Ethanol made from shiitake-treated wood performs well, showing the potential for pairing mushroom farming with renewable fuel production.

Ethanol made from shiitake-treated wood performs well, showing the potential for pairing mushroom farming with renewable fuel production.

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. Researchers at Purdue University engineered textiles combining Ganoderma sessile mycelium with cellulose fibres, achieving water contact angles up to 139° and tensile strength increases of 6× in nonwoven materials and 56% in woven cotton The semi-interpenetrating network leverages hydrophobins on aerial mycelium for water resistance whilst maintaining breathability. Life cycle assessment demonstrates 54% lower ecosystem impact,

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

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