Fungi likes the sounds of nature!
We sometimes think we a have a pretty good understanding of the basic science around nature and how it works. A recent development tells me we probably know very little!
New research into Fungi has reinforced that view, while reminding me how incredible nature is and how useful biomimicry could be for humanity.
This research suggests we can stimulate fungal growth within soilscapes through playing sounds! Scientists ran experiments and found that samples exposed to sound showed significant growth compared to the control group. This fascinating discovery could have significant impacts for humans given fungi can used to restore ecosystems, boost food production and supercharge industrial composting.
With fungi’s powerful potential, this discovery is not just idle curiosity – though it certainly is curious! There are even companies working on using fungi to breakdown materials or remove toxins. One project in Cleveland, lead by Christopher Maurer, is using fungi to breakdown materials from abandoned homes riddled with lead. The fungi not only removes the lead from the materials, but the leftover product can be compacted and heated to produce ‘mycoblocks’ - a brick which is stronger than concrete.
Both are fantastic examples of the potential use of biomimicry for innovation.
Every generation tends to think it knows how things work - that we have figured out life on earth. Looking back 100 years, we think ‘wow we were so primitive back then’. In 100 years, they’ll probably think the same thing about us.
The truth is humanity has learnt and discovered an astonishing amount, but it pales compared to what we don’t know. There is so much yet to understand and much which could help us. Let’s put biomimicry more firmly on the innovation agenda.
Published by: Ellen Phiddian | Cosmos Magazine | 31 January 2024