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submitted 2 months ago by Emperor@feddit.uk to c/andfinally@feddit.uk

Nobody knows what sleeping mushrooms dream of when their vast mycelial networks flicker and pulse with electrochemical responses akin to those of our own brain cells.

But given a chance, what might this web of impulses do if granted a moment of freedom?

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Cornell University in the US and the University of Florence in Italy took steps to find out, putting a culture of the edible mushroom species Pleurotus eryngii (also known as the king oyster mushroom) in control of a pair of vehicles, which can twitch and roll across a flat surface.

Through a series of experiments, the researchers showed it was possible to use the mushroom's electrophysiological activity as a means of translating environmental cues into directives, which could, in turn, be used to drive a mechanical device's movements.

"By growing mycelium into the electronics of a robot, we were able to allow the biohybrid machine to sense and respond to the environment," says senior researcher Rob Shepherd, a materials scientist at Cornell.

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[-] Sparky 20 points 2 months ago

It's human enginuity to give legs to things that really shouldn't get legs. We're about to make mandmade horrors beyond human comprehension.

[-] dumbass@leminal.space 9 points 2 months ago

We're too good at killing things now, we need a challenge, so we're making our own.

this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2024
128 points (100.0% liked)

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