⌭ 1 To start with, the ice cap on Mars' north pole captured by HiRISE definitely has something fungal about it :) (image: Caltech/Univ. of Arizona/NASA)
⌭ 2 NASA identified what seemed to be puffballs growing out of the ground in just three days, and fifteen Algae, Stromatolites specimens, highlighting microbial mats appear to exist on the Martian surface. (image: NASA)
⌭ 3 Looks like it could be the fruiting body of a space mushroom, but in fact a small, hematite-rich concretions, hinting at past signs of water on Mars (image: Caltech/Cornell/USGS/NASA)
⌭ 4 Maurizio Montalti, from mycelium company Sqim, collaborated with footwear designer Liz Ciokajlo, to create the Mars Boot. The boot's exterior is made from mycelium, while the interior is a composite mycelium-based material with cotton and hemp (credit: George Ellsworth, Caskia/Growing)
⌭ 5 NASA looked into myco-architecture for Mars, effectively growing surface structures at destination. Melanin-rich fungi have the ability to absorb radioactivity suggesting that melanized fungal mycelia could provide radiation protection, on top of hundreds of other great biocomposite advantages. (credit: Lynn Rothschild)
Ready for a little space exploration? Make sure to take your fungi along.
Check them out:
⌭ @nasa
⌭ @mogu
⌭ @sqim
⌭ @ephea
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