] Sorry.

[00:26:15] Whoops.

[00:26:16] The other would be hard to write, I think, to quantify.

[00:26:20] The largest...

[00:26:21] Isn't there something about like dolphins have orgasms that are like hours long or something

[00:26:27] like that?

[00:26:27] Oh my gosh.

[00:26:28] That seems like they need some glucose.

[00:26:29] And they're super horny.

[00:26:31] Dolphins are super horny.

[00:26:33] They are.

[00:26:33] I mean, I heard about all the people getting attacked by dolphins and it's just the male dolphin

[00:26:37] trying to hump something.

[00:26:38] They have had these things in Florida for a while or maybe the Bahamas.

[00:26:42] I don't know where the dolphin would jump out onto the dock where you are and hump you

[00:26:46] and then jump back in.

[00:26:48] And I'm like...

[00:26:48] And you pay for that?

[00:26:49] You pay for that service.

[00:26:51] Well, did you hear about the...

[00:26:53] I think it was...

[00:26:54] His name was John C. Lilly.

[00:26:55] He was this researcher that was paid by the government to do research on dolphins because

[00:27:03] they were hoping that they could train dolphins to like deliver nuclear weapons to submarines.

[00:27:08] Oh, good golly.

[00:27:09] So he went down to the Bahamas and had this research facility and he would give dolphins

[00:27:14] LSD first off.

[00:27:17] And then he had this research assistant that would live with the dolphin and the dolphin

[00:27:22] Like in the water?

[00:27:23] Well, the dolphin was basically living in like waist deep water, which is terrible.

[00:27:27] So the researcher could get in there, but the researcher literally had like a cot in

[00:27:31] the room and she would paint her...

[00:27:34] They were trying to teach dolphins English first off.

[00:27:38] She would paint her face black and then paint her mouth white so it was easier to see her

[00:27:44] forming the words.

[00:27:45] But this male dolphin was very restless and he wouldn't settle down to do these training

[00:27:53] sessions until he had a little release.

[00:27:57] You need to get that out of the way.

[00:27:58] And they discovered because he kept rubbing up on her legs.

[00:28:03] And so finally, I guess this researcher told her like, just give him what he wants.

[00:28:10] And she would jerk this dolphin off.

[00:28:11] So give him a handy?

[00:28:12] She would give this dolphin a hand job so that he would settle down.

[00:28:17] God, is that legal?

[00:28:19] I think this was like the 60s or 70s when all the really fun stuff was happening and government

[00:28:25] funded research.

[00:28:27] And this actually has a really sad ending because that dolphin became emotionally attached to

[00:28:35] that researcher.

[00:28:36] And when they defunded the project and they put the dolphin somewhere else, he committed suicide.

[00:28:43] Oh my gosh.

[00:28:44] He was in love with a woman?

[00:28:46] He was in love with that woman.

[00:28:47] Human woman.

[00:28:47] And he became depressed and he drowned himself because dolphins can drown themselves.

[00:28:51] Isn't that sad?

[00:28:52] Oh my God.

[00:28:53] The moral of the story is don't jerk off a dolphin.

[00:28:56] Okay.

[00:28:57] Let's get back to fungus.

[00:28:59] Moral of the story, don't jerk off a dolphin.

[00:29:02] I mean, there are a lot of dolphins that want that, I heard.

[00:29:07] Look at me.

[00:29:07] I'm a predator today.

[00:29:09] Oh my God.

[00:29:11] I've seen the videos where they jump out, hump somebody and jump back in the water.

[00:29:17] I haven't a hard time.

[00:29:19] No, I'm just kidding.

[00:29:20] Okay.

[00:29:21] We're moving on from giving handjobs to dolphins.

[00:29:25] Again, we digress.

[00:29:27] Okay.

[00:29:28] So like I was saying, there is some debate about calling humongous fungus the largest living

[00:29:34] organism on the planet.

[00:29:35] In the Fishland National Forest in Utah, there is a colony of male populous tremulodes.

[00:29:44] Populous tremulodes.

[00:29:46] Sure.

[00:29:46] Trembling aspen is what they're known as or quaking aspen.

[00:29:51] It consists of over 47,000 genetically identical trees sharing a collective root system.

