Reportedly, mushrooms can be used by humans to help them survive in case of apocalyptic scenarios. As per science journalist and TIME editor Bryan Walsh, in case of another asteroid collision, or other catastrophic impacts, mushrooms are pretty much the only food that can be used for human survival as it thrives in dark spaces, without needing the sun.
Walsh’s new book, ‘End Times’ depicts how potential apocalyptic events, such as asteroid impacts, supervolcano eruptions, and nuclear war, could happen in the future. The exciting part is that all those events could end up blocking the sunlight needed for plants to exist. The author proceeded to note in the book that to survive, humans will have to cultivate mushrooms, raise rats and insects, due to their sunlight free features.
As per new research, the implications of supervolcano eruptions and nuclear bombs could be quite similar to the consequences of the asteroid that collided with the Earth, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
In Case Of A Catastrophic Disaster, Mushrooms Could Help Humans Survive
The essay details a case which took place about 74,000 years ago; the Toba supervolcano eruption released so much sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, that the sunlight was blocked by as much as 90 percent. Walsh notes in his book that such rapid and severe cooling that would follow an eruption would make surviving impossible because, without sunlight, the food system would disappear. The author’s solution of cultivating sunlight-free agriculture was, surprisingly, adopted by David Denkenberger.
As per David Denkenberger, following a catastrophic disaster like the ancient asteroid impact, the world will be full of fungi. Humans could use wood to cultivate mushrooms, and the dead trees’ leaves to make tea which can provide nutrients such as vitamin C, or feed ruminant animals like rats or cows.
Insects could also be a source of protein, and lots of species would survive such a catastrophe, and then without the sun. Beetles can eat dead wood, and humans can eat the beetles, Walsh writes.
