Sep 2, 2026 · 10 min
Fungi challenge the meaning of age and individuality
Why it's so hard to tell the age of a fungus
Fungi blur the boundaries between organism, network, and individual, complicating basic questions about lifespan, growth, and identity.
- 1Scientists estimate fungal age indirectly because underground networks lack clear boundaries and conventional markers.
- 2A giant Oregon fungus may span nearly four square miles and persist for thousands of years.
- 3Fungal cultures can eventually deteriorate, complicating claims that fungi grow indefinitely or achieve immortality.
Don't miss
Kristin Aleklett explains why fungal cultures can eventually deteriorate even when supplied with nutrients, challenging ideas of fungal immortality.
The brief
Measuring a fungus is harder than measuring a tree: its body may spread underground, change shape, and abandon or recycle parts of its mycelium.
Kristin Aleklett explains how researchers estimate fungal age indirectly, including through disease spread between trees, and discusses an Oregon fungus that may cover nearly four square miles.
Fungi do not simply grow as fixed bodies. Different species recycle or abandon sections of their mycelium, making size and individuality moving targets.
The possibility of fungal immortality meets a biological limit: cultures supplied with nutrients can still deteriorate, raising questions about degeneration and lifespan.
Aleklett connects these biological puzzles to larger questions about behavior, individuality, and what it might mean to experience the world as a fungus.
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