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> We demonstrate fungal computing via mycelial networks interfaced with electrodes, showing that fungal memristors can be grown, trained, and preserved through
by embedding-shape 1y ago
> We demonstrate fungal computing via mycelial networks interfaced with electrodes, showing that fungal memristors can be grown, trained, and preserved through dehydration, retaining functionality at frequencies up to 5.85 kHz, with an accuracy of 90 ± 1%. Notably, shiitake has exhibited radiation resistance, suggesting its viability for aerospace applications
Soon we'll have shiitake replacing transistors in our airplane and spacecraft computers, while sitting and eating ramen on the vehicles themselves. The future is shaping up to be interesting.
- PaulHoule 1y agoWhat it makes me think of is 'cybernetics' research from the 1960s when it was not a foregone conclusion that transistors, especially CMOS transistors, were the future of computing. Back then there was a lot of research into alternate models of computation, something that's only becoming relevant today as CMOS may be running out of steam.
- hencq 1y agoI recently read The Unaccountability Machine (which I can recommend btw), which mentions Stafford Beer's experiments with a computing pond. Who knows, maybe we'll control our factories with mushroom brains soon!
- physarum_salad 1y agoHow is this related to that at all? The fungi they used are clearly dead...
- zdragnar 1y agoHaving only dabbled the slightest in hardware... are functional frequencies topping out at 6 kHz useful for memristors in modern computing? I feel like having separate components each magnitudes faster would be better than combining them into a memristor that sounds so slow.
- xeonmc 1y agoIf it enables massively concurrent in-memory compute then the frequency disadvantage could just be scaled away.
- m4rtink 1y agoMight be enough for microcontrollers and overall simple control applications?
- bee_rider 1y agoA bunch of mushrooms as a giant 6kHz memory array with in-memory computing seems pretty pointless IRL. But it adds a nice air of plausibility to some sci-fi stories!
- estimator7292 1y agoIf you mean x86 class performance, no, obviously not. But 6kHz is not nothing. For application-specific computers, you can do a lot with very little. You aren't going to be building high performance general purpose computers, but for an atonomous circuit quietly ticking away computing orbital trajectories or stellar navigation, you don't need modern x86 class performance.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- reactordev 1y agoSo sci-fi isn’t far off after all. War of the Worlds. The last of us. Battlestar Galatica. All had some fungi/organic hook (ok, last of us is about zombies but still). Curious if we could mux them into something faster at a higher order or something. The idea that organics can be used for electronics is so wild.
- gertlex 1y agoPlanet/mindworms in Alpha Centauri :D
- foobarian 1y agoJuffo-Wup fills in my fibers and I grow turgid. Violent action ensues.
- sholladay 1y agoStar Trek has a number of organic computing examples, too. Species 8472, Data, and the Borg all use varying degrees of organic components. There's also the bio-neural gel packs on Voyager and the unnamed 31st century Earth vessel discovered by Archer and the NX-01 Enterprise. New Trek even has a mycelial network in space.
- Onavo 1y agoAs the young people say, Paul Stamets wants to "know your location". Maybe we will figure out mushroom powered warp drive too some day.
- giovannibonetti 1y ago> Soon we'll have shiitake replacing transistors in our airplane and spacecraft computers, while sitting and eating ramen on the vehicles themselves. The future is shaping up to be interesting. By the way, some people say eating meat is not going to be sustainable as more and more people become able to afford it, and fungi are a great option for providing the equivalent protein intake.
- SeanAnderson 1y agoIt's already not sustainable, but that hasn't really stopped us.
- bozhark 1y agoIt absolutely is possible though. We don’t incentivize properly
- louthy 1y agoThe memristor industry will mushroom
- physarum_salad 1y agoPreserved through dehydration? This means the fungus is dead.
- card_zero 1y agoInteresting new episodes of Air Crash Investigation coming up. Crucial avionics were inadvertently eaten by the inexperienced and hungry copilot.