Curious Cases

Furnishing with Fungi

9 snips
May 9, 2025
Join experts Katie Field, a Professor of Plant-Soil Processes, and Phil Ayres, a Professor of Bio-Hybrid Architecture, as they explore the fascinating, often misunderstood world of fungi. They discuss mycelium's potential in sustainable materials and how it's revolutionizing interior design with sound-absorbing wall panels and eco-friendly insulation. Learn about innovative products like mushroom leather and NASA’s exciting plans to use fungi for habitats in space. This fungal journey is set to reshape our homes and beyond!
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INSIGHT

Fungi's Unique Growth Explained

  • Fungi grow through their food by secreting enzymes that decompose organic material, which they then assimilate to grow more fungus.
  • Their filamentous networks leave tough skeletons that help lock carbon in soils, aiding environmental decomposition.
INSIGHT

Mushrooms Are Fungi's Fruit

  • Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi, but the main fungal body is the mycelium, a network of thread-like filaments.
  • The mushrooms we see are just a small visible part of an enormous underground fungal network.
ANECDOTE

Mushrooms as Building Binders

  • Phil Ayres compares growing fungus-bound materials to making bread, mixing sawdust and water with fungus to create composite blocks.
  • After growth, the material is 'baked' at 60 degrees to halt fungus growth, producing MDF-like panels.
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