MycoWorks Talk 02

Unraveling Mycelium with Rachel Linzer

Fungi: the mysterious kingdom with unlimited potential to change the world.

In this episode, Xevi Gallego, VP of Brand and Marketing and our host, talks with Rachel Linzer, Principal Scientist of Mycology and Genomics at MycoWorks, about mycelium, how we’re entering a new era powered by fungi and Rachel’s career in science. If you’re interested in mycology and the role that fungi could have in the future of humanity and life in space, this episode is for you.

“I think we are in a new era.”  

“Biologically, mycelium is really interesting as a material because it is a dynamic network. Shaped like threads, they can branch, they can fuse. It’s not static. It doesn’t stay the same; it’s adaptive. It can communicate within the network. So, the plasticity and potential in a mycelial network is really intriguing as a biomaterial.” 

“I really care very deeply about sustainability and using my biological knowledge and training to contribute to sustainability in some way.”

“If humans live in space for a long time, they’re going to need a lot of objects. And one way we could get the object is by growing them using fungal mycelium. The sky in this case is not the limit.” – Rachel Linzer, Principal Scientist of Mycology and Genomics at MycoWorks

In this episode:
01:25 – When Rachel first heard the word mycelium
02:25 – Mycology, fungi and mycelium: an untapped kingdom
11:10 – “Cooking dinner for hyphae”
13:00 – Sustainability and circular bio-economy
17:20 – Science: “a process for discovering new things about the world.”
18:30 – Seeking mentors and becoming a mentor as a woman in science
23:00 – Changing perspectives: from killing fungi to growing it
26:35 – When the sky is not the limit: the future of fungi and space exploration

MycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand Marketing, hosts talks with cool people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more. 

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you!To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.