The fungal kingdom, which includes eukaryotes that are commonly called mushrooms, yeasts, or molds, is really full of surprises. And they’re not fans of the show The Last of Us who will say the opposite, but if we stay on the positive side, these living beings have also brought many benefits to humanity, from beer to antibiotics. And it’s not over.
fomes fomosius is a funny mushroom, more commonly called amadouvier, and very easy to recognize with its cap which grows, without a real foot, around the trunk of trees in poor health. This parasite has been used since prehistoric times, as a firelighter (dried, it ignites easily), but also in medicine, and even as an ersatz leather.
A parasite, but one that is very useful to us
Now it might replace our plastics, which poison us. A team of researchers studied the structural and chemical composition of the body of this fungus from samples taken in Finland. However, some parts of this fungal have proven to be as strong as plywood, pine or leather, while being much lighter.
Mechanical tests have revealed that the structure of the mushroom can divide into three layers, details Science Alert : a hard, thin outer crust enveloping a frothy layer below, and stacks of hollow tubular structures at its core. A variety that is itself interesting: “What we find extraordinary is that with minimal changes in their cell morphology and extracellular polymeric composition, they formulate various materials with physical and distinct chemicals that outperform most natural and man-made materials that typically face property trade-offs,” the researchers write.
Solid, light, but above all biodegradable
They imagine many possible uses for this solid, light material, capable of taking many forms. Three qualities that are exactly the same for which we love plastic, except that the mushroom is biodegradable.
“We believe these results should appeal to a wide audience in materials science and beyond,” the researchers say. It’s not the first time that nature has given us something to curb our plastic problems, but it’s rare that she has given us such a providential replacement.