Discover the latest articles from leading science journals in the Muser Press weekly roundup, showcasing impactful research published this week.
Table of Contents
Electric fungi
EMPA – A battery that needs feeding instead of charging? This is exactly what EMPA researchers have achieved with their 3D-printed, biodegradable fungal battery. The living battery could supply power to sensors for agriculture or research in remote regions. Once the work is done, it digests itself from the inside.
Fungi are a source of fascination. This kingdom of life – more closely related to animals than to plants – encompasses an enormous variety. Everything can be found here: from edible mushrooms to molds, from single-celled life to the largest organism on Earth, from disease-causing pathogens to superheroes that produce medicines. Now, EMPA researchers have coaxed another ability out of fungi: generating electricity.
As part of a three-year research project, supported by the Gebert Rüf Stiftung as part of their Microbials funding program, researchers from EMPA’s Cellulose and Wood Materials laboratory have developed a functioning fungal battery.
The living cells do not produce a whole lot of electricity – but enough to power a temperature sensor for several days, for example. Such sensors are used in agriculture or in environmental research. The biggest advantage of the fungal battery: Unlike conventional batteries, it is not only completely non-toxic but also biodegradable.
Fungi from the printer
Strictly speaking, the cell is not a battery, but a so-called microbial fuel cell. Like all living things, microorganisms convert nutrients into energy. Microbial fuel cells make use of this metabolism and capture part of the energy as electricity. Until now, they have mostly been powered by bacteria.
“For the first time, we have combined two types of fungi to create a functioning fuel cell,” says EMPA researcher Carolina Reyes. The metabolisms of the two species of fungi complement each other: On the anode side there is a yeast fungus whose metabolism releases electrons. The cathode is colonized by a white rot fungus, which produces a special enzyme, allowing the electrons to be captured and conducted out of the cell.
The fungi are not “planted” into the battery but are an integral part of the cell from the outset. The components of the fungal battery are manufactured using 3D printing. This allows the researchers to structure the electrodes in such a way that the microorganisms can access the nutrients as easily as possible. To do this, the fungal cells are mixed into the printing ink.
Easier said than done: “It is challenging enough to find a material in which the fungi grow well,” says Gustav Nyström, Head of the Cellulose and Wood Materials lab. “But the ink also has to be easy to extrude without killing the cells – and of course we want it to be electrically conductive and biodegradable.”
Thanks to their laboratory’s extensive experience in 3D printing of soft, bio-based materials, the researchers were able to produce a suitable ink based on cellulose. The fungal cells can even use the cellulose as a nutrient and thus help to break down the battery after use. However, their preferred nutrient source is simple sugars, which are added to the battery cells. “You can store the fungal batteries in a dried state and activate them on location by simply adding water and nutrients,” says Reyes.
Although the robust fungi survive such dry phases, working with the living materials posed a number of challenges for the researchers. The interdisciplinary project combines microbiology, materials science and electrical engineering. In order to characterize the fungal batteries, trained microbiologist Reyes not only had to learn electrochemistry techniques, but also to adapt them to 3D-printing inks.
The researchers now plan to make the fungal battery more powerful and longer-lasting – and to look for other kinds of fungi that would be suitable for supplying electricity. “Fungi are still under-researched and under-utilized, especially in the field of materials science,” Reyes and Nyström agree.
Journal Reference:
Carolina Reyes, Erika Fivaz, Zsófia Sajó, Aaron Schneider, Gilberto Siqueira, Javier Ribera, Alexandre Poulin, Francis W. M. R. Schwarze, Gustav Nyström, ‘3D Printed Cellulose-Based Fungal Battery’, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 12 (43): 16001 (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c05494
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA)
A Sustainable Development Goal for space?
University of Plymouth – Scientists have called for the designation of a new United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) with the aim to conserve and sustainably use Earth’s orbit, and prevent the accumulation of space junk.
There are currently 17 SDGs, adopted by UN members in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet for future generations, and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
But with growing numbers of satellites and other objects now orbiting our planet, there is growing concern that without some form of global consensus another of Earth’s once pristine environments is at risk of being irrevocably changed.
