Mushrooms

According to Pennsylvania State University's Asst. Prof. Long He, the mushroom-farming industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. His team has thus set about addressing that problem, by developing a mushroom-picking robot.

Discarded lobster shells, oyster shells, and used wine bottle corks would typically be considered waste. However, they are being put to good use as building materials for a sustainable pavilion that's planned for England's Glyndebourne Opera.

Scientists continue to search for increasingly powerful drugs to take on cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth, and nature continues to provide them with rich source of inspiration, with the latest example coming from white button mushrooms.

A new review article, from a team of material scientists, is suggesting a leather-like material made from mushroom-derived biomass has the potential to be cheaper, and more environmentally sustainable, than animal leather or its plastic derivations.

Incorrectly identifying wild mushrooms while foraging can lead to more than an upset stomach, it could prove fatal. Researchers from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service have developed a portable test to help.

​In developing nations with limited infrastructure, obtaining vitamin supplements can be difficult. With that in mind, German scientists are now suggesting that people in such regions could fight tuberculosis (TB) by ingesting something else – oyster mushrooms that have been sitting in the sun.

​We've already heard how the psilocybin from so-called "magic" mushrooms may help to alleviate depression. Well, a new study now suggests that a compound found in all mushrooms could also assist in warding off mild cognitive impairment.

​Could your home one day be powered by patches of mushrooms? Probably not, but scientists have nonetheless created a "bionic mushroom" that does indeed generate electricity – and it may pave the way for more practical bio-electric systems.

Mushrooms can fuel batteries, inspire tiny homes, be grown in diapers and even create building "sausages," which just might help construct the homes of tomorrow. Now they can also help with weight loss, according to a new study published in the journal Appetite.