US EditionResearchers Build Working Memory Devices from Mushrooms
Ohio State researchers created biodegradable mushroom memristors switching states up to 5,850 times per second, offering low-power, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional semiconductors.
- On Oct 25, 2025, researchers at The Ohio State University reported organic memristors made from edible shiitake mushrooms in PLOS ONE.
- Driven by concerns over electronic waste, researchers sought biodegradable, lower-energy alternatives to conventional semiconductors to reduce reliance on rare-earth minerals, with Tahmina noting, `Society has become increasingly aware of the need to protect our environment and ensure that we preserve it for future generations.`
- Using lab-grown samples, the team dehydrated shiitake and button mushrooms, attached them to custom electronic circuits, and tested their memristor, which switched states up to 5,850 signals per second with about 90% accuracy, performing best near 10 hertz, LaRocco said.
- Supported by the Honda Research Institute, LaRocco said, `Being able to develop microchips that mimic actual neural activity means you don't need a lot of power for standby or when the machine isn't being used.`
- Looking ahead, scientists plan to refine cultivation and shrink organic memristors, with LaRocco saying `Everything you'd need to start exploring fungi and computing could be as small as a compost heap and some homemade electronics, or as big as a culturing factory with pre-made templates.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Researchers turn mushrooms into living memory chips for sustainable computing
Mushrooms have long attracted scientific attention for their complex biological networks and resilience across environments. Those same biological systems, researchers found, can be engineered to create "memristors" – devices that retain memory of electrical activity.Read Entire Article
Living computers powered by mushrooms
Scientists have found that mushrooms can act as organic memory devices, mimicking neural activity while consuming minimal power. The Ohio State team grew and trained shiitake fungi to perform like computer chips, capable of switching between electrical states thousands of times per second. These fungal circuits are biodegradable and low-cost, opening the door to sustainable, brain-like computing.
Mushrooms Could Power Future Eco-Friendly Computers, Study Suggests
Researchers at The Ohio State University have turned mushrooms into organic memory devices that mimic brain-like computing. The fungal circuits, powered by shiitake and button mushrooms, can switch between electrical states thousands of times per second, offering a biodegradable, low-cost alternative to conventional microchips.
Researchers grow mushroom chips that can think and remember
Mushrooms might soon do more than top your pizza—they could help power the computers of the future. A new study suggests that common fungi, like shiitake mushrooms, can be turned into living memory chips capable of storing and processing information, much like the hardware inside modern computers. Researchers from The Ohio State University have shown […] The post Researchers grow mushroom chips that can think and remember appeared first on Knowr…
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