Over the last couple of weeks I have been catching up with the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm. I am a bit of a fan. Lots of wonderful views of the Cotswolds’ countryside. Some very funny incidents out on the farm and some sad bits too. The episode about the pigs was particularly, well, harrowing! But now and again things can get a little strange. For example, at the end of episode 5, Jeremy and colleagues suggest that mushrooms come from outer space. They go on to make further, rather extravagant, claims on behalf of the humble mushroom that I won’t repeat here. It has to be said that these somewhat provocative suggestions about the origin of fungi do provide a catchy marketing tag line when they go on sale in the Diddly Squat Farm Shop. But having enjoyed watching the episode I felt a slight tinge of worry. Surely, no one will actually believe all this extraterrestrial stuff? Mushrooms from space! Come on.

As far as I am aware there is still no firm evidence for life anywhere in the universe, apart from Earth that is. You do from time to time get claims for the detection of possible biologically-related molecules on Venus and elsewhere. But nothing that really stacks up to much and certainly not the detection of fully grown space mushrooms. Space-formed amino acids and a variety of other organic molecules do arrive on Earth at regular intervals, transported within meteorites and micrometeorites. But there is strong evidence that these were synthesised by chemical, not biological processes. I go into it a bit in my book: A Meteorite Killed My Cow (apologies for the plug). NASA is also skeptical. Well, they don’t mention mushrooms specifically, but they do say: “So far, the only life we know of is right here on our planet Earth.”

Clearly, Jeremy is entitled to his view that mushrooms are from space. But at least for the moment, there is no evidence to support such a whacky idea. However, one thing we can all agree on is that mushrooms are delicious. They are not aliens, but the product of complex evolutionary processes that took place on our wonderful home planet, Earth. Another helping of risotto?

Image from WikiHow – How to make Mushroom Risotto