Paul Stamets TED talk in 2008 titled '6 ways mushrooms can save the world' is still as relevant and inspiring today as it originally was back in 2008. In the talk, Paul touches on how all the different types of fungi and the mycelium network can be used to help solve some of Earth's natural problems. 

MONC Paul Stamets

One of the many problems fungi can be used to tackle is the issue of industrial water pollution. Paul once made burlap sack with mycelium and placed them downstream from a farm producing E.coli and a factory releasing toxic chemicals into the water. Within a space of 72 hours, the three different mushroom species placed within the burlap sacks reduced the amount of coliform bacteria by 10,000 times. 

MONC Paul Stamets

Another area where fungi can be immensely useful is its role in helping tackle poxviruses. Three different strains of the mushroom Agarikon was found to be highly active against viruses and can help treat different types of influenza virus strains. 

MONC Paul Stamets

To learn more and watch Paul Stamets talk, click here. 

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