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Avoidit89
Hunter



Registered: 08/01/10
Posts: 14
Last seen: 12 years, 1 month
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Pestalotiopsis microspora
#16034238 - 04/02/12 03:06 PM (12 years, 1 month ago) |
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I was wondering if anyone here has knowledge or experience with the Pestalotiopsis microspora fungi. I'm surprised it hasn't caught more interest here on the shroomery since it was discovered that it can digest polyurethane. Maybe it's because it isn't a mushroom there isn't as much interest idk, but I find it absolutely amazing that it can survive solely on eating plastic. I don't know much about this fungus so if anyone has any picture of it cultured/matured or information of it at scientific level it'd appreciated. To my understanding it also produces Paclitaxel... It seems this ascocarp has incredible potential. I'd like to test growing this fungi using solely polyurethane (potential research project? ha)
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,392
Last seen: 2 days, 17 hours
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: Avoidit89]
#16041996 - 04/04/12 07:58 AM (12 years, 1 month ago) |
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No one has a culture as far as I know.
Apparently they noticed it because it was eating the petri dish.
There are labs in most colleges where they culture many interesting fungi, it would be worthwhile to closely look at all of the cultures and see if any are eating the petri dish.
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peatmoss
Stranger

Registered: 02/25/12
Posts: 64
Last seen: 2 years, 10 months
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I also am rather curious about this fungus. I'm writing a essay for my mycology course on myco-remediation, and I want to discuss this recent find... I should probably start a new thread asking people for sources though...
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DrCrumbs
Alpha Blue


Registered: 10/25/11
Posts: 1,619
Loc: Gili Trawangan
Last seen: 4 years, 6 months
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: peatmoss]
#16071447 - 04/10/12 05:24 PM (12 years, 1 month ago) |
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I'd also like to get a sample of this
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pseudotsuga



Registered: 06/29/11
Posts: 947
Loc: usa
Last seen: 4 years, 5 months
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: DrCrumbs]
#16074285 - 04/11/12 07:32 AM (12 years, 1 month ago) |
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From what I gather from Strobels research, it is pretty ubiquitous endophyte found in many different tree species throughout the world. Beside eating plastic, Pestalotiopsis is also a known producer of taxol, the powerful anti-cancer drug.
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moonrockmushy
High on Spite


Registered: 07/01/05
Posts: 19,071
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: pseudotsuga] 1
#16081275 - 04/12/12 05:00 PM (12 years, 1 month ago) |
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Was gonna start a new thread but figured I'd post it here when I saw this
Quote:
More Than Mere Magic Mushrooms By Bill Weir, C. Michael Kim, David Miller, Justin Bare & Mark Monroy
This week we're talking about fungus two ways. One that can survive exclusively on polyurethane and another that can replace Styrofoam.
Both polyurethane and styrofoam are not biodegradable, so without a solution, all the plastic bottles and old toys we throw out every year will be sitting in landfills for centuries.
Yes, you can recycle plastic, but that just means turning it into another product and recycling hasn't sufficiently slowed the production of new plastic.
According to a Yale study, globally we produced 245 million tons of plastic in 2006, compared to only 1.5 million tons in 1950.
One of the fungi we're looking at is called pestalotiopsis microspora. It was discovered by a group of Yale researchers on an expedition in Ecuador and can subsist on polyurethane alone in airless environments, like the bottom of a landfill.
The other comes from a couple of college friends who discovered that the sticky substance on the bottom of mushrooms called mycelium could be turned into a glue and when that glue is combined with corn husks and other food byproducts it takes on a form similar to Styrofoam. Their company, Ecovative wants used Styrofoam to become mulch, not waste.
A future with less plastic and more mulch, all thanks to fungus.
Very exiting!
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PorciniMan
Mustard Tiger


Registered: 05/29/08
Posts: 58
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I am highly intrigued by this new find. I have been very conscious about the amount of plastics that I use since I've discovered awhile back how terrible they are for mother earth. To me this is an amazing find and if respected properly, we may be able to mass cultivate landfills and other areas where plastics are disposed of and potentially have a huge positive impact on our environment.
Also, the idea of using colonized substrate so to speak as a styrofoam alternative seems to be such a no brainer now that I think of it I wonder why we haven't discovered it before. I recall the first time I ever dunked a substrate I noticed it's stryrofoam like properties. Brilliant! I am going to begin a home project trying to create a prototype of my own for fun.
Unfortunately, our government and corporations aren't in it to find healthy solutions to modern day problems, but to strictly make money.I have a concern that companies that make money mass producing styrofoam and such will find reasons to slow or even halt the progression or production of this magnificant discovery by selling lies on how harmful a discovery like this may be and yadayadayada just so they can continue making money by continuing to push thier product that have already been proven to be harmful. Such as the case of FDA and government vs medicinal marijuana.
And on the topic of Pestalotiopsis microspora, government is more focused on finding ways to make money regardless of what the collateral damage may be and society I think would get more excited about a sale on 2 liter bottles of thier favorite brand of soda at the supermarket than they would be about how they could support a theory like this on how to reverse the harm that the the biproducts of our consumerism have caused.
In closing, I think that these are two great new discoveries that have amazing potential for our future, but I think it will be an uphill battle.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,392
Last seen: 2 days, 17 hours
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: PorciniMan]
#16341764 - 06/06/12 03:30 PM (11 years, 11 months ago) |
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Theworldbeneath
MycoMojo


