Fungi: mycelia, mushrooms & more

Scientists are reimagining the food system, turning to fungal fermentation as a sustainable method for transforming food byproducts into tasty treats.

An exhibition exploring the fascinating world of mushrooms is currently on display at the National Technical Library in Prague.

As world leaders debate ways to reduce carbon emissions at the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan ((Nov 11-22)), one Australian start-up believes fungi could be the key to mitigating climate change. The company has developed a product for farmers made from live fungi spores to help lock carbon in agricultural soils.

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An Indonesian staple is shaking up the restaurant scene — and may just end up preventing a big source of emissions.

Some fungal species appear to be able to use strong radiation as an energy source for growth. Tom Ireland explores the exciting potential of these understudied organisms

The upcycling method saves the carbon fibers of the CFRP, which are the strong, durable part of the material. These fibers stay in good condition, and the team showed how they can be reused in new manufacturing, keeping over 97% of their original strength. This method is the first to successfully claim value from both the matrix and carbon fiber parts of CFRPs, turning waste into useful products and reducing environmental harm.

Discover how biohybrid robots with mushroom brains and self-healing skin are transforming technology and raising ethical questions.

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cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/20024226

• A handful of startups in the U.S., Europe and Asia are helping the seafood industry fight plastic pollution by creating equipment made from fungi.
• Efforts are currently focused on replacing plastic foam, a polluting component of numerous elements of the seafood supply chain, with mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi.
• A company in Maine makes mycelium-based buoys for the aquaculture industry, for example.
• Elsewhere, projects are seeking to create biodegradable mycelium-based coolers for transporting fish.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have cracked the code of plant-to-fungi communication in a new study published in the journal Molecular Cell.

EU-funded researchers are using biological matter to create unique new materials that can adapt to their environment and repair themselves.

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• A new study claims that fungi possess great intelligence to the point that they can make decisions.

• A group of scientists tested how fungi would grow across patterns of blocks, and found that they grew in strategic, resource-preserving ways that indicate the ability for communication across the entire mycelial network.

• These findings could not only lead to a better understanding of these relatively mysterious organisms, but to better comprehension of intelligence itself.

New cancer treatments could be on the way, thanks to a surprising discovery involving yeast used to brew beer.