Mushrooms could be used to make eco-friendly computer memory chips

Researchers at The Ohio State University have demonstrated that common edible mushrooms, such as shiitake and button mushrooms, can function as organic memristors—devices that store and process digital data by remembering past electrical states. In lab experiments, dehydrated mushrooms exhibited repeatable memory effects comparable to semiconductor chips, successfully changing electrical states at speeds up to 5,850 signals per second and maintaining about 90% accuracy after two months. These fungal devices showed potential as low-cost, biodegradable, and energy-efficient alternatives to traditional silicon-based memory chips, which rely on rare-earth minerals and consume significant power. The study highlights fungal electronics as a promising sustainable option for future computing systems, with scalability that could serve applications ranging from edge computing and aerospace to wearable technology. While challenges remain, such as performance drops at higher voltage frequencies, these can be addressed by circuit design adjustments, like adding more mushrooms. The researchers envision a future where fungal computing could be accessible at various scales, from small compost-heap setups to large