Researchers at John Hopkins University studied the mysterious cooling mechanisms of various fungi and put their research into practice by building a cooler refrigerated by mushrooms.
The team, led by microbiologist Radamés Cordero and Arturo Casadevall, went hiking with a special thermal camera that can detect heat as images. They studied each mushroom they ran across and noticed that all of them were at least slightly cooler than their surroundings.
This was also true for dark-colored mushrooms, which should absorb more light (and thus more heat). Even microscopic fungi, like yeast, demonstrated a significant cooling effect. Some of these mushrooms were only 1°C or 2°C cooler than their surroundings but they found a few species that were extraordinarily cool.
They discovered that the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus was nearly 6°C cooler than its surroundings.
After performing experiments to measure the fungi’s cooling ability at various air humidities, the team realized that the mushrooms were essentially sweating. Water evaporating from the fungi has a chilling effect. The ‘gills’ of the mushroom, which are complex structures that produce spores, help the cooling process because of their large surface area.
What the researchers couldn’t figure out was exactly what the purpose of this cooling mechanism is. Mushrooms don’t seem to need to be slightly cooler but some scientists have suggested that it may help the process of creating and releasing spores.
The Fungi Fridge
Cordero and Casadevall decided to test the fungi’s abilities by constructing a cooler powered by mushrooms. They began by taking a styrofoam box, punching a hole on either side for airflow, and packing about half a kilogram of button mushrooms, a common edible mushroom, inside.
Next, they packed about half of a kilogram of button mushrooms, a common edible mushroom, into the box. Then they placed a simple computer fan on one hole to draw air through the box, over the mushrooms, and out of the other hole.
Finally, they placed the box into a larger styrofoam box (where you would store food or drinks to cool). To test the cooling capacity of their odd creation they put a thermometer in the larger box and turned on the fan. Within 40 minutes, the temperature in the larger box dropped 10°C and remained at that level for another 30 minutes.
While this unusual fridge won’t be making ice or preserving food overnight anytime soon, it could serve as a unique picnic cooler and a step towards greater understanding of fungi. And don’t forget you can always eat the button mushrooms after.
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