Fungi make up a massive, interconnected part of Earth’s ecosystems, yet they’re vastly underrepresented in research and public consciousness compared to plants and animals. That may change in the future though, as a group of researchers at The Ohio State University have found a way to use fungi as organic memristors — hinting at a possible future where fungal networks help power our computing devices.
A memristor is a passive electronic component whose resistance changes based on the voltage and current that has passed through it, which means it can effectively remember past electrical states even when power is removed. To create these circuit components with fungus, the researchers grew shiitake and button mushroom mycelium for these tests, dehydrated their samples for a number of days, and then attached electrodes to the samples. After misting them briefly to restore conductivity, the samples were exposed to various electrical wave forms at a range of voltages to determine how effective they were at performing the duties of a memristor. At one volt these systems were the most consistent, and they were even programmed to act like RAM where they achieved a frequency of almost 6 kHz and an accuracy of 90%.
In their paper, the research group notes a number of advantages to building fungal-based components like these, namely that they are much more environmentally friendly and don’t require the rare earth metals that typical circuit components do. They’re also easier to grow than other types of neural organoids, require less power, weigh less, and shiitake specifically is notable for its radiation resistance as well. Some work needs to be done to decrease the size required, and with time perhaps we’ll see more fungi-based electrical components like these.
Last of us meets the matrix ?
Not gonna lie – I checked to see if it was the first of April.
There’s an organic gardening place half an hour from here, they sell mushroom supplies… hmm.
something something shittake post joke something.
It’s too dang early and my brain doesn’t have mushroom for coherent thought.
Aaronfish… you’ll think of something…. you’re such a fun-guy…😁
My ex has plenty of mushrooms to share, if you’re into this stuff ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Interesting… fun… and one never knows how some experimental observation could someday translate into keystone information to make some other crucial device/process work.
I also agree that biology has much to teach us about optimization in our own machines. I wouldn’t be shocked at all to find future, massive, AI systems hosted on bioelectrical hybrid systems. However…
“Society has become increasingly aware of the need to protect our environment and ensure that we preserve it for future generations…”
They stuck wires in mushrooms, for crying out loud. They did not build a rocket to deflect an earth-bound killer asteroid.
I miss the old days when scientists explored the secrets of the natural world without having to tie every discovery to “saving the earth.”
On the plus side, I’m willing to bet mushrooms will grow on their rhetoric.
I came for the comments and I stayed for the comments.
You’re not leaving mush room for more jokes.
the button mushroom is the input device, I assume?
Afaiks, it is the selection device
This is great until Neelix starts making cheese and all the computers start getting sick.
Try it with Prototaxites stellaviatori and see where you wind up.
Who’s read “Rosewater”? I think it would be popular with this crowd.
Oh hey it’s the Voice of Planet from SMAC!
there’s an animated sci fi series called scavengers reign that has a damaged robot cpu repaired by a fungus. great series.