Scientists have developed a remarkable new building material made from living fungus and bacteria that can repair itself for more than a month.
This breakthrough, led by engineers at Montana State University, could one day help replace traditional construction materials like concrete, which have a heavy impact on the environment.
The new material uses fungal mycelium—the thread-like roots of fungi—and living bacteria.
It’s created at low temperatures, making the process more energy-efficient than conventional building methods.
Even more impressive, this living material can fix itself when damaged and even clean up environmental contamination.
Professor Chelsea Heveran, the lead researcher, explained that while this new material isn’t strong enough to replace concrete in all situations just yet, her team and others are working to improve its strength and durability.
The ultimate goal is to develop a greener alternative to cement, which is responsible for about 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
A key advantage of this new material is how long it stays alive and functional. Most similar materials made from living organisms only remain usable for a few days or weeks. In contrast, Heveran’s fungus-based creation lasts for at least a month while continuing to self-repair.
This longevity opens up new possibilities. If the bacteria inside the material can survive longer, they might be able to take on other useful roles beyond just self-repair, such as removing toxins from their environment.
One of the big challenges in developing living materials has been keeping the organisms alive long enough, while also shaping the material into forms suitable for construction.
To solve this, the team used the fungus Neurospora crassa to form a scaffold, or framework, for the material. Mycelium had already been used for packaging and insulation, but this study took it a step further.
The researchers found that the fungal scaffolds helped control the internal structure of the material.
They were even able to design patterns that mimicked the structure of human bones. This ability to create complex shapes could be valuable in making customized or highly efficient building components in the future.
Looking ahead, the team plans to find ways to extend the lifespan of the living cells and explore how to produce the material on a larger scale. Their work could be a big step toward sustainable, self-healing buildings of the future.
