Fungus innovation: Start-up creates eco-friendly building material

Global Business

Many scientists believe eco-friendly building materials hold great promise for the future. But finding such a substance doesn’t happen overnight.

Mark Niu introduces us to one startup from the Indio Bio accelerator that believes a little fungus power could be the perfect recipe.

Decades ago, chef Philip Ross began studying the medicinal effects of mycelium.

Today, he’s started the company MycoWorks, which takes mycelium live tissue and grows it “through” agricultural waste.

MycoWorks has been able to grow material that is both flexible and extremely durable.

“I think people should look at the mushrooms that are growing around them a little differently. You might see one growing off the side of a tree in the park, and that might be the material that’s going to go into your next automobile,” Ross said.

He expects their material to first appear in apparel products by the end of the year.

He also hopes that someday people will not only grow our own building materials, but once their lifecycle has ended, throw them back into the garden to grow more.


One More Question: How mushrooms could one day be the template for a computer chip

Like a potter working with clay: Drew Endy, a professor of bioengineering at Stanford, talks about how mushrooms can be grown to be used as bricks, and other potential applications in manufacturing.