Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. Female stinkbugs of the species Megymenum gracilicorne cultivate symbiotic fungi on specialised glands in their hind legs, then deliberately coat their eggs with the organisms to create a protective barrier approximately 2 millimetres thick. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that parasitic wasps attacked 62 per cent of unprotected eggs but only 10 per cent of fungi-covered eggs, suggesting the fungi provide physical rather than

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. Copenhagen-based Matr Foods has raised €40M in total funding t(he largest amount secured by a Danish food tech startup) to build a commercial factory capable of producing 4,000 tonnes of mycelium protein annually by 2027. The company's clean-label products, made through solid-state fermentation of upcycled vegetables and legumes with fungi, have sold out every month in 2024 and 2025, bucking the downturn seen in plant-based meat

Life-cycle comparison highlighting reduced environmental persistence of mycelium-based coatings relative to conventional plastic barriers used in food and textile industries.

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. Researchers at Ohio State University built working memristors, circuit elements that remember past electrical states—using shiitake mushroom mycelium instead of conventional silicon or titanium dioxide The fungal memristor achieved 5,850 Hertz performance with 90% accuracy, switching signals approximately every 170 microseconds, approaching commercially available memristor speeds The technology offers potential for low-cost, scal

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. University of British Columbia  launched the  world's first mushroom-powered waterless toilet , using fungal networks to convert human waste into nutrient-rich compost Laboratory tests indicate mycelium liners remove over 90% of odour-causing compounds  whilst supporting microbial decomposition without water, electricity, or chemicals The system requires only four maintenance visits annually  and is expected to produce 600 litres

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. Nutropy secured €7M ($8.1M) in oversubscribed funding led by Big Pi Ventures and Zero Carbon Capital to scale production of precision-fermented  casein proteins The company programmes microorganisms to produce casein identical to cow's milk proteins, targeting commercial launch of "cheeseable milk" powder in 2027 Global milk shortages projected to reach 30 million tonnes by 2030  as farmer numbers decline, creating market opportu

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. The Fungi Foundation  has released updated ethical guidelines specifically designed for ethnomycological research, marking the first framework dedicated exclusively to human-fungal knowledge systems The 2025 version emphasises that scientists must serve communities, incorporating more Latin American voices and highlighting cross-sector collaboration between academia, civil society, and Indigenous groups Successfully applied with

In a timber structure on the outskirts of Tallinn, fungi are once again demonstrating their potential to reshape how buildings are insulated. The PAKK Pavilion, a collaboration between materials company Myceen and EKA PAKK , the timber research centre at the Estonian Academy of Arts, is putting mycelium-based insulation to the test in real-world conditions. Credits: Myceen A Natural Solution to Industrial Waste Mycelium, the thread-like root system of fungi, has long intrigu

This is the second article in a six-part series exploring critical themes shaping the future of functional mushrooms, in partnership with Finnish biotech company KÄÄPÄ Biotech . In the evolving landscape of the functional mushroom industry, transparency has emerged as a cornerstone of consumer trust, product integrity, and scientific credibility. As the functional mushroom market rapidly grows ( see the first article in this series by KÄÄPÄ Biotech ), together with the trendi

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. California-based   Michroma  has partnered with South Korean food giant   CJ CheilJedang  to commercialise precision fermentation-derived natural red dye across global markets The collaboration addresses growing demand in a $4.8 billion natural colourant market, driven by regulatory bans on synthetic dyes and consumer preferences, with 68% of Americans supporting artificial colourant removal Michroma's fungal fermentation technol