Biotechnology and electronics are at a new point of convergence. And thanks to a group of scientists, who managed to create living electronic devices from fungi shiitakean innovation has emerged that could transform the way chips and technological components of the future are designed.
The research, published by the Ohio State Universitydemonstrates that the mycelium of this fungus, the network of filaments that forms its structure, can behave like a memristora type of component capable of storing and processing information in a similar way to the human brain.
From nature to the laboratory
As revealed in the research, specialists grew shiitake mycelium and integrated it into electronic circuits, obtaining devices that not only conduct electricity, but also “remember” previous electrical stateswhich opens the door to the development of biological memories and ecological computing systems.
According to the ScienceAlert report, these fungi demonstrated a response and recovery capacity comparable to that of synthetic materials, but with the advantage of being biodegradable and self-healing.
In the same report, the scientists observed that the fungi maintained their active structure even after several electrical cycles, suggesting remarkable durability for a biological material. In the words of the research team, this technology could serve as the basis for a new generation of living computersmore sustainable and with less environmental impact than conventional chips.
Living technology with sustainable potential
The specialized medium Tom’s Hardware detailed that these “mycelium chips” reached precise and stable operating frequenciesand that its performance could compete with the materials used in the manufacture of traditional memristors, but without requiring rare earths or polluting processes.
Therefore, this innovation could be considered a promising alternative to the high energy and environmental costs of the semiconductor industry.
Researchers maintain that this advance is just the beginning. Mushroom-based devices could be integrated into environmental sensors, organic artificial intelligence systems, or even bioelectronic prostheses. As pointed out Ohio State University“nature can offer us materials that not only imitate intelligence, but also incorporate it.”