A student at Washington State University successfully built a mushroom canoe. The project hoped to raise awareness on the usefulness of the fungi as a building material.
The canoe was built using mycelium or mushroom roots. Student Katy Ayers partnered with William “Ash” Gordon, a mushroom grower, to create the boat with the help of other experts. It took about five months to complete the 7.5-foot-long canoe. This won a Guinness World Record as the world’s longest fungal mycelium boat.
Apart from helping build basic water transport, mycelium could also help clean up our planet by breaking down harmful pollutants like plastics and cancer-causing toxins. It can also be used to build temporary shelters for victims of disasters. Could mushroom roots be one of the solutions that will end our dependence on materials that harm our health and environment? Please comment your thoughts below.