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Sustainable memristors from shiitake mycelium for high-frequency bioelectronics

Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the structure of the brain, offers advantages in parallel processing, memory storage, and energy efficiency. However, current semiconductor-based neuromorphic chips require rare-earth materials and costly fabrication processes, whereas neural organoids need complex bioreactor maintenance. In this study, we explored shiitake (Lentinula edodes) fungi as a robust, sustainable alternative, exploiting its adaptive electrical signaling, which is akin to neuronal spiking. We demonstrate fungal computing via mycelial networks interfaced with electrodes, showing that fungal memristors can be grown, trained, and preserved through dehydration, retaining functionality at frequencies up to 5.85 kHz, with an accuracy of 90 ± 1%. Notably, shiitake has exhibited radiation resistance, suggesting its viability for aerospace applications. Our findings show that fungal computers can provide scalable, eco-friendly platforms for neuromorphic tasks, bridging bioelectronics and unconventional computing.

Citation: LaRocco J, Tahmina Q, Petreaca R, Simonis J, Hill J (2025) Sustainable memristors from shiitake mycelium for high-frequency bioelectronics. PLoS One 20(10): e0328965. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.

Editor: Ye Zhou, Shenzhen University, HONG KONG

MycoToilet: Behind UBC’s Mushroom-Powered, Waterless Toilet

A group of researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have launched a new prototype for a waterless toilet, which uses mushroom root networks to decompose human waste into compost.

The MycoToilet, which opened for use on 26 September in the university’s Botanical Gardens, is the result of several years of development by lead researcher Joseph Dahmen and his team.

The facility was born from early designs that sought to provide refugee camps with functioning toilets where water is not readily accessible.

Caputo & Guest Launches Direct-to-Consumer Platform, Bringing Chef-Quality Organic Mushrooms Straight from Farm to Table

At a time when consumers are demanding greater transparency, cleaner ingredients, and locally sourced food, Caputo & Guest is delivering a powerful alternative to mass-produced imports: premium mushrooms grown entirely in the U.S., using a proprietary, manure-free cultivation process.

Mushroom-based composting can cut farm waste, pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes

The intensification of global agriculture results in significant disposal challenges, with 14 billion tons of crop straw and 125 million tons of livestock manure produced annually. Traditional composting often fails due to low lignocellulose degradation efficiency and the persistence of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Additionally, the use of antibiotics, like oxytetracycline in livestock, increases the transmission of these ARGs and pathogens in soil-plant systems, threatening agricultural safety and the environment.

To tackle this issue, a research team from the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has employed microbial conversion technology to create a closed-loop system that links crop straw, livestock manure, and spent mushroom substrates, promoting the green and efficient use of organic matter to support crop growth. The paper is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Taking advantage of Yunnan’s abundant agronomic organic matter and fungal resources, the team selected the rare edible mushroom Stropharia rugosoannulata as the core conversion medium to construct a Livestock-Crop-Mushroom (LCM) cross-domain circular system.

Paul Stamets: Using mushrooms to fight bird flu and save bees

Live from the Expo West 2026 trade fair in California, US, Nutrition Insight speaks to renowned mycologist and Fungi Perfecti founder Paul Stamets. Featured in the Netflix documentary “Fantastic Fungi,” Stamets spotlights how mycelium’s potential reaches far beyond human immunity, offering a critical defense for bees and livestock against emerging viral threats.

New clinical research has found that a blend of fungal extracts from Fomitopsis officinalis (agarikon) and Trametes versicolor (turkey tail) mushroom mycelia is an effective adjunct supplement that helps reduce side effects from COVID-19 vaccinations. Fungi Perfecti supplied the study with capsules containing the blend, which was cultivated on organic brown rice.

“To the best of my knowledge, this study is the first placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study ever conducted using a fungal component to enhance the efficacy of vaccines in healthy individuals,” he notes.

New Peer-Reviewed Publication Explores How Rare Agarikon Mycelium Interacts with Human Immune Cells in Basal and Stimulated Conditions

OLYMPIA, Wash., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fungi Perfecti, LLC announced today the publication of a new peer-reviewed research article in Frontiers in Immunology examining how Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis, syn. Laricifomes officinalis) mycelium influences immune signaling in human immune cells under both basal and LPS-stimulated conditions in preclinical evaluations.

Could mushrooms save the world?

Mycologist Paul Stamets explains what fungi do for the planet and how they could be used to correct many of the problems that ail us.

Mycologist Paul Stamets wears a cool Indiana Jones-like hat, fitting for a researcher who is adored like a rock star by fans of his work. The hat is made from a mushroom – birch polypore – but it’s not the only mushroom Stamets has brought to the studio with him. Tucked into his backpack is a huge, 40-pound mushroom called Agarikon, which looks a bit like a beehive.

“It’s really hard. It sounds like wood; it feels like wood; it’s the longest living mushroom in the world,” Stamets explains.

Frontiers: :

Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis, syn. Laricifomes officinalis) is a fungus with millennia of traditional use across many cultures with modern research supporting the antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, antioxidant, and immune-modulating properties of both mycelium and fruit body. Due to the slow growth and old-growth forest habitat of agarikon fruit bodies, its mycelium represents an easily cultivated immunomodulating and stress buffering preparation, underscored by recent clinical trials of a blend of agarikon and Trametes versicolor mycelium.

More than ‘frog’s umbrellas’: how mushrooms are improving food security in Bangladesh

“People here used to hate it,” says Layzu Akter, describing the oyster mushrooms from which she now generates a good income. “Locally, they would call these mushrooms ‘frogs’ umbrellas.’”

A closer look at the delicate mushrooms, sprouting out of an odd-looking package, makes it clearer why someone would make that comparison.

Yet today, the pearly-white fungus, a delicacy in many places, is also increasingly popular in Akter’s community in northeastern Bangladesh’s Kurigram District – thanks to a broader World Food Programme (WFP) initiative that has transformed the livelihoods of food-insecure families like Akter’s, who once struggled to make ends meet.

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