Glorious Fungi

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Nature of Science, Nature, Sustainability

Ed Hessler

A few days ago I had a lovely coincidence of two posts on fungi. So here they are in the order in which I read them.

First there was this series of photographs of mushrooms on Dr. Jerry Coyne's website. Why Evolution is True which included two of Tinderconk fungus, one on the tree and the other after it was pounded into  faux leather. You have to scroll down to see them and I urge you to look at all of the photographs which were diverse and wonderful. The photographs are accompanied by commentary, too. 

Second was this Where I Work essay from Nature Briefing/Nature.

Fermentation scientist Chuchu Huang works for Mycorena, a Swedish biotechnology company that grows fungus. The mycelia of certain yeasts -- multicellular rather than single cells which can grow into large structures --- and  are used in the manufacture of products such as vegan leather, animal feed, and meat substitutes. One food product is already available in Swedish shops.

And here is a YouTube Video (8m 05s) from 2021 inside a lab working on the faux leather-making process.