October 31, 2025
This AI is farm-to-table
Sustainable memristors from shiitake mycelium for high-frequency bioelectronics
Mushroom chips?! Internet splits as “fungi computers” face sci‑fi hype vs. “get real” crowd
TLDR: Researchers built simple memory parts from shiitake mushrooms that still work after drying and could enable greener, low‑power computing, even in space. Commenters are split between “forest brain” excitement and blunt skepticism about scaling, with sci‑fi jokes and “shiitake server” memes stealing the show.
A new study says shiitake mushrooms can act like tiny memory parts—“memristors”—that remember electricity like a brain’s synapses. Researchers grew, “trained,” then dried them out and they still worked up to 5.85 kHz with about 90% accuracy, plus they’re tough against radiation. The paper is in PLOS One and the data’s on GitHub, with readers swapping links to the HN thread and the original paper. Simple version: eco‑friendly, brain‑inspired parts made from shiitake that could power low‑energy gadgets—and maybe spacecraft.
Cue the comment war. One side screams “forest brain confirmed!”, cheering the idea that tree networks talk via fungi, with believers arguing this makes those theories harder to dismiss. The skeptics clap back: cool demo, but can it scale? “Wake me when it beats a cheap chip,” snarks one vibe. The sci‑fi squad shows up waving Neal Stephenson paperbacks: were we warned—or inspired—by fiction? Meanwhile, jokers proudly coin “shiitake servers,” “pizza that pings,” and “space shrooms” after the aerospace tease. Even fans add caveats: 5.85 kHz isn’t a gaming PC, but sensors, tiny robots, and green AI? Maybe. Verdict: half wonder, half eye‑roll—and 100% entertained.
Key Points
- •Shiitake mycelium-based memristors were grown, trained, and preserved via dehydration, functioning up to 5.85 kHz with 90 ± 1% accuracy.
- •Fungal computing was demonstrated using mycelial networks interfaced with electrodes, showing stable switching, retention, and endurance.
- •The study positions fungi as scalable, low-cost, and eco-friendly alternatives to rare-earth-dependent neuromorphic hardware.
- •Shiitake’s radiation resistance suggests potential for aerospace applications.
- •The article is open access in PLoS One; data is on GitHub, and funding came from Honda Research Institute (no role in the study).