The Fungal
Frequency
Emely
Taveras
The following
is a transcript
from an interview by Noah Chen, Science Reporter for The University Press.
Published on The UP on March 2, 2025 at 11:15 AM.
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CHEN: Thank you
both for agreeing to this interview. For our readers who may not be familiar
with recent events, could you introduce yourselves?
BIANCA: I'm Bianca
Novak. I'm a senior studying Microbiology. I commute from Union, which is about
twenty minutes away, depending on traffic.
J: Yeah, so,
I'm Julian. Everyone calls me J though. Like, nobody calls me Julian except my
dad when he's pissed. [laughs] I'm in Sports Medicine. Senior year,
baby! Sigma Alpha house.
CHEN: And how did
you two meet? You seem like an unlikely pair.
BIANCA: [small
smile] We are. We had never spoken before this happened. I'd seen Julian
around campus, of course, but our paths never really crossed academically.
J: Yeah, I
mean, I've probably seen her too but like, I don't really hang out in the
science building much unless I'm, you know, actually going to class, which is
like... [gestures vaguely]
BIANCA: Not a
priority?
J: [grins]
Exactly! She gets me.
CHEN: Let's talk
about your discovery. Bianca, I understand you were the first to notice
something unusual?
BIANCA: [leans
forward slightly] Yes. I was conducting a routine soil analysis for my
advanced mycology seminar. We were supposed to be identifying common fungi in
campus soil samples. My samples were taken from the wooded area behind the
athletic complex.
J: [interrupts]
That's where we party sometimes. There's this clearing where campus security
doesn't usually check.
BIANCA: [continues]
I noticed unusual hypha formations that didn't match any known species in our
reference materials. The network structure was incredibly complex, almost like
neural pathways rather than typical mycelial networks. When I brought it to
Professor Leung's attention, she suggested I expand the sampling area.
CHEN: And that's
when you encountered Julian?
BIANCA: Not
exactly. I collected more samples over the course of a week. The network seemed
to be concentrated around the foundation of the old gymnasium. That building
has been closed for renovation since last fall.
J: That's
where I come in! [straightens up, clearly excited to tell his part] So
me and some brothers, we were, um... let's just say we were relocating some
property from the athletics department.
BIANCA: [clarifies]
They were stealing a mascot costume.
J: Borrowing!
We were borrowing it for a thing. Anyway, campus security showed up and we
scattered. I needed somewhere to hide, so I ducked into this construction area
by the old gym. There was this hole in the foundation where they'd started demo
work. I figured I'd hide there until the coast was clear.
CHEN: And what
did you find?
J: [lowers
voice dramatically] It was wild, man. Like, the second I crawled in there,
I felt this weird... buzzing? Not like a sound exactly, more like when your
foot falls asleep, but in my head. And there was this glow coming from deeper
in the foundation. Blue-ish, kind of pulsing.
BIANCA: [interjects]
The bioluminescence is typical of certain fungi, but the frequency of the
pulses was unusual.
J: [continues]
So I'm sitting there, thinking I'm hallucinating or something, maybe from the
construction fumes? But I couldn't stop staring at it. And then I started... [pauses,
looks at Bianca]
BIANCA: He started
experiencing mnemonic transmission.
CHEN: Could you
explain what that means in layman's terms?
BIANCA: [carefully]
Julian began experiencing memories that weren't his own.
J: [nodding
enthusiastically] Yeah! Like, suddenly I'm remembering this birthday party,
but it's in this house I've never been to. And everyone's speaking this
language I don't understand, but in the memory, I understand everything. And
there's this little girl blowing out candles on a cake with this woman who
looks exactly like—[points to Bianca]
BIANCA: [quietly]
My mother. It was my eighth birthday.
CHEN: Are you
suggesting that this fungal network somehow... transmitted Bianca's memories to
you?
J: I know how
it sounds, dude. Trust me. When I finally got out of there, I was freaking out.
I figured maybe someone slipped something in my drink at the party before the
whole mascot thing.
BIANCA: [precise
and methodical] The next day, I was back collecting samples near the
foundation when I encountered Julian pacing outside the fence. He looked
distressed and kept muttering about "the Croatian birthday girl."
That caught my attention because I am Croatian, and he described details about
my childhood home that he couldn't possibly know.
J: [interrupts]
I thought she was going to call security on me! I must have sounded completely
insane.
BIANCA: [small
smile] It was certainly unusual. But I was more interested in how he could
know those things. When he described the location of the glowing network, I
realized it corresponded exactly with the unusual samples I'd been studying.
CHEN: So what did
you do next?