[00:29:58] The individual trees are around 135 years old, but the root system is believed to be 80,000

[00:30:07] years old.

[00:30:08] Holy.

[00:30:09] I can't even grasp that concept.

[00:30:11] So you can look this up.

[00:30:13] They, there's a name for it.

[00:30:14] They name him Pando.

[00:30:16] This is a male.

[00:30:18] It's a male aspen tree.

[00:30:20] And that's the Latin word that means I spread.

[00:30:23] It occupies approximately 106 acres and is estimated to weigh six tons or 13.2 million pounds.

[00:30:32] Unfortunately, Pando is dying due to a combination of factors, including drought, grazing, and fire

[00:30:38] suppression.

[00:30:39] So they're trying to help Pando right now, but it, a lot of the trees are diseased and

[00:30:45] dying.

[00:30:45] Oh, that is very sad.

[00:30:48] Especially something so, I mean, that's gotta be older than anything.

[00:30:52] Yeah.

[00:30:52] Except for there.

[00:30:53] So basically.

[00:30:54] It's gotta be older than anything but the earth.

[00:30:55] It spreads by cloning itself and a new tree will come up when an old tree dies and it's

[00:31:01] just a clone.

[00:31:02] So it's genetically identical and they're all connected.

[00:31:05] So they consider it to be one organism.

[00:31:07] How do I do this?

[00:31:09] I want to do this.

[00:31:10] What?

[00:31:11] Keep replicating myself and living forever.

[00:31:19] You'd be dangerous.

[00:31:21] Right?

[00:31:21] All right.

[00:31:22] I mean, I'm getting so old now that I'm like, oh shoot.

[00:31:25] Oh my God.

[00:31:26] You're not getting.

[00:31:27] I know you just had a birthday, but you're not so old.

[00:31:30] Good grief.

[00:31:30] Well, I mean, I gotta start counting the years.

[00:31:32] I gotta make sure I finish.

[00:31:33] I gotta start hitting the checklist.

[00:31:36] For sure.

[00:31:37] Well, if starting a podcast was on your checklist now.

[00:31:40] It wasn't.

[00:31:41] But man, it should have been all along.

[00:31:44] I know.

[00:31:45] All right.

[00:31:45] Back to Oregon.

[00:31:47] If you are hiking in the Mahler National Forest and you want to actually like set your eyeballs

[00:31:52] on this amazing natural phenomenon, what do you look for?

[00:31:55] Well, the mushroom boners usually only appear, because it is, usually only appear when the-

[00:32:01] It's literally what Keith and I do when we're walking.

[00:32:03] Mushroom boner.

[00:32:04] Do you say that?

[00:32:05] Yeah.

[00:32:06] Oh my God.

[00:32:07] I did not know that.

[00:32:08] Because we are just as immature and stupid as you.

[00:32:10] Yes.

[00:32:11] That's why we love each other.

[00:32:12] We were meant to be together.

[00:32:13] That's why we are family.

[00:32:14] That's why in my birthday card to you, it sounded like we were married.

[00:32:18] Yes.

[00:32:18] It said to my best friend and partner in crime.

[00:32:22] Which is what everybody writes about their spouse.

[00:32:23] Crime in life.

[00:32:24] Yes.

[00:32:25] This podcast is a crime.

[00:32:29] For sure.

[00:32:30] Yes.

[00:32:31] I mean, it is a crime to my reputation when I listen to it.

[00:32:34] I know.

[00:32:34] I'm like, oh my God.

[00:32:35] Most people would not know I have this in me.

[00:32:38] I keep that to myself.

[00:32:39] And here I am blasting into the world that I have this bad sense of humor and mouth.

[00:32:45] And you like to hang out with teenage boys.

[00:32:48] Sorry.

[00:32:49] This is my home attitude.

[00:32:51] Blasted to the community.

[00:32:52] This is what I do when I shut the door.

[00:32:56] Okay.

[00:32:57] All right.

[00:32:57] We have to.

[00:32:58] Go ahead.

[00:32:58] We have to.

[00:32:59] We have to.

[00:32:59] All right.

[00:33:00] Like I was saying, our mushroom boners usually only appear when the weather is cool and damp.