Registered: 06/02/12
Posts: 11
Loc: Northern California
Last seen: 11 years, 11 months
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"but we dont not research in this theme yet."
Man would i love to see some details on this... Heaven and Hell, all in the same little microspora.
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peatmoss
Stranger

Registered: 02/25/12
Posts: 64
Last seen: 2 years, 10 months
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Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said: http://mushroomobserver.org/96514
way cool.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,392
Last seen: 2 days, 17 hours
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: peatmoss] 1
#16367181 - 06/11/12 07:34 PM (11 years, 11 months ago) |
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I need someone who is good with agar to volunteer to receive bits of the plastic bag in the mail, culture it and send out the culture to a few people in the online mushroom community.
Ever since this discovery there has been a lot of interest in Pestalotiopsis, and for the first time material has been available.
I don't care who you send the culture to or how many you send out, as long as a couple go to people who trade cultures often.
If you are up for the task of helping solve the world's plastic problem with a bit of agar and mail work, PM me.
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pseudotsuga



Registered: 06/29/11
Posts: 947
Loc: usa
Last seen: 4 years, 5 months
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Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said: I need someone who is good with agar to volunteer to receive bits of the plastic bag in thee mail, culture it and send out the culture to a few people.
I imagine they would need a microscope as well, though I suppose that goes without saying.
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred



Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: pseudotsuga]
#16371686 - 06/12/12 03:56 PM (11 years, 11 months ago) |
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The beginning of something big.
I don't see why one would need a microscope. If this is a matter of making and abundance of this species.
I know I would be checking it out in my scope but I think all with agar skills could help with this.
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
Edited by Ganzig (06/12/12 03:57 PM)
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pseudotsuga



Registered: 06/29/11
Posts: 947
Loc: usa
Last seen: 4 years, 5 months
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: Ganzig]
#16373755 - 06/12/12 10:44 PM (11 years, 11 months ago) |
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The microscope would be needed so you can id what is growing and make sure it is this species. The plastic samples containing this species also hosts other plastic degrading species, as well as plenty of contams, so it is very possible that a cultivator would accidentally grow another species.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,392
Last seen: 2 days, 17 hours
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: pseudotsuga]
#16374963 - 06/13/12 05:49 AM (11 years, 11 months ago) |
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The collector suspects that there are multiple fungi involved in degrading the plastic. Certainly bits of degrading plastic bag will have lots of fungi anyway.
It would be a good idea to find a way to assay how well a fungus degrades plastic. Perhaps put a 1mm square of plastic on agar and see if it eats it?
Or let it grow out for a long time and see if it starts to eat the dish.
There are 2 Pestalotiopsis observations on mushroomobserver.org - The more recent one is on its way to Ganzig, and I will be visiting the collector of the other one in Veracruz next month to check out the location where he found it and see if I can recollect and culture it.
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred



Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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That is a good idea Alan. I was thinking about mixing plastics straight into an agar solution as well as feeding plastics to it.
I get ya pseudotsuga. menziesii?
Im out doing some botany work in the field right now but I get to go home during the weekends. Making them benjamins. I can't wait to get home and see this thing and take it to the lab!
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,392
Last seen: 2 days, 17 hours
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: Ganzig]
#16376574 - 06/13/12 03:07 PM (11 years, 11 months ago) |
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Today I got the following email from the guy:
"Im sending today a pvc degradated samples to Ganzing. I think not only Pestalotiopsis can eat plastic, and many other fungi and bacteria here can. May Ganzing isolate all posssibles microorganisms eating plastic."
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred



Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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Yes he may.
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,392
Last seen: 2 days, 17 hours
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Re: Pestalotiopsis microspora [Re: Ganzig] 1
#16376735 - 06/13/12 03:45 PM (11 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ganzig said: Yes he may.
I'll sequence anything that appears to be eating plastic. If you get results lets publish a peer reviewed journal article on it. Will be big news...
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Ganzig
It's for the street cred



Registered: 11/29/06
Posts: 8,206
Loc: Oregon
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Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said:
Quote:
Ganzig said: Yes he may.
I'll sequence anything that appears to be eating plastic. If you get results lets publish a peer reviewed journal article on it. Will be big news...
Sounds like a grand plan.
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I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this. I must keep reminding myself of this.
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