BIANCA: We went
back together. With proper protective equipment this time. [looks pointedly
at J]
J: She made me
wear this hazmat-looking suit thing. Said we didn't know what kind of spores we
might be breathing in. Totally killed my vibe, but whatever.
BIANCA: The
university has protocols for a reason, Julian.
J: [mimics
her formality] Yes, Ms. Novak.
BIANCA: [continues,
ignoring him] We documented the network more thoroughly. It extends through
the foundation and likely throughout the entire old gymnasium. Carbon dating
suggests it's been growing for at least seventy years, possibly predating the
building itself.
CHEN: And what
happened when you both were exposed to it together?
J: [suddenly
serious] That's when things got really weird.
BIANCA: [hesitates]
When we were both in proximity to the main network body, we experienced a kind
of... shared consciousness. I could access Julian's memories as if they were my
own, and he could access mine.
J: [jumps
in] I was suddenly at this massive mansion in Toms River, watching myself
throw a tantrum because my dad missed my tenth birthday. Except it wasn't me
watching—it was Bianca. She was seeing my memory.
BIANCA: And
simultaneously, I experienced his perception of my memories. It was
disorienting, seeing myself through his eyes.
J: [grins]
She found out I think she's cute.
BIANCA: [blushes
slightly] Julian...
J: What? It's
true.
CHEN: Have others
experienced this phenomenon?
BIANCA: [shifting
back to professional mode] We've brought a few trusted people to the
site—my advisor and two graduate students. They've confirmed similar
experiences, though the connection seems strongest between Julian and me. We're
not sure why.
J: [shrugs]
Maybe it's because I was the first one to actually go inside the network? Like,
I made contact with the mothership or something.
BIANCA: [patiently]
Or perhaps it relates to the specific biochemistry of our brains. We're still
investigating. What's most interesting is that the fungal network seems to be
adapting to us. Each time we visit, the connection is clearer, more directed.
CHEN: Is there
any evidence this is dangerous?
J: [quickly]
My GPA has actually gone up since this started. It's like having a study buddy
in my head sometimes. I'll be taking a test and suddenly I understand
microbiome stuff I never studied.
BIANCA: [concerned]
Which raises ethical questions we're still wrestling with. Are these merely
memories being shared, or is something more fundamental happening to our
cognition? We've established containment protocols until we understand more.
J: [leans
back] That's Bianca's way of saying she convinced the university to seal
off the old gym "for additional structural assessment." [makes air
quotes] Her heart of gold couldn't bear the thought of them bulldozing our
little alien friend.
BIANCA: [softly]
It's not alien, Julian. It's terrestrial but... extraordinary. And yes, I
believe destroying it would be a scientific travesty.
CHEN: Where do
you go from here?
BIANCA: [with
quiet intensity] We've applied for a research grant to study potential
applications. The implications for understanding neural networks, memory
storage, even cognitive enhancement are enormous.
J: [grins
and puts his arm around Bianca's shoulders] Plus, we're thinking of
starting a psychic detective agency. Solve crimes and stuff.
BIANCA: [rolls
eyes but smiles] We are absolutely not doing that.
J: [to
Chen] She'll come around. Thing is, when you've shared someone's entire
memory bank, it kinda changes things between you. Like, I know exactly what she
got for Christmas when she was six, and she knows about that embarrassing thing
that happened to me at summer camp when I was twelve.
BIANCA: [softly]
It creates a certain intimacy. And responsibility.
CHEN: Final
question: Are you concerned about broader implications? If this fungal network
can truly transmit consciousness, doesn't that raise significant questions
about privacy, identity, even the nature of the self?
BIANCA: [thoughtfully]
Every scientific breakthrough does. That's why we're proceeding with caution.
J: [surprising
seriousness] Look, my whole life I've been Julian Rossi, son of Anthony
Rossi, never quite measuring up, you know? But for the first time, someone else
has been inside my head. Actually knows me. Not the fake "I'm 6'1"
when I'm really 5'11" me. The real me. And I've been inside her head too.
It's scary, but also... I dunno. Real.
BIANCA: [touches
his hand briefly] I think what Julian is trying to say is that
connection—true connection—is always both frightening and valuable. Whether it
comes through years of friendship or through a previously undiscovered fungal
network with consciousness-transferring properties.
J: [grins]
Yeah, what she said. But way more science-y.
CHEN: Bianca
Novak and Julian "J" Rossi, thank you for sharing your story.
BIANCA: [nods
politely] Thank you for listening.
J: [flashes
peace sign] Peace out, man. And hey, if any of your readers start hearing
other people's thoughts, maybe check your basement for glowing mushrooms!
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Noah Chen is a senior science
reporter for The University Press. This interview has been edited for length
and clarity. The university's investigation into the fungal network beneath the
old gymnasium is ongoing.
