Tag Archives: mushrooms

International conference “Building with Fungi” presents the potential of fungi in the construction sector

By | October 14th 2026
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Fungal mycelium has enormous potential in the construction sector. Credits: Silva Montanis, pexels

Houses made of mushrooms: What sounds like science fiction is already the subject of serious research. Stable, lightweight, and biodegradable materials can be produced from the fine, branching network of fungi, the so-called mycelium. In the future, they could be used as insulation, building components, or even for entire building structures. But how durable are such materials? How can they be produced on a large scale…? Read more »

Against fungi and bark beetles: A mixture of monoterpenes is promising

By | June 24, 2025
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Credits: Anna Schroll, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

The spruce (Picea abies), which for many decades was the "bread tree" of the timber industry, has been weakened by years of drought and high temperatures. Monoculture cultivation has exacerbated the problem: The large eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus), also known as the spruce bark beetle, had an easy time of it. The approximately four to five millimeter-long beetle does not carry out its destructive work alone, but in conjunction with... Continue reading

Living facade: Microorganisms can store CO2 and filter pollutants from the air

By | May 22
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Credits: Ana Gubenšek

Facades are generally lifeless and serve no function. An international research team now wants to change that. The innovative facade paint is designed to house microorganisms that filter CO2 and pollutants from the air: In the REMEDY project, the consortium is working on integrating carefully selected communities of beneficial microorganisms, such as fungi and algae, into special inks that can be applied to exterior walls made of concrete, wood,... Continue reading

Mushroom mycelium provides innovative and sustainable fiber composite material

By | May 14
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Credits: Dr. Hagen Graebner, Wikipedia

Mushrooms are considered a promising source of biodegradable materials. Empa researchers have developed a new material based on fungal mycelium and its extracellular matrix (ECM). This gives the biomaterial particularly advantageous properties. Sustainably produced, biodegradable materials are an important focus of modern materials research. However, the processing of natural materials such as cellulose, lignin, or chitin presents researchers with... Continue reading

Mushroom research: Three new bitter substances identified from the bitter polypore

By | April 7, 2025
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Dr. Norbert Arnold, credits: private

The molecular world of bitter substances has so far been only partially researched. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich in Freising and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Halle (Saale) have now isolated three new bitter substances from the bitter polypore fungus (Amaropostia stiptica) and investigated their effect on human bitter receptors. In doing so, they discovered one of the potentially most bitter substances yet discovered... Continue reading

Event tip Berlin: Mushroom theater and panel discussion on alternative building materials made from mushroom mycelium

By | April 4, 2025
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Credits: Carlina Teteris

The potential of fungi as sustainable building materials is the topic of a public panel discussion titled "What the Fungus" at the Neuköllner Oper on April 11, 2025. Following the performance of the musical theater piece "GEGENGIFT," which will be shown at the Neuköllner Opfer until May 11, 2025, biotechnologist Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vera Meyer of the Technical University of Berlin will speak... Continue reading

Endophytic fungi defend “their” poplar against herbivorous insects

By | February 27, 2025
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Credits: Christin Walther, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel 

Endophytic fungi living inside leaves enhance the chemical defenses of black poplars and influence the interactions between tree-nesting insect populations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and Kiel University report in a recent study published in the journal Ecology Letters on the influence of an endophytic fungus of the genus Cladosporium on the defense of black poplars against herbivorous insects. The fungus, which lives inside the leaves… Read more »

Open to all: New portal “Mushrooms of Germany” launches with 12.000 species and subspecies

By | February 18, 2025
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Credits: Lora Rikky, pexels

The "Mushrooms of Germany" portal will make it easier to collect observational data on fungi and use it for scientific and conservation purposes. The new portal contains detection data on mushrooms native to Germany, including well-known edible mushrooms, as well as lesser-known and microscopic species. The data portal is technically managed by the Red List Center and supported by the German Society for… Continue reading

Tropics: Fungi supply young trees with carbon

By | February 4, 2025
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Credits: Pascal_photography, pexels

Researchers at the Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER) at the University of Bayreuth have found the first evidence that young plants of some tropical woody plants obtain part of their carbon from fungi. This could allow the plants in the shady undergrowth to compensate for low carbon uptake through photosynthesis, thus gaining a growth advantage over other plants. The researchers report their findings in the journal Functional Ecology.… Continue reading

Ergothioneine from mushrooms: Does the substance help you live longer and healthier?

By | January 21, 2025
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Credits: Mikhail Nilov/pexels

Not only to live as long as possible, but above all to live without health limitations – that is the wish of many people. However, with increasing age, the risk of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's or sarcopenia also rises. In aging research, therefore, the focus is increasingly shifting to the period within a person's lifespan during which they remain healthy. That the natural substance… Read more »