Fungi: mycelia, mushrooms & more

Fossils show that millions of years ago, 20-foot-high fungi spikes towered over Earth’s landscape.

Invidious link

• Mycorrhizal fungi are responsible for holding up to 36 per cent of yearly global fossil fuel emissions below ground - more than China emits each year

• The fungi make up a vast underground network all over the planet underneath grasslands and forests, as well as roads, gardens, and houses on every continent on Earth

• It is not only crucial to storing carbon and keeping the planet cooler, but are also essential to global biodiversity

• Researchers are now calling for fungi to be considered more heavily in conservation and biodiversity policies, and are investigating whether we can increase how much carbon the soil underneath us can hold

7 types of medicinal mushrooms with adaptive health benefits. Discover each of their superpowers and how they can improve your health.

And a quite humorous relevant video: The Cloudy Origins of Kombucha

One Belgian company is recycling coffee grounds to grow mushrooms, as part of a circular system that aims to eliminate waste.

In an innovative project, scientists are turning to one of the oldest group of living organisms, fungi, to solve problems of energy wastage. Discover how experts are leveraging  a system of fungal bio-electric sensors to address smart and sustainable living.

New research suggests that mycorrhizal fungi take in 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, playing a prominent role in Earth’s carbon cycle.

Tulip trees were long renowned for their carbon storage. Their unique wood may be responsible.

Some fungi species can clean the environment from pollutants, convert plastics into bio-available food, and more.

Note: I haven't tried this myself cause I don't have all the equipment needed (or should I say haven't thought of how to replace them, perhaps?). Still, it does seem pretty doable.

Flora. Fauna. Funga. The case for fungi to be considered their own kingdom within the natural world was simple: Without them, much of life as we know it on this planet—starting with the ability of plants to live outside of water—would not exist.

Grow It Yourself! Once you have experimented, grow a piece of Mycelium Furniture. Innovators are growing unique salable products.

I grow mushrooms at home, and so I have lots of spent grow bags with decayed substrate (wood, millet and soy hulls) in them.

They are great for composting, and make very good soil, but nobody wants them and I used as much as I could for my plants.

Right now, I throw them into the industrial compost bin because of that.

But I think they could be used for something way more useful than just compost.

For example, I thought about chopping them up and dehydrating them, so I can use them as cat litter. Mushrooms are mostly water and the hyphae have lots of surface area, so they could act as a sponge.

Or, maybe they burn fine and make good coals for barbecues or heating?

Do you have any other ideas?

16 Sep 2024

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam, Germany, are creating packaging materials by mixing mycelium with agricultural residues such as wood chips, hemp and reeds. Experts at the institute are working with mycelium from edible mushrooms and bracket fungi, such as oyster mushrooms and tinder fungi.

U.S. Bioenergy Technologies Office

There is evidence suggesting that ancient Egyptians used moldy bread, specifically containing a type of mold called Penicillium, as an early form of antibiotic.

Beyond Meat has plans to launch a mycelium-based whole-cut steak alternative, responding to growing consumer demand for clean-label alternatives, reports CNBC.