Living in houses made of fungi and bacteria may seem futuristic, but a new study suggests it's closer than ever. Researchers at Montana State University grew dense networks of fungal mycelium — underground structures connecting fungi — and infused them with bacteria to create a potential self-repairing building material.
Published April 16 in Cell Reports Physical Science, the study offers a possible sustainable alternative to cement, which accounts for about 8 per cent of global carbon emissions.
“We asked ‘what if we could do it a different way using biology?’ That’s the vision,” said lead author Chelsea Heveran.
The team used the fungus Neurospora crassa as scaffolding and introduced Sporosarcina pasteurii bacteria, which produced calcium carbonate — a substance found in coral and shells — through biomineralization.
This process hardened the fungus into a bone-like material. Killing the fungus before adding bacteria sped up the process and made the material stiffer.
“Our microbes stayed active for at least four weeks,” said Heveran, who hopes future materials might repair themselves or detect poor air quality.
While promising, the material’s strength isn’t yet comparable to concrete. “It’s not stiffness that people are interested in … it is the strength,” noted bioengineer Avinash Manjula-Basavanna. He added such materials may be suitable for single-story structures in five to 10 years.
Heveran acknowledged safety concerns, noting more research is needed to ensure the material is safe to inhabit. Still, she remains optimistic: “The possibilities are really exciting to me.”
Courtesy: CNN
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