Mycotechnology- Mushroom power activate!

Mushrooms, apparently not just for risotto and Phish concerts.

The sciences of mycofiltration, mycoremediation, mycoforestry and Mycorestoration(tm) are part of an emerging field of study. While fungi promise to play an invaluable role in repairing many forms of environmental damage, the parameters, techniques and time lines for implementation are still in development.

The first use i heard of it was for breaking down diesel in soil:

In a 'contest' several years ago with the Washington Department of Transportation, he treated 10 cubic yards of diesel-contaminated soil with spores from oyster mushrooms, while other researchers treated their own plots with chemical and biological agents. The other technologies had little success after four weeks, but Stamet's fungi were amazing: enormous mushrooms some a foot in diameter had covered the soil. When tested, the mushrooms had no traces of petroleum, and 95% of the hydrocarbons had been broken down.

Sounds good, but it get's better:

"Life exists throughout the cosmos and is a consequence of matter in the universe," he(Stamets) says. "Given that premise, when you look at the consequence of matter, and the simple premise of cellular reproduction, which forms a string, which forms a web, which then cross-hatches, what do you have? You have a neurological landscape that looks like mycelium. It's no accident that brain neurons and astrocytes are similarly arranged. It's no accident that the computer Internet is similarly arranged."

yeah, so what? you might be saying. Well:

Where is Stamets going with all this? "I have a strategy for creating ecological footprints on other planets," he says. "By using a consortium of fungi and seeds and other microorganisms, you could actually seed other planets with little plops. You could actually start keystone species and go to creating vegetation on planets."

Sounds cool, terraforming through splodge bombs

The guy who seems to be leading in this field is Paul Stamets. His website can be found here.

How mushrooms will save the world
oyster mushrooms cleaning up oils spills ?

personally, i think mushrooms are yucky, but if they can be put to a good use, i'm willing to give 'em a chance

I love Mushrooms , they are awesome living things!

I was reading somewhere not that long ago about spores from extinct Mushrooms recovered from sedimentary layers of the Ocean floor could grow even after tens of thousands of years!

This type of " Green" discovery is really cool too!

[edit on 13-10-2005 by lost_shaman]

... spores from extinct Mushrooms recovered from sedimentary layers of the Ocean floor could grow even after tens of thousands of years!

now that's patience

i've also heard that some species of fungus may be of extraterrestrial origin and basically 'floated' down to earth. Hmm, might have to check that out a bit more..

Originally posted by fingapointa

... spores from extinct Mushrooms recovered from sedimentary layers of the Ocean floor could grow even after tens of thousands of years!

now that's patience

i've also heard that some species of fungus may be of extraterrestrial origin and basically 'floated' down to earth. Hmm, might have to check that out a bit more..

Thats why I hate mushrooms! Your not supposed to eat a "higher" life form

:from Slackwarez
Thats why I hate mushrooms! Your not supposed to eat a "higher" life form

nice one. you sound like a friend of bob..

[edit on 13-10-2005 by fingapointa]

Originally posted by fingapointa

... spores from extinct Mushrooms recovered from sedimentary layers of the Ocean floor could grow even after tens of thousands of years!

now that's patience

i've also heard that some species of fungus may be of extraterrestrial origin and basically 'floated' down to earth. Hmm, might have to check that out a bit more..

Actually most microorganisms can lay dormant for centuries and centuries, so fungi are in no way special.
And there's nothing special to fungi, compared to other microorganisms if you ask me...

This sucker would make a lot of mushroom soup.

What is probably the largest living organism on earth has been discovered in the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon. A fungus living three feet underground is estimated to cover 2,200 acres. After testing samples from various locations, scientists say it is all one organism.

One Thousand Football Fields

Officially known as Armillaria ostoyae, or the honey mushroom, the fungus is 3.5 miles across and takes up 1,665 football fields. The small mushrooms visible above ground are only the tip of the iceberg.

Experts estimate that the giant mushroom is at least 2,400 years old, but could be 7,200 years old.

Previously, the world's largest organism was another Armillaria ostoyae, which covers a mere 1,500 acres near Mt. Adams in Washington state.

www.infoplease.com...

I just love mushrooms of all kinds and they are an amazing creature. At the bottom of that same article the writter went on to say:

Genetically Closer to People

In other research, scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related to human beings and animals than to other plants.

Moreover, while humans and most species are divided into only two sexes, mushrooms contain over 36,000 sexes.

Wierd Eh!!!