Scientists Grow a 'Living Textile' From Fungus That Repairs and Colors Itself

Researchers at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) in China have created a 'programmable fungal platform for living textiles,' described in the journal Science Advances. There are no electronics involved; the 'programming' comes from preserving the fungus's biological traits, including its ability to respond to its environment, grow, regenerate, change color and develop a self-cleaning coating, even after it has been processed into fabric.

The team grew Cordyceps militaris fungus in liquid, where it formed clumps of fungal threads called mycelial pellets. These were placed in molds and dried into continuous sheets, which were brittle at first. Treating the sheets with glycerol, a softening agent, made the material flexible enough to be folded, cut and sewn like ordinary fabric.

Instead of using textile dyes, the researchers added engineered yeast that produced blue, red, orange and purple colors itself. Applying certain nutrients under humid conditions triggered the fungal threads to grow, letting the fabric repair damaged parts and form specific patterns, while other nutrients gave it a water-repellent, self-cleaning surface without any external chemicals. Growing a second fungus, Aspergillus niger, whose threads are rich in melanin, added UV protection to the material.

To demonstrate a real-world use, the researchers made a dress: the main body used engineered yeast to produce a dark blue pigment, the hem was covered with water-resistant fungal threads, and the collar was made from petal-shaped pieces with nutrient-induced patterns. The dress broke down almost entirely in soil within 41 days. The researchers say the next steps are scaling up production and testing the fabric's washability and durability.