Fungi<\/a> are fascinating lifeforms that defy conventional notions of animal intelligence. They don\u2019t have brains, yet display clear signs of decision making and communication<\/a>. But just how complex are these organisms and what can they tell us about other forms of awareness? To begin investigating these mysteries, researchers at Japan\u2019s Tohoku University and Nagaoka College conducted a straightforward test to observe the decision-making prowess of a cord-forming fungus known as Phanerochaete velutina.<\/em> According to the team\u2019s study published in Fungal Ecology<\/em><\/a>, their findings indicate fungi can \u201crecognize\u201d different spatial arrangements of wood and adapt accordingly to make the most of their world.<\/p>\n Although many people only recognize fungi by their aboveground mushrooms, those formations are just the outermost display of an often vast network of underground threads called mycelium. These interconnected webs are capable of relaying environmental information throughout an entire system that can stretch for miles<\/a>. But mycelium\u2019s growth doesn\u2019t necessarily extend in every direction at random\u2014it appears to be a calculated effort.<\/p>\n