Writing in the journal One Earth, an international collaboration of experts – in fields including satellite technology and ocean plastic pollution – have proposed an 18th SDG dedicated to the protection of Earth’s orbit.
The study highlights that there are now around 100 nations involved in varying levels of space activity, and that since the 1950s, almost 20,000 satellites have been launched into Earth’s orbit.
These satellites bring immense benefits to society, from monitoring ecosystems and supporting global communications, to facilitating services used by billions of people across the planet such as satellite television and contactless bank card payments.
However, once they reach the end of their useful life, the experts say abandoned satellites, launch stages, and fragments resulting from explosions or collisions can accumulate as orbital debris. This raises the chance of collisions with active satellites, which would not only impact their ability to function but would also result in further increases in debris.
While a number of organisations have begun to recognise the need for action to address this, the authors say an additional SDG could deliver the global consensus and mechanisms for effective enforcement required to address the issue.
They believe a new SDG18 could draw direct inspiration from one of the existing goals – SDG14: Life Below Water – with lessons learned in marine debris management being used to prevent another planetary crisis before it is too late.
They also highlight that it would complement the existing SDGs, which include references to space technology for its ability to support improved understanding of global issues but not its potential to represent a future issue itself.
The article was co-authored by researchers from the University of Plymouth, PBL Works, Arribada Initiative, University of Auckland, The University of Texas at Austin, Anturus Ltd, University of Maine, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Spaceport Cornwall, Slingshot Aerospace Ltd, and ZSL (Zoological Society of London).
It builds on an article published in Science in March 2023, in which a number of the same scientists called for a legally-binding treaty to ensure that Earth’s orbit isn’t irreparably harmed by the future expansion of the global space industry.
Journal Reference:
Imogen Ellen Napper, Richard Charles Thompson, Jim Bentley, Alasdair Davies, Thomas Philip Frederick Dowling, Moriba Jah, Huw James, Kimberley Miner, Neil Monteiro, Te Kahuratai Moko-Painting, Melissa Quinn, Heather Koldewey, ‘A sustainable development goal for space: Applying lessons from marine debris to manage space debris’, One Earth (online), 101168 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2024.12.004
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Alan Williams | University of Plymouth
States Struggle to Curb Food Waste Despite Policies
UC Davis – The United States generates more food waste than all but two countries. To address this, the federal government set a goal to cut food waste in half by 2030 compared to 2016 levels, to about 164 pounds per person annually. But a new study published in Nature Food and led by University of California, Davis, reveals that current state policies are falling short.
Since 2016, per capita food waste has increased instead of decreasing.
“We’re just five years away from 2030 so it’s quite alarming how little progress we have made,” said first author Sarah Kakadellis, a postdoctoral researcher with the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology. “More comprehensive policies need to be implemented as soon as possible.”
The study examined how state policies align with the federal targets. States determine what policies to implement. Researchers found that state policies emphasize food waste recycling methods like composting and anerobic digestion, rather than prevention and rescue strategies, such as donating to food banks or repurposing food for animal feed. In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency excluded recycling from its definition of food waste to reflect environmental and ethical dimensions.
“We have a huge portion of the American population that is suffering from food insecurity yet we waste more than a third of the food we produce,” said Kakadellis. “Instead of recycling our excess food, we should be redirecting as much as we can to populations that need it.”
Recycling or composting food also has environmental downsides. While they keep food out of landfills, food production still consumes significant resources.
“When we waste food, we’re wasting all the resources it takes to grow that food, including energy, water and fertilizer. Meanwhile, wasted food represents 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions,” said principal investigator Edward Spang, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology and director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis.
Evaluating policy impact
Researchers assessed states’ potential to reduce food waste through four policy areas: prevention (date labeling), rescue (liability protection and tax incentives), repurposing (animal feed), and recycling (organic waste bans and waste recycling laws). They found that recycling policies offered the largest diversion potential. But even when including recycling, many states still fell short of the target. Only California, Vermont and Arizona were projected to achieve the goal of reducing waste to 164 pounds per person.
