There’s Always Room for Mushrooms!
When most people
think about mushrooms the first thing that comes to mind is as a topping. Few
people stop to think about the origin of mushrooms or how they might be
utilized to help save the world. One scientist did just that though: Paul Stamets
presented at TED talks a very interesting proposal about mushrooms and how they
are past masters from internet to recycling. Currently mushrooms are being used
in experiments to decompose plastics and to help clean up oil spills. By having
the mushrooms use the compounds that make up the oil and plastic as a food
source they mushrooms can literally digest the plastic in landfills or the oil
in the spills. This is a fascinating area of study and one which has been showing
a great deal of promise in the field of environmentalism. Some recent
experiments into utilizing mushrooms to their fullest potential include a
dramatic example of mushroom spores being introduced to a crude oil
contaminated pile of soil. The spores took root and began to consume the carbon
bonds that hold the oil molecules together, then as the mushrooms died off they
gave way for a whole new ecosystem to take over. After several weeks the dirt
pile was transformed into an oasis of green vegetation. This is one example where
mushrooms would be able to do much for the environment. Another area that is
being explored is their use as a fuel source called Econol. Yet another way in
which mushrooms are being used is by decomposing plastic. Until recently
plastic was thought to take from anywhere around hundreds of years to thousands
of years to decompose naturally. However a new discovery in the rain forest of
a very rare mushroom that can actually consume and break down plastic has
changed that number drastically. By using a variant of this mushroom species a
new technology is being developed to turn waist plastic in to a food source for
people. The special incubator consumes the plastic leaving behind something that
can be eaten by humans. This is a very promising venture that may be able to eventually
be able to solve too big problems that we face today, world hunger and
overflowing landfills. While this concept is still a long way off from making
it into our everyday lives, it’s still a fascinating idea that has the
capability of changing the world for the better or the worse. (One step closer
to Soylent Green..)
In short mushrooms may hold the key to the
future of mankind; they have existed on the earth for longer than any other organism
and show no signs of stopping anytime soon. Mushrooms and fungi have the potential to
change the way we live, from how we power our machines to what we eat. They developed
the first internet, and are capable of cleaning up our messes from oil spills
to landfills. Over the next several years it will be interesting to watch the
progress of the mushroom in out day to day lives.
