Scientists Build Working Computer Memory Using Shiitake Mushrooms

The Dawn of Myco-Electronics: Fungal Networks Store Digital Data

In a significant step toward sustainable and biodegradable computing, researchers have successfully engineered a working computer memory device using the biological structure of shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes). This breakthrough, led by Andrew Adamatzky at the University of the West of England (UWE), demonstrates that common fungi can function as fundamental electronic components, potentially offering a low-cost, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional silicon-based hardware.

The experimental device utilizes the mushroom’s mycelium—the dense, root-like network of fungal threads—to create a functional memristor, a circuit element capable of storing information by altering its electrical resistance.

How a Mushroom Becomes a Memristor

To understand this innovation, it is crucial to grasp the function of a memristor. A memristor (short for memory-resistor) is the fourth fundamental passive circuit element, alongside the resistor, capacitor, and inductor. Its unique property is that its resistance is not constant; rather, it depends on the history of the electrical current that has passed through it. This characteristic makes it ideal for non-volatile memory storage, as it ‘remembers’ the last state it was in.

The UWE team achieved this bio-electronic functionality by integrating silver electrodes directly into dried shiitake mushroom caps. The key steps involved:

• Material Preparation: Using readily available, dried shiitake mushroom caps.
• Electrode Integration: Applying silver electrodes to the fungal material to create a two-terminal device.
• Mycelial Function: The dense, fibrous structure of the mycelium acts as the active switching layer. When a voltage is applied, ions within the fungal network migrate, changing the electrical pathways and thus altering the resistance of the mushroom tissue.

This change in resistance corresponds to the storage of binary information (0s and 1s).

“The fungal material exhibits the necessary non-linear current-voltage characteristics and hysteresis loops that define a memristor,” the researchers noted, confirming the device’s capability to store and retrieve data based on its electrical history.

Performance and Potential Applications

While still in the prototype stage, the mushroom-based memory device demonstrated promising characteristics that point toward future utility, particularly in niche computing fields.

Memory Retention and Reliability

Crucially, the fungal memristor proved its ability to retain stored information for a significant duration, demonstrating memory retention for up to one week. This non-volatile storage capability is essential for any practical memory device.

Complex Computing Capabilities

Beyond simple data storage, the researchers tested the device’s potential for more complex computational tasks. The inherent non-linear behavior of the fungal network makes it suitable for neuromorphic computing—a paradigm designed to mimic the structure and function of the human brain.

Specifically, the mushroom memristor showed promise in:

• Pattern Recognition: The device could be trained to recognize and differentiate between various electrical input patterns.
• Learning and Adaptation: The ability of the resistance to change based on input history suggests a capacity for basic forms of learning and adaptation, mirroring synaptic plasticity.

The Drive for Sustainable Hardware

This research is part of a broader, critical movement toward bio-computing and sustainable electronics. The rapid obsolescence of modern electronics contributes massively to the global problem of e-waste, which often contains toxic heavy metals.

Using biological materials like fungal mycelium offers several profound advantages:

• Biodegradability: Once discarded, the mushroom components can naturally decompose, minimizing environmental impact.
• Low Cost: Shiitake mushrooms are cheap, abundant, and easily cultivated globally, offering a significantly lower production cost compared to silicon wafer fabrication.
• Renewability: Fungi can be grown quickly and sustainably, providing a renewable resource base for electronics manufacturing.

While the current prototype does not match the speed or density of commercial silicon memory (like DRAM or NAND flash), its potential lies in applications where sustainability, low power consumption, and biodegradability are prioritized over raw processing speed. This could include disposable sensors, environmental monitoring devices, or specialized bio-integrated circuits.

Key Takeaways for Future Technology

This pioneering work by the UWE team confirms that biological organisms can be engineered into functional electronic components, opening a new frontier in materials science and computing.

• Fungal Functionality: Shiitake mushroom mycelium can successfully emulate the behavior of a memristor, a key component for non-volatile memory.
• Sustainability Focus: The primary driver is the creation of biodegradable, low-cost electronics to combat the growing e-waste crisis.
• Neuromorphic Potential: The device shows promise for complex, brain-like computing tasks, including pattern recognition.
• Retention Time: The prototype demonstrated reliable data retention for up to seven days.

What’s Next in Myco-Electronics

The immediate future of this research will focus on improving the device’s operational lifespan and optimizing the mycelial structure for faster switching speeds and higher data density. Researchers will need to address challenges related to humidity control and long-term stability—inherent issues when working with biological materials.

If successful, myco-electronics could eventually provide the foundation for a new class of green computing hardware, where the components of a device can literally return to the earth after their useful life is over, fundamentally changing how we approach the lifecycle of digital technology in the 2025 landscape and beyond.