Fabric made from Fungi

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  Fabric made from Fungi

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• The story: Biofabrication companies are increasingly excited about the prospect of using fungi to produce sturdy, sustainable alternatives to plastic and leather. New findings suggest that Indigenous Americans were already making “mycotextiles” at least a century ago. The study, published in Mycologia, confirmed the fungal origin of two wall pockets crafted by a Tlingit woman in Alaska in 1903. Some historical mycotextile use has also been reported in Europe.
• How it was found: Author of the Study learned of the artifacts while working as collections manager at Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum of Art. The original owner had labeled one of the pockets, found in the museum’s collection: “Pair of fungus bags. Wedding present from Indian neighbors.” Intrigued, researchers spent years calling experts to confirm this identification— but none had heard of fungal textiles, and her inquiries attracted little interest.  They finally made progress by taking a closer look using Dartmouth’s electron scanning microscope facility. 

1. The images revealed mycelia—intertwined threadlike fungal structures that permeate soil or wood and can form thick mats that are strong, supple and durable. It's just like leather, and cannot be ripped with hands. 
2. Comparing details of the mycelia with modern species descriptions, it was determined that the bags were made from the agarikon fungus—a tree-decaying species that is now disappearing along with the old-growth forests of the western U.S. This was a significant fungus for Indigenous people. It was used medicinally and spiritually all along the Pacific Northwest coast.

• Modern history: Twentieth-century loggers described bandaging wounds with it, and the ancient Greeks used it to treat tuberculosis. Recent studies suggest agarikon extracts have antibacterial and antiviral properties, and they may even be effective in animals at treating some cancers. No biofabrication companies currently use agarikon mycelial mats. But researchers say they can be cultured in a laboratory, making this rare species a viable option for modern mycotextile applications, too.

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