Intermushroom I
- resporingscotland
- Jul 9, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 3, 2020
Alternative title: [HORRENDOUS WORDPLAY REDACTED]
Hi everyone, I am currently digging deep into how fungi can ‘make all the difference in the wild’ for my next blog. In the meantime, I thought I would post some short stories which have caught my attention lately. This week, I’m looking at building with mycelium!
A second life for crumbling infrastructure
Research from Binghamton and Rutgers University has revealed that fungi - specifically a type of Trichoderma, a favourite ‘wonder-genus’ of mine - could give concrete the ability to ‘heal’ in response to damage. Researchers have been working on the project since 2013, inspired by the innate healing abilities of the human body. The aim is to perfect a material which contains dormant spores of Trichoderma reesei and nutrients. As air and water infiltrate concrete through cracks, the spores germinate, bridge any gaps with their hyphae, and provide a framework for laying down a calcium carbonate 'plug'. Job done, the fungi return to inactive spores, waiting for their next assignment. The team is looking at optimising survival of the fungi - which is fair enough, considering that concrete is one of the most hostile man-made environments you can imagine (and there are quite a few). No oxygen, moisture, intense pressure and devoid of light? A nightmarish combination by anyone's' standards. That said, staff are incredibly confident that they will have achieved their goals by 2021!
Many candidates were tested before Trichoderma came out on top. What has given it the edge so far is its ability to survive the extremely high pH of concrete (13). I will cover this in the future, but the Trichoderma genus is seriously impressive in a number of ways - some strains can live on pure petroleum and with minimal oxygen, lock up heavy metals and improve drought tolerance of plants. I can barely multitask well enough to make a phone call and walk at the same time - much respect.
Trichoderma - unassuming, ubiquitous, and world-changing at the same time!
It makes me think - what if a fungus-based material was used even more widely as a substitute for concrete? Just musings at the moment, but there are a number of disquieting facts about our reliance on the stuff. One astounding example - if concrete production was a country, it would be the third-highest greenhouse gas emitter in the world! Its manufacture requires super-high temperatures (up to 1500C at certain stages) and the heating of limestone releases copious CO2 into the atmosphere. In total it makes up for around 8% of global GHG emissions.
I hope you’ll agree that any chance to get away from our reliance on conventionally-manufactured concrete needs to be grabbed with both hands! Considering the resourcefulness of our fungal companions, who knows where the future will take us?
Myconoes and beyond
A bit more light-hearted, but one of my favourite stories of recent times. Katy Ayers, a student from Nebraska, has built a canoe from mycelium. A wooden scaffold was offered to the mycelium, which sculpted itself around the frame in just 2 weeks. The canoe is tough, waterproof, fireproof, buoyant and comfortably sits two people (no wet feet either!). Astoundingly, the canoe even self-repairs and fruits mushrooms, as the mycelium is still alive. Katy’s success has led her to pursue further creations using fungi, including bee hotels and furniture.
No, it's not photoshop - this is a living mushroom boat! Kudos all around, Katy.
Already, fungi are being used to create everything from compostable car parts (Ford) to mushroom-based packaging used by companies such as Ikea. Because of the mycelium creating a structural frame and acting as a ‘living glue’ all at once, we are even seeing companies building houses out of mycelium blocks! The most impressive creation I came across was the mycelium tower ‘Hy-Fy’ located in downtown Manhattan (The Living architectural firm). Hopefully, this is a glimpse of things to come. Much excitement stems from the malleability of fungi, allowing us to harness their abilities and create stronger, more insulative materials - giving them a distinct edge over what we currently use as a society. Yet another string to their bow, particularly in the battle against climate change.
Corn stalks, mycelium, and style - that's it. (Image of Hy-Fy tower by Kris Graves, 2014)
Living sculptures
Lastly, I think we can appreciate the diversity of different shapes sported by mushrooms - everything from cages, conical 'fairy hats', lion’s manes, parasols, earthtongues and many more. My favourite architect is Podioserpula pusio, also known as the ‘pagoda fungus’ for good reason. Combined with its even more flamboyant cousin, the pink ‘barbie pagoda’ Podoserpula miranda, their only real flaw is that they don't occur in the UK (yet). If you are lucky enough to visit Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela, Madagascar or New Caledonia, you may also be lucky enough to spy these. I think you can agree that they are tiny masterpieces!
Yes, you have to use your imagination a bit. But that's the fun part!
Many thanks for following this fungal journey if you’re still with me, and hope you enjoyed this week’s posting! Mush love,
L.
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All images used under creative commons unless otherwise stated.
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