To meaningfully address the climate crisis, we must confront our construction practices – and that’s where mushrooms come in.

Mycelium composites have become a viable option for replacing these wasteful, fossil fuel intensive building materials.

Feeding on agricultural waste, hyphae – the branching, thread-like filaments that make up mycelium – grow as they digest nutrients from the waste and act as a natural binder as they are molded into bricks.

The resulting low-density material is light, naturally flame-resistant, and insulating.

Instead of killing off the fungi in our soils with synthetic fertilizer, scientists are finding ways to use them to our advantage.

Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic – AKA mutually beneficial – relationships with plants by essentially extending their root systems and taking up nutrients like phosphate from the soil, effectively eliminating the need for phosphate fertilizers.

Plants in tropical soils have an especially hard time obtaining phosphate and farmers spend a great deal of money on fertilizers. Scientists are exploring ways to bring these fungi to tropical regions by suspending them in gel and incorporating them into the soil.

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Much like the fermentation process employed to make beer and bread, mycoproteins are created by fermenting the spores of specific mushrooms, resulting in a flavorless, high-protein foodstuff that can be used to make meat substitutes.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here.