Merlin Sheldrake
Merlin Sheldrake (born 1987) is a British mycologist and writer known for his work on mycorrhiza.
Merlin Sheldrake | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987 (age 38–39) |
| Education | University of Cambridge (PhD) |
| Occupations | Mycologist, writer |
| Employer | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
| Organization | Society for the Protection of Underground Networks |
| Known for | Work on mycorrhiza; advocacy for fungi; book Entangled Life |
| Notable work | Entangled Life |
| Spouse | Erin Robinsong |
| Parent(s) | Rupert Sheldrake and Jill Purce |
| Relatives | Cosmo Sheldrake (brother) |
| Awards | Royal Society Science Book Prize (2021) |
| Website | merlinsheldrake.com |
Merlin Sheldrake (born 1987) is a British mycologist and writer known for his work on mycorrhiza.
Early life and education
[edit]Merlin Sheldrake was born in 1987 in London to Rupert Sheldrake, an English author and parapsychology researcher, and Jill Purce, a therapist.[1][2] He grew up near Hampstead Heath in London.[3] His brother, Cosmo Sheldrake, is a musician. As a teenager, Sheldrake was influenced by Paul Stamets, a self-taught mycologist and "fungal evangelist," and Karl von Frisch's book Animal Architecture.[4]
Sheldrake studied at the University of Cambridge, where he was a scholar of Clare College. After being awarded his undergraduate degree in biological science, he subsequently earned a master's degree in the history and philosophy of science, and later a PhD in tropical ecology.[5] He studied underground fungal networks in Panama's tropical forests as a predoctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.[2][6]
Career
[edit]In 2020, Sheldrake published his first book, Entangled Life, which was a bestseller in both The Sunday Times and The New York Times booklists and received the 2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize.[7][8] Entangled Life has positioned Merlin Sheldrake as a leading advocate for fungi.[4] He has presented an IMAX film called Fungi: Web of Life which was narrated by Björk and filmed in Tasmania's Tarkine rainforest.[9][10]
Inspired by Sheldrake's book, couture designer Iris van Herpen created a collection based on fungi, featuring designs mimicking chanterelle mushrooms and hyphae.[4][11]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheldrake and his brother co-founded a business called Sheldrake & Sheldrake that sells fermented hot sauce.[4]
In 2021, Sheldrake consulted on Stella McCartney's fungal-themed Paris runway show, which featured a soundtrack by his brother, Cosmo Sheldrake that used a device to convert mycelium's electrical signals into musical notes.[4][12][13]
Sheldrake works with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, which aims to map and protect global mycorrhizal diversity.[14] He also works with mycologist Giuliana Furci and NYU law professor César Rodríguez Garavito to create legal protections for fungi, contributing to a larger movement that aims to provide legal representation for non-human living entities.[4][15]
Since 2023, he has been a research associate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.[4] In November 2023, Tatler described Sheldrake as a figure-head of the new vanguard of Bopeas, or "Bohemian Peasants", a socio-cultural group evolving from the Bobos who combine creative expression with a neo-medieval rooted "peasant" worldview.[16] It was revealed in 2025, that Sheldrake had been in direct email and phone contact with convicted child rapist and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein between 2018 and 2019, having been introduced to Epstein by his father, Rupert Sheldrake.[17] After this went knowledge went public, Sheldrake claimed to have cut ties with Epstein in 2019, after learning about his criminal activity. [18]
Personal life
[edit]Sheldrake is married to the poet Erin Robinsong.[4]
Bibliography
[edit]- Sheldrake, Merlin (2020). Entangled Life
- Sheldrake, Merlin (2023). Entangled Life: The Illustrated Edition
References
[edit]- ^ Bone, Eugenia (22 May 2020). "'Entangled Life' Review: Digging Into Enigmatic Organisms". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ a b Cooke, Rachel (23 August 2020). "The future is fungal: why the 'megascience' of mycology is on the rise". The Guardian.
- ^ Anderson, Heather Arndt (14 June 2024). "Merlin Sheldrake wants you to know the mycological ocean of land beneath your feet". Oregon Public Broadcasting.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kahn, Jennifer (8 June 2023). "The Man Who Turned the World on to the Genius of Fungi". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023.
- ^ Macfarlane, Robert (7 August 2016). "The Secrets of the Wood Wide Web". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018.
- ^ Sheldrake, Merlin William Alfred (1 March 2016). Responses of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and mycoheterotrophic plants to long-term fertilisation in a tropical forest (Ph.D. thesis). University of Cambridge. Department of Plant Sciences.
- ^ "Merlin Sheldrake: 'I care about the ways humans conduct themselves in their relationships with the living world'". Financial Times.
- ^ "2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize, sponsored by Insight Investment". 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023.
- ^ Countryfile (29 November 2023). "Who is Merlin Sheldrake?". BBC One.
- ^ Chen, Nick (12 February 2024). "This Björk-narrated fungi documentary is enough to make you trip". Dazed. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024.
- ^ Borrelli-Persson, Laird (25 January 2021). "Iris van Herpen". Vogue. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021.
- ^ Federman, Adam (8 December 2023). "Merlin Sheldrake Will Change the Way You See Mushrooms". The New Republic.
- ^ Kelly, Guy (29 October 2023). "Merlin Sheldrake's guide to the fantastic world of fungi". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Sengupta, Somini (27 July 2022). "Unearthing the Secret Superpowers of Fungus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022.
- ^ "Re:wild and IUCN SSC become first global organizations to call for the recognition of fungi as one of three kingdoms of life critical to protecting and restoring Earth". International Union for Conservation of Nature. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023.
- ^ Delaney, Evie (17 November 2023). "On England's pleasant pastures seen: Rural rules the roost in the new class of bohemian peasants or 'Bopeas'". Tatler. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Age Verification | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ Reporter, Fiona Hamilton, Chief (10 February 2026). "Epstein offered $100,000 to bestselling British mushroom expert". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
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