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.

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