Giant Fungus Challenges Traditional Ideas Of Individuality

“The underground fungus [is] estimated to be between 2000 and 8500 years old . . . .  [It] spreads mainly along tree roots, but also through the soil using shoestring-like structures called rhizomorphs . . . .  Researchers thought that individual fungus organisms grew in distinct clusters in the forest, marked by the ring-shaped patches of dead trees that they spotted during overhead flights. No one expected to find that the well-separated clusters represented one contiguous organism.

Read story here.

Other stories claim that the fungus is the world’s largest organism.

Information on the fungus at wikipedia–proceed at your own risk.