Yes! The 2 to 4 million species of fungi in the world offer us endless possibilities — from creating alternative building materials and textiles, to cleaning up environmental toxins, to providing new sources of plant-based proteins. Now, scientists are turning to mushrooms and mycoremediation to solve our plastic pollution crisis. What Is Mycoremediation? Mushrooms growing […]
They are everywhere: in the air we breathe, the water we drink, within our bodies, and under our feet. Fungi are a crucial component of our lives, even when we can’t see them. Between two and four million species of fungi exist on Earth, and more than 2,000 new species are discovered every year. The […]
By Stuart Braun Mycelium, the silky thread that binds fungus, is being adapted to create everything from shoes to coffins to packaging and robust building materials. Best of all, it literally feeds on trash and agricultural byproducts, detoxifing them along the way. The biodegradable material that is also grown vertically to save space and uses […]
A single experience with “magic mushrooms” has long-lasting effects on cancer patients, according to a new study that found patients still felt positive benefits five years later, as CNN reported. Not only did the patients feel reductions in anxiety, a slew of other mental health symptoms were relieved as well, including depression, hopelessness, demoralization and […]
By Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz Oil spills don’t stand a chance against the cleansing power of mycelium. Reposted with permission from our media associate YES! Magazine.
The latest renewable energy breakthrough took place over a lunch. Sudeep Joshi, a postdoctoral fellow at Stevens Institute of Technology, told BBC News that he and some colleagues were discussing the problem of cyanobacteria. These are organisms that can convert sunlight into electric current. The problem? They don’t live long enough on artificial lab equipment […]
By Dan Nosowitz Various parts of the cannabis plant have already received full FDA approval; a drug consisting of cannabidiol, better known as CBD, has already been approved to treat two rare forms of epilepsy. Researchers have been pushing for years for relaxed legal status to study the possible medicinal benefits of hallucinogenic drugs, and […]
By Robert Beelman Mushrooms are often considered only for their culinary use because they are packed with flavor-enhancers and have gourmet appeal. That is probably why they are the second most popular pizza topping, next to pepperoni. In the past, food scientists like me often praised mushrooms as healthy because of what they don’t contribute […]
By Richard Waite, Daniel Vennard and Gerard Pozzi Burgers are possibly the most ubiquitous meal on Americans’ dinner plates, but they’re also among the most resource-intensive: Beef accounts for nearly half of the land use and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food Americans eat. Although there’s growing interest in plant-based burgers and other alternatives, […]