mushrooms

Can Mushrooms Really Break Down Plastic?

Can Mushrooms Really Break Down Plastic?

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 […]

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    7 Fascinating Fungi Innovations

    7 Fascinating Fungi Innovations

    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 […]

    Mushrooms: 4 Uses That Benefit the Environment

    Mushrooms: 4 Uses That Benefit the Environment

    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 […]

    Single Dose of ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Provides Long-Term Anxiety Relief for Cancer Patients, Study Suggests

    Single Dose of ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Provides Long-Term Anxiety Relief for Cancer Patients, Study Suggests

    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 […]

    Could ‘Bionic Mushrooms’ Be the Future of Renewable Energy?

    Could ‘Bionic Mushrooms’ Be the Future of Renewable Energy?

    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 […]

    How the Lowly Mushroom Is Becoming a Nutritional Star

    How the Lowly Mushroom Is Becoming a Nutritional Star

    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 […]

    ‘Blended Burger’ Allows a Simple Shift to More Sustainable Eating

    ‘Blended Burger’ Allows a Simple Shift to More Sustainable Eating

    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, […]