Buzz
Fungi are all around us, from the mushrooms on our pizzas to the mildew that thrives in our bathrooms. These peculiar organisms, neither plants nor animals but something entirely different, often go unnoticed. Yet, they are incredible life forms that play a vital role in the ecosystem.
In fact, fungi outnumber both plant and animal species. Interestingly, they share a closer evolutionary bond with animals than with plants. What’s truly astonishing is the profound impact fungi have on our world, often without us even realizing it.
10. Nature’s Recycling Agents
We dispose of many things labeled as nonbiodegradable, like plastic, which can take centuries to decompose. Even when it eventually breaks down, it transforms into microplastic particles that continue to harm the environment, particularly marine life. The bonds that hold plastic together are incredibly tough, but there may be a solution to this problem on the horizon.
Scientists have discovered a fungus in the rainforests of Ecuador that can break down polyurethane. While we’re not sure what this organism consumes in its natural habitat, it could potentially offer a solution to many of the world’s waste issues. If that’s not surprising enough, there are also fungi that consume plastic and are edible. This means we could potentially grow food from plastic waste.
Researchers in Italy have found a way to use fungi to remove iron from asbestos, rendering it non-carcinogenic. Without the iron, asbestos can no longer produce the harmful free radicals that can lead to cancer. There’s even a fungus capable of breaking down VX nerve gas.
Could fungi be the key to saving our planet?
9. Masterful Predators
While fungi are often thought of as decomposers that consume dead matter and waste, some species have evolved into carnivores. These fungi can supplement their diet by consuming tiny worms known as nematodes.
Fungi capture nematodes by creating traps, often using sticky nets or other mechanisms that entangle their prey. But fungi don’t just randomly set up traps. They can detect the chemicals left behind by their wormy targets. Only when hungry and in the presence of nematodes will they construct these traps.
Some fungal species take a different approach, using rings made of just three cells to catch their prey. When a nematode enters the ring, the cells swell and triple in size, creating a noose that traps the worm.
8. Miraculous Sweet Treats
Have you ever reached into the fridge for a bowl of ice cream, only to find that it’s unexpectedly gritty? This happens when the ice cream melts and refreezes, causing ice crystals to form and ruining its smooth texture.
This may no longer be an issue. Scientists have taken genes from a filamentous fungus, inserted them into bacteria, and turned the bacteria into a protein-producing factory that generates BslA. When BslA is added to ice cream, it binds the water, fat, and air, creating a smoother texture and making the sweet treat melt more slowly.
Fungus technology is also providing more innovations. Erythritol, a new calorie-free sweetener popular in Asia, is now cheaper to produce using a process that only requires mold and straw. In the future, fungi may even be the source of your sweet treats.
7. Biofuels
In the future, your car might run on fungus. In the Patagonian rainforests of South America, there’s a fungus called Gliocladium roseum that grows inside ulmo trees. This fungus consumes cellulose from plant materials like wood chips, sawdust, and stalks, producing diesel fuel as a byproduct.
Currently, the process of producing biofuels is much more intricate. First, cellulose is broken down into sugar, which is then converted into ethanol by microbes. G. roseum simplifies the entire process by performing all these steps itself.
Researchers from Washington State University believe this mold produces fuel as a defense mechanism. When attacked, the fungus increases its production of petroleum-like compounds. In their experiments, scientists managed to get Aspergillus carbonarius to create jet fuel compounds from oatmeal.
6. Disease
The bananas we eat today are quite different from those our grandparents enjoyed. Many people claim that the Cavendish banana, the current variety, doesn’t hold a candle to the Gros Michel (also known as the 'Big Mike') that was popular in the 1950s.
The Big Mike banana is no longer common due to a fungus called Fusarium oxysporum (also known as 'Race 1'), which nearly led to the extinction of the variety. The banana industry had to find a replacement that resembled Big Mike but was resistant to Race 1, leading to the development of the Cavendish. While it doesn’t taste as good and has a shorter shelf life, it was initially immune to the deadly fungus.
However, that resistance is no longer enough. A new strain, Race 4, of the same deadly fungus is currently ravaging banana crops in China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, parts of Africa, and Australia. As of now, there is no solution. Fortunately, other types of bananas exist. If the Cavendish succumbs, it will likely be replaced by a new variety.
But how long will it be before another fungus targets the new variety of bananas? Will future generations even know what bananas are? The same issue is affecting the finest coffees worldwide. The fungus Hemileia vastatrix, also known as 'coffee rust,' is wreaking havoc on coffee trees across the globe.
