Scientists Push to Protect Earth's Forgotten Life Savers

A Greek physician called it an "elixir of long life" 2,000 years ago, yet today agarikon fungus has vanished from 70% of its former habitat. Scientists are now racing to save it at the San Diego Zoo biobank before it disappears completely.

This rare shelf fungus contains powerful compounds that fight tuberculosis, cancer, and inflammation. Recent research even shows it may reduce COVID vaccine side effects and boost immunity.

But here's the shocking part: agarikon is one of only two fungi species classified as endangered in the United States. The reason isn't because other fungi are thriving—it's because we've barely studied them at all.

Scientists estimate between 2.2 million and 12 million fungal species exist worldwide. We've identified just 155,000 of them.

That gap in knowledge is especially troubling because fungi are essential to life on Earth. As many as 90% of plants form partnerships with underground fungal networks that dramatically increase their ability to absorb water and nutrients.

"Without fungal webs, no plant would exist anywhere," mycologist Merlin Sheldrake wrote in his bestselling book Entangled Life. "All life on land, including my own, depended on these networks."

These invisible organisms live between and within the cells of virtually all plants, protecting them from disease, repelling pests, and helping them survive stress. Some fungi even produce compounds that scientists are studying as potential medicines and alternative fuels.

The Ripple Effect: Recognition for fungi is finally growing. Earlier this year, evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers won the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement—known as the "green Nobel Prize"—for her groundbreaking work on fungal networks. She also received a MacArthur Foundation genius grant.

"The awards feel like an award for the invisible," Kiers told The New York Times. Her research reveals how fungi draw carbon from plant roots in exchange for nutrients, creating vast underground trading networks.

Mycologist Giuliana Furci, who heads the Fungi Foundation, is leading a global campaign to elevate fungi to the same status as plants and animals in research, policy, and conservation efforts. Just 10% of the world's fungal hotspots currently fall within protected areas.

"Every organism has a fungal component that is sustaining them," Furci says. "They are the firmament of life on Earth."

Jessica Allen, lead mycologist with biodiversity nonprofit NatureServe, agrees the protection is overdue. "Fungi play an important role in the ecosystem," she says. "Mycologists haven't been invited to the table to share their knowledge."

As awareness grows and more scientists study these hidden heroes, we're discovering that protecting fungi means protecting the foundation of life itself.