How mushrooms clean up the planet (and other fungi powers)

They are mostly invisible, essential for life on earth and could be the building blocks of our future. Here's how fungi can clean up our soils from the mess we created - and even house us.

Reporter: Tim Schauenberg
Video editor: Cem Adam Springer
Supervising editor: Joanna Gottschalk

We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.

#PlanetA #Mushroom #Fungi

Read more:

Short overview what fungi are used for today:

All you want to know about fungi:

50 ways we can exploit fungi industrially:

Very good overview about mushrooms capacities:

How fungi remediate heavy metals:

0:00 Intro
0:56 The degraders of the world
3:22 Cleaning up organic pollutants 
5:38 Combating metals and radioactive matter
8:01 Building with fungi
11:39 Conclusion

[DWPlanetA]

Do you think we can use fungi to clean up the planet?

[spools.i]

Mushrooms are mostly underrated: imagine something between an animal and a plant, decompose dead organisms like a natural crime scene cleaner, sweep up chemicals that would destroy the environment, and be edible?! They rock!

[joshuakwee]

This reminds me of Nausica of the valley of the wind. She discovers that the fungi forests actually purify the earth from the pollution of war that made most of the land uninhabitable.

[fal_pal_]

Fungi are the most underutilized resource I can think of with how prolific they are, and we need to work with them to survive

[HiddenLemur]

Great to see this topic being covered. It's the next generation of understanding the planet.

[Deckzwabber]

Funghi have existed without us for literally millions of years. And they will be here long after we're gone. Interesting to see how we could use them to prolong our own existence.

[ffedor]

Slime molds are not classified together with fungi, but they were shown in the introduction as fungi. Nevertheless, slime molds can be potentially just as useful. They can solve mazes, optimize pathways, and that branching yellow blob is just one cell.

[kwiiin_]

I've always wondered why there are so many funghi growing in Metro, a dystopian book and video game series. Since the world there is shredded because of nuclear wars, nothing grows there, the surface is frozen- but for a few mutants and funghi. Now I understand why. Thank you!

[keonckiser]

I literally was about to start righting my persuasive speech about how we should use fungi as a source of packing and other uses. And conveniently this video was released on the same day. Perfect timing!

[jacobrafaat]

Fungi are like a Pandora’s box full of utilities and solutions, and we still have so much more to learn about them! I love to see them covered on your channel🍄💚

[anshikarao]

This channel has become my favorite now. I gain so much knowledge with solid live examples. This channel gives me so much hope 🌿

[superymariowest]

I think the best thing about fungi is that they grow from death and waste, enriching the soil they grow in for ecosystems on plants to grow in.

[mamajojoful]

Unfortunately, there is an error in the serially repeated images of slime moulds growing because they are not classified as fungi. I love them both anyway!

[Dr.Kraig_Ren]

Note:- Before fungi evolved to break lignin, the lignin from plants accumulated for millions of years.
*Now it is coal.*

[DorianneSchwarz]

This is genius! I'm looking forward to seeing these amazing discoveries being implemented throughout our daily lives.
Thanks for the info 🙏.

[elithebeast]

I could finally realize my dream of living in a mushroom house.

[alexbroere]

Great video. Fungi are indeed so underrated. There is also an extensive documentary on Netflix " fantastic Fungi".

[ChadMagiera]

Great use of visualizations and excellent pacing for the editing of this piece... Thanks for taking the time to highlight important ecological solutions and not just doom and gloom. Optimism and a path forward is going to get more people on board. Cheers

[kevinkay]

DW never cease to give some of the best documentaries today. Thanks from the Solomon Islands.

[tanmaypatra]

i just completed going thru all the videos in the channel.. Awesome content ..
Why only Fridays, please make more n more n more n more ... this planet needs more awareness now then ever required ..