This, however, pales in comparison to the alarming threat posed by 'wheat rust.' This fungal disease could devastate the global wheat crop if it isn’t controlled swiftly. While losing a fruit or a drink is concerning, wheat makes up a significant portion—up to 25 percent—of the calories we consume daily.
5. Ancient Beasts
Around 350 million years ago, when insects ruled the earth and vertebrates had yet to emerge from the oceans, the planet looked utterly alien. Towering forests of massive, branchless structures, 6 meters (20 ft) tall and 1 meter (3 ft) wide, stood in the landscape. For a long time, scientists believed these to be primitive trees. Today, we know that these were actually fungi known as Prototaxites.
While some primitive plants existed in that era, most were no taller than 1 meter (3 ft). The towering Prototaxites were the giants of the primeval world. Yet, this size pales in comparison to the colossal Armillaria solidipes, which resides in Oregon’s Blue Mountains. Spanning nearly 10 square kilometers (4 mi), this giant mushroom, which is capable of killing trees, is regarded as the largest living organism on Earth. Estimated to be between 1,900 and 8,650 years old, it may predate recorded human history.
4. Climate
Until recently, scientists couldn’t fully explain the excessive rainfall in rainforests. New research suggests that fungi may play a role in this phenomenon. Clouds form when tiny water droplets gather around particles like dust. However, water needs a surface on which to condense, and fungi might provide that surface area.
Recent studies reveal how clouds and rain may form in the Amazon rainforest. Fungi reproduce by releasing spores into the air suspended in a fluid rich in potassium salts. These tiny salts, smaller than bacteria, attract other organic compounds, causing them to grow large enough for water to condense upon them.
Fungi continue to contribute to cloud formation by dispersing their leftover reproductive fluids. It’s believed that microscopic fungi cover about 33 percent of the Earth's land area, potentially producing a significant number of clouds.
3. Lethal
If you’ve heard news about the sudden die-offs of bees, frogs, or bats, much of it can be attributed to fungi. Professor Rosemary Barnes from Cardiff University stated in a 2015 press release, 'Fungi kill more people than malaria and tuberculosis worldwide. They destroy about a third of all arable food crops.'
Fungi are the world’s largest killers, and we’re not talking about the accidental consumption of poisonous mushrooms. The real danger is that you could inhale a deadly fungal spore without even realizing it. For instance, Coccidioidomycosis, known as 'valley fever,' is a fungal infection present in the soil of the American Southwest. Inhalation may lead to a mild fever or no symptoms, but it can also progress into a deadly infection that attacks your lungs, joints, or the membranes surrounding your brain and spinal cord.
While hiking, you might unknowingly contract a disease that could remain with you forever. In the Pacific Northwest, there's a fungus called Cryptococcus gattii, which poses a risk much like valley fever. There are no preventive measures, no vaccine, and even masks don't help because the spores are so tiny. The good news is that fungal infections aren’t contagious, but the bad news is that they are on the rise.
2. Construction Material
Fungi aren’t just destructive, they also serve as strong building materials. Ecovative Design has created a natural packing product made from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. It’s fireproof, mold-resistant, non-toxic, and outperforms fiberglass as an insulator.
Since 2015, Ecovative has been offering this mycelium-based material as a more eco-friendly alternative to Styrofoam. It’s also biodegradable. The company is now exploring its potential in construction by using it to create bricks and test out a few test structures, as it’s even stronger than concrete.
Ecovative’s process starts with agricultural waste, like corn husks. They moisten it, add nutrients and mushrooms, mold it, and let it grow in a dark room for four days. Afterward, they remove the mushrooms, heat the material to stop the growth of the mycelium, and what they have left is an environmentally friendly building material. If all goes according to plan, you might one day be living in a mushroom-made home.
1. Incredibly Expensive
Truffles are fungi so highly prized that people are willing to spend outrageous amounts just to taste them. The European white truffle, for example, can cost thousands of dollars per pound. Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin once spent $95,000 for just 2 kilograms (4 lb) of white truffles.
However, nothing compares to the extreme price of yartsa gunbu. Found in the Tibetan Plateau, this fungus grows from mummified caterpillars, and it’s known as the “Viagra of the Himalayas” in China. It’s sold for around $2,000 an ounce, nearly twice the price of gold. People are ruthlessly digging up Tibet’s highlands and even fighting over these moldy caterpillars.
Perhaps the most expensive fungus in existence is a lab-created variety. Trichoderma is a soil-dwelling fungus that feeds on chitin, the material found in the exoskeletons of creatures like insects, snails, and crabs. Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have genetically modified this fungus to digest crab shells and produce N-Acetylneuraminic acid (NANA), a compound used in antiviral medications. NANA is so valuable that it is 50 times more expensive than gold.
