Mushroom species such as Pleurotus ostreatus can degrade up to 95% of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in controlled conditions, pointing to a powerful enzymatic toolkit for cleaning polluted land.

Researchers at Kyoto University and Chosun University used CRISPR/Cas9 to disable gene mbp1 in Pleurotus ostreatus , producing mycelium mats that were approximately 30% stiffer and 50% stronger in tension than unedited controls. The edited fungal strains also produced harder mycelium-based composites under compression testing, and lost the ability to form fruiting bodies, which simplifies industrial production by keeping the fungus in its material-forming growth phase. This

Through their underground networks, fungi physically connect to plant roots, enabling the transfer of nutrients and chemical signals between trees: a system ecologists call the "Wood Wide Web."

Filamentous fungi produce enzymes, nanomaterials, and electrical signals that could underpin a new generation of biosensors capable of detecting pollutants, glucose, and pathogens. Mycelium networks generate structured electrical impulses that researchers are beginning to harness for unconventional computing and wearable sensing devices. A comprehensive review published in Biosensors maps five years of progress across molecular, material, and ecosystem scales, identifying bo

Researchers isolated 415 fungal endophytes from Spain's arid Cabo de Gata region, finding that select strains can suppress up to 15 crop pathogens while simultaneously boosting plant biomass. Dark septate endophytes showed particular promise, producing growth hormones, iron-scavenging compounds, and enzymes that improve nutrient uptake, even under saline or drought conditions. Compatibility testing revealed that certain fungicides routinely used in horticulture are harmful to