In Western Australia’s goldfields, researchers have discovered a strain of the fungus known as Fusarium oxysporum that has an actual ‘Midas touch.’ This organism has a pink colour and is capable of interacting with the mineral deposits below the ground, breaking them down into a liquid state, and ultimately growing solid gold crystals on the thread-like hyphae.
The presence of gold on the hyphae of this fungus allows for increased growth rates and sizes compared to their non-gold-infected cell cultures. The researchers now plan to investigate further into using this biological alchemy to mine for precious metals on the Moon and Mars. By utilising fungal bio-mining technology, future missions will be able to utilise a terrestrial biological wonder to provide the foundation for extraterrestrial resource recovery infrastructure. This bio-mining innovation offers a low-energy, sustainable method to extract high-value minerals, revolutionizing deep-space exploration and terrestrial mineral recovery efforts.
