Researchers at Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio, have discovered that common shiitake mushrooms can be turned into organic memristors: circuit components that remember previous electrical states, functioning as both memory and processors.

By growing and drying the mushrooms’ mycelium, the team connected samples to electronic circuits, then applied varying voltages and frequencies. The fungal material successfully switched electrical states nearly 6 000 times per second with approximately 90% accuracy, demonstrating brain-like “learning” through changes in electrical resistance.

According to lead researcher Dr John LaRocco, these mushroom-based chips could deliver major computational and economic benefits: “Being able to develop microchips that mimic actual neural activity means you don’t need a lot of power for stand-by or when the machine isn’t being used.”

The OSU research group notes that mycelium networks naturally transmit electrical and chemical signals similar to neural synapses, making them ideal for low-energy, adaptive computing.

Beyond performance, the environmental advantages are striking: fungal electronics are biodegradable, require no rare-earth minerals, and consume far less power than traditional silicon components.

Shiitake mushrooms were chosen for their abundance, porous structure, and even radiation resistance, suggesting future applications from wearable tech to space exploration.

As LaRocco explains: “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.”

Although scalability and miniaturisation remain challenges, the research marks an important step towards sustainable, brain-inspired computing.