[00:33:04] And they will be places where the wood is rotting around the base of trees, stumps, and fallen logs.

[00:33:10] They are always in a cluster.

[00:33:12] The golden caps have little hair-like fuzzy speck things.

[00:33:17] And while they are edible, you need to be really good at mushroom identification because there is a lookalike called the deadly gallerina that looks a lot like the honey mushroom.

[00:33:29] And it grows in similar habitats and their seasons overlap.

[00:33:32] And do not ask me how to tell them apart because I am not that.

[00:33:35] I am really not a mushroom nerd.

[00:33:37] I strongly, if you, anyone who's thinking about going out hunting mushrooms and eating them, there are apps.

[00:33:44] Use them.

[00:33:46] Yeah.

[00:33:46] 100%.

[00:33:46] Use them.

[00:33:47] They take, they ask for pictures from various angles and ensure that you are able to eat that.

[00:33:53] Yeah.

[00:33:54] Yeah.

[00:33:54] Don't do that.

[00:33:55] Don't make yourself sick.

[00:33:56] I do have a doctor that I worked with and they had an entire family show up.

[00:34:02] Very, very ill.

[00:34:03] Most of them did die.

[00:34:04] Grandma went out foraging for mushrooms and then made a soup or stew or something.

[00:34:09] Oh, my God.

[00:34:09] And most of the family did die.

[00:34:11] So, and it looked like a very common mushroom that you would put in your soups and stews.

[00:34:15] But it was not that one.

[00:34:16] But it was a lookalike.

[00:34:17] So, very, very important.

[00:34:19] Take your app with you.

[00:34:20] That's a good way to, quote, unquote, accidentally kill your family that you don't want anymore.

[00:34:25] I mean, yeah.

[00:34:27] Oops.

[00:34:28] I just didn't know.

[00:34:30] You have to just invite only those people.

[00:34:32] You can only have family dinner with those people.

[00:34:36] How weird.

[00:34:37] She didn't invite anyone she liked.

[00:34:39] So, when there are no fruiting bodies or mushroom boners, you might see wood decay on living trees.

[00:34:46] And they might be trying to push the fungus out through the sap around the soil line.

[00:34:51] And I saw pictures of it and it was like kind of acid orange looking.

[00:34:55] It was not normal looking.

[00:34:57] So weird the colors that can come from fungi.

[00:34:58] You might also see the white fan-like layers of mycelia between the bark and the wood.

[00:35:05] And word to the wise, don't even think about trying to grow honey mushrooms in your yard.

[00:35:09] This is an invasive parasitic fungus that will kill trees.

[00:35:14] Plus, from what I was reading, honey mushrooms have to be super well cooked.

[00:35:18] And they have a compound in them that make them super slimy when they're cooked.

[00:35:23] So, maybe you just skip the honey mushrooms.

[00:35:26] I don't know.

[00:35:26] That sounds really unpleasant.

[00:35:27] I mean, observe it.

[00:35:28] Observe it only.

[00:35:29] And like we said before, remember all mushrooms are edible, but some mushrooms are only edible once.

[00:35:37] And think about this.

[00:35:38] When you're eating a mushroom, you are really eating the fungi's genitalia.

[00:35:43] So, go ahead.

[00:35:44] Eat a dick.

[00:35:45] They're delicious.

[00:35:49] And the moral of this story is...

[00:35:51] Eat a dick.

[00:35:51] Eat a dick.

[00:35:52] Eat a dick.

[00:35:54] We're so stupid.

[00:35:55] I love it.

[00:35:56] I was very proud of myself when I wrote that one.

[00:35:59] Can you tell?

[00:36:00] This is classic Shay.

[00:36:00] This is why I hang out with Shay.

[00:36:02] So, so proud of myself on that one.

[00:36:04] This is like dad joke, but good.

[00:36:08] That's why I'm going to be the best dog dad there is.

[00:36:12] Absolutely.

[00:36:13] All right.

[00:36:14] Well, there you have it.

[00:36:15] The Pacific Northwest is full of wonders.

[00:36:18] And next time you are out hiking, I want you to think about something.

[00:36:22] I want you to think about that episode of Hannibal where the killer was keeping his victims alive under the soil to grow gourmet mushrooms on their decaying bodies.

