loading . . . You’ve probably noticed mushrooms popping up everywhere lately, from lion’s mane lattes to reishi tinctures. But here’s something that might stop you mid-scroll: scientists have discovered that fungi generate electrical signals beneath the forest floor that bear a striking resemblance to human language. The natural world, it turns out, may be far more connected than we ever imagined.
## Scientists found fungi producing “words”
Professor **Andrew Adamatzky** at the University of the West of England’s unconventional computing laboratory in Bristol wanted to investigate. He analyzed patterns of electrical spikes generated by four species of fungi — enoki, split gill, ghost and caterpillar fungi—by inserting tiny microelectrodes into substrates colonized by their patchwork of hyphae threads, their mycelia.
What he found was remarkable. The study, published in Royal Society Open Science, revealed that fungi produce clusters of electrical spikes, or “spike trains,” which can be grouped into patterns resembling a vocabulary of up to 50 “words.” The lengths and distribution of these patterns showed similarities to human language. Still, there’s much more research to be done following this breakthrough.
“We do not know if there is a direct relationship between spiking patterns in fungi and human speech. Possibly not,” Adamatzky said, per _The Guardian_. “On the other hand, there are many similarities in information processing in living substrates of different classes, families and species. I was just curious to compare.”
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## So what might fungi be saying?
These spike trains often appear when fungi interact with their environment, such as encountering wood or other substrates, suggesting the signals may carry information about resources or damage.
Previous research has suggested that fungi conduct electrical impulses through hyphae—long, thread-like filaments—similar to how nerve cells transmit information in humans. These electrical signals become more active when the hyphae of wood-decomposing fungi touch wood, suggesting fungi might use this signaling to relay information about nutrients or damage across their networks, or even to connected organisms like trees. Some fungi produce more complex signal patterns than others, and different species may have different “levels” of signaling complexity.
Researchers emphasize this does not mean fungi are consciously communicating. The electrical activity may function as a biological signaling system, coordinating growth and responses across the mycelial network or even with connected plants.
Adamatzky himself acknowledged another possibility: “There is also another option—they are saying nothing,” he said. “Propagating mycelium tips are electrically charged, and, therefore, when the charged tips pass in a pair of differential electrodes, a spike in the potential difference is recorded.”
## The Wood Wide Web beneath your favorite hiking trail
If you’ve ever walked through a forest and felt something alive humming just below the surface, this will resonate. Through their mycelial networks, fungi can connect to plant roots, potentially enabling the transfer of nutrients and chemical signals—what ecologists call the “Wood Wide Web.”
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Forests are linked by underground fungal networks that connect the roots of different plants. Through these networks, fungi can transfer nutrients like carbon and nitrogen between trees and even send chemical signals that warn plants of pests or stress. This hidden system allows plants to share resources and information, helping forests survive and thrive as interconnected communities.
## The research is still unfolding
A 2025 review in _FEMS Microbiology Reviews_ highlights that while hyphae can generate action potential-like spikes, it’s unclear whether these reflect true communication or simply metabolic activity. Measuring electrical activity in fungi is challenging due to their microscopic, complex structure and current evidence for information transfer is still tentative.
What we do know: fungi exchange information through electrical and chemical signals, allowing them—and the plants they connect with—to coordinate growth, share resources and respond to threats. Whether or not they’re “talking,” they’re undeniably connected. And for anyone who has always sensed that the natural world runs on a deeper intelligence than we give it credit for, the science is starting to catch up.
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https://www.womansworld.com/life/fungi-may-have-their-own-language-right-beneath-our-feet
