this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2024
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Lunarpunk

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Lunarpunk is a subgenre of solarpunk with a darker aesthetic. It portrays the nightlife, spirituality, and more introspective side of solarpunk utopias. It can be defined as "Witchy Solarpunk." Aesthetically, lunarpunk usually is presented with pinks, purples, blues, black, and silver with an almost omnipresence of bioluminescent plants and especially mushrooms

What is Lunarpunk, And Can It Fix Solarpunk’s Problems?

Solarpunk Station - What is Lunarpunk?

What is lunarpunk? - Solarpunk Druid

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Stumbling on a piece of glowing wood out in the forest sounds like a magical experience, but it is possible. Under specific conditions, certain species of mushroom will fluoresce as they consume wood, although it’s rare and hard to recreate.

Now, scientists at Empa have managed to induce those conditions to make glow in the dark wood. The most effective combo turned out to be ringless honey fungus (Desarmillaria tabescens) and balsa wood, which was able to fluoresce for up to 10 days in wavelengths of 560 nanometers – a classic green glow.

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[–] fenrir 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Pretty much my conclusion is that, yes, although not necessarily greenwashing, it can be what it is; a practical way to light paths in the wood without needing to construct stuff nor pick up the litter.
This is huge actually. Don't underestimate the power of making fairy paths. I'm at Bornhack right now and I think I tripped over tent strings once per second day. I have a headlamp but the batteries ran out. The people marked out important paths like 'fire trucks go here' and 'this way from noisy camp to the bar' but us poor hammock-dwellers are left to our own devices, in the dark.

Also, can the fungus survive and spread outside of the wood? If you left this on the ground to biodegrade would you be introducing an invasive species to wherever?

As long as it's in an environment/territory where the fungus is occuring naturally, this shouldn't be an issue. The chips will be pre-seeded in whatever way, so in those the fungus will outcompete others due to having a monopoly of sorts. Outside the chips, it's every fungus for themselves.
Yes, the bioluminescent one will have a stockpile of food (chips) to build from, but that only lasts so long.
All the other fungi in that place, whereever it may be, will have been around for a long time for a reason, and won't be easily invaded by upstart wannabes.
(or well since fungi tend to spread everywhere regardless they probably already have genetically compatible neighbours anyway)