[00:36:32] Have a nice hike.

[00:36:35] Shay ruins everything.

[00:36:37] That should have been the name of our podcast.

[00:36:41] I'll list my...

[00:36:42] Well, no, because there's already Adam ruins everything.

[00:36:46] I don't know.

[00:36:47] I'll list my sources on the website at some point.

[00:36:49] But most of my information came from the Oregon Encyclopedia and Scientific American plus some info from different USDA websites.

[00:36:57] And I just want to say thank you to everyone who supports us.

[00:37:02] You really mean so much to us.

[00:37:03] So much.

[00:37:04] I love hearing the comments.

[00:37:06] I love hearing...

[00:37:07] I heard one last night.

[00:37:08] You entertain me and you get me through the night.

[00:37:11] I love it.

[00:37:12] That was like...

[00:37:12] That's my whole point.

[00:37:14] Although, actually, my whole point is spend time with Shay, travel the Northwest, and dive down these quirky things.

[00:37:20] And to share it with you is just like a cherry on top.

[00:37:22] Yeah.

[00:37:23] We have very selfish reasons for this podcast, but it's lovely when other people get something about you.

[00:37:26] Yeah.

[00:37:26] And when they love it, it's not a cherry on top.

[00:37:28] It's the whipped cream and cherry on top.

[00:37:30] Oh, I know.

[00:37:31] It gives me just a glow.

[00:37:32] Yeah.

[00:37:33] It gives me that orgasmic glow.

[00:37:34] I'm having so much fun and I want everybody to have fun with this.

[00:37:37] Orgasmic.

[00:37:40] Organic orgasmic.

[00:37:42] And to all of the new listeners, if this is your first episode, I'm sorry.

[00:37:48] Go back and listen to the beginning so you can see how we got here.

[00:37:52] Yes.

[00:37:52] But if you like this sort of thing, you'll keep listening.

[00:37:55] And thanks for taking a chance on us newbies.

[00:37:57] Really appreciate it.

[00:37:58] You can follow us, you know, the drill, wherever.

[00:38:01] But if you go to our website, rainydayrabbitholes.com, you can find links to everything you need there.

[00:38:07] It's in one place.

[00:38:08] And then if you have a story or a topic that you want to share with us or that you want to be shared on the show,

[00:38:16] you can reach out to us through the website.

[00:38:19] There is a contact us form.

[00:38:21] Or you can just email me directly at Shea, S-H-E-A, at rainydayrabbitholes.com.

[00:38:27] And maybe you have a story about a murder in your family because we're going to do some true crime stuff.

[00:38:34] Or maybe you were part of a story and we could interview you and you could be on our show.

[00:38:39] Oh, I would love that.

[00:38:40] That would be great.

[00:38:41] Interviews are my favorite episodes.

[00:38:43] They're probably not Shea's favorite episode.

[00:38:44] Because I have to edit them.

[00:38:45] Four times the amount of work.

[00:38:48] But they are so rich to me and bring so much value to what we're doing.

[00:38:52] Yeah, we would love to bring you on the show if you have a story to tell.

[00:38:57] And maybe you just know some weird or wonderful story in Pacific Northwest history that you think we should know.

[00:39:03] So let us know.

[00:39:05] And I'm going to leave you with this.

[00:39:06] What do you call a fungi that makes music?

[00:39:09] Oh, my goodness.

[00:39:10] Is this a dad joke?

[00:39:11] It's got to be a dad joke.

[00:39:12] I don't know.

[00:39:13] A decomposer.

[00:39:14] Oh, my God.

[00:39:16] Definitely a dad joke.

[00:39:17] I could not wait for you to get your dog.

[00:39:20] I didn't like mushrooms at first.

[00:39:22] But now they're growing on me.

[00:39:24] Oh, my God.

[00:39:26] Goodbye.

[00:39:28] See you down the rabbit hole.

[00:39:39] Testicles.

[00:39:41] Lubricated or not?

[00:39:43] Oh, Jesus.

[00:39:45] Oop.

[00:39:47] Jody's lubricated.

[00:39:48] Six sips of champagne and it's over.

[00:39:51] Thank you.