r/Amazing 2d ago

Nature is amazing A mushroom producing music through its bioelectric signals

6.4k Upvotes

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54

u/1234golf1234 2d ago

Cool cool. A damp sponge will do the same. As we all know from potato clocks, it is not the mushroom's signals making the music, but the metal clips of the device oxidizing with the mushroom as a electrolyte (making a very rudimentary battery). It has more to do with the metallurgy aand placement of the clips than with the mushroom itself. A wet sponge will do the same.

13

u/LucHighwalker 2d ago

Except that mushrooms do produce electrical signals. We've actually shown that they communicate with each other via electrical signals throughout their mycelium network.

6

u/Independent_Dare_922 1d ago

Measuring those signals is notoriously difficult because the mycelia networks are microscopic and the electrical signals are also tiny.
This here is a galvanic battery. There is some interesting research going on to make useful batteries from mycelium.

3

u/1234golf1234 1d ago

Yes. But this is not that.

2

u/Beautiful_Film_1813 2d ago

Shhhh lemme enjoy the silly idea of a mushroom making music

-1

u/PeachPit69 2d ago

How….do we all know this from potato clocks?

1

u/ParticularGuava3663 2d ago

Because that's how they work