A tough, bell-shaped fungus that grows on the rotting bark of trees has been used as a fire starter for centuries, earning it the nickname 'tinder fungus.'
Fomes fomentarius, sometimes called tinder or hoof fungus, is shown on a fallen tree trunk in Belgium.
Now, researchers are taking a closer look at the molecular structure of this oddly powerful organism — and they've found that it could hold the secrets to replacing some types of plastics. "F. fomentarius fruiting bodies are ingeniously lightweight biological designs, simple in composition but efficient in performance," the study noted. "Growing the material using simple ingredients is an alternative solution to overcome the cost, time, mass production, and sustainability of how we make and consume materials in the future."Humans have long used F.
The fungus has structural integrity similar to certain grades of plastic and could be used to replace shock-absorbing materials used in things like football helmets and other sporting equipment; heat and sound insulators; and even consumer product parts, such as headset parts, Mohammadi said via email.
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