Under the revised EPA definition that excludes recycling, states could divert as little as 11 pounds to as high as 30 pounds per person. Washington could divert close to a third of its current food waste, followed closely by California at 26%.
Americans would still generate an average of 328 pounds of food waste per person annually, double the federal target. Despite ranking last for its diversion potential, Arkansas was the only state that came closest to reaching the federal goal of generating 164 pounds of food waste per person by 2030. Kakadellis said it’s important to consider current food waste generation when looking at diversion potential.
Arizona, for example, has the highest potential to divert food waste under existing state policies. It’s also one of the highest generators of food waste. On the other end of the spectrum, Arkansas generates significantly less waste than other states and is close to the national goal, which makes it difficult to make further cuts.
Beyond policy
Kakadellis suggested that the pandemic may have also played a role in the increase in food waste. Food waste declined early in the pandemic when more people were planning and cooking at home and there were fewer catered events. Now, people may be falling back into their old habits.
“When state policies focus on recycling, it’s very easy to think we’re addressing the food waste problem,” said Kakadellis. “Recycling food waste is important but not the only solution, nor should it be the first.”
She said policies should instead focus on food waste prevention and rescue.
Other authors of the study include Selina Mao and Asch Harwood of ReFED.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Journal Reference:
Kakadellis, S., Mao, S., Harwood, A. & Spang, S.E., ‘State-level policies alone are insufficient to meet the federal food waste reduction goal in the United States’, Nature Food (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-01092-w
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Amy M Quinton | University of California – Davis (UC Davis)
Other science articles published this week
Species richness in the Northeast US Continental Shelf ecosystem: Climate-driven trends and perturbations
Kevin D. Friedland, Lauren C. Scopel, Xiangyan Yang, Sarah K. Gaichas, Katrina J. Rokosz (2025) | PLOS Climate | DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000557
Coastal carbon sentinels: A decade of forest change along the eastern shore of the US signals complex climate change dynamics
Marcelo Ardón, Kevin M. Potter, Elliott White Jr., Christopher W. Woodall (2025) | PLOS Climate | DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000444
Daytime urban heat stress in North America reduced by irrigation
Chakraborty, T., Qian, Y., Li, J. et al. (2025) | Nature Geoscience | DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01613-z
Revealing the rural multifunctionality declining and its causes in depopulated regions of Northeast China: a case study of Heilongjiang Province
Li, D., Wen, Q., Qi, Y. et al. (2025) | Humanities and Social Sciences Communications | DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-04291-9
The trophic distribution of biomass in ecosystems with co-occurring wildlife and livestock
Speed, J.D.M., Sobocinski, A., Kolstad, A.L. et al. (2025) | Scientific Reports | DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85469-2
The effects of teleconnections on water and carbon fluxes in the two South America’s largest biomes
Serrão, E.A.O., Cavalcante, R.B.L., Zanin, P.R. et al. (2025) | Scientific Reports | DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85272-z
Greenhouse gas emissions from the US liquefied natural gas operations and shipping through process model based life cycle assessment
Mukherjee, M., Littlefield, J., Khutal, H. et al. (2025) | Communications Earth & Environment | DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01988-2
Global Crop-Specific Fertilization Dataset from 1961–2019
Coello, F., Decorte, T., Janssens, I. et al. (2024) | Scientific Data | DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-04215-x
Presentation and analysis of the Geotechnical Coastal Vulnerability Index and validation of its application to coastal erosion problems
Boumpoulis, V., Depountis, N., Dimas, A. et al. (2024) | Scientific Reports | DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85594-y
A reform of value-added taxes on foods can have health, environmental and economic benefits in Europe
Springmann, M., Dinivitzer, E., Freund, F. et al. (2025) | Nature Food | DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-01097-5
Near-term benefits from investment in climate adaptation complement long-term economic returns from emissions reduction
Duan, L., Carlino, A. & Caldeira, K. (2025) | Communications Earth & Environment | DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01976-6
Featured image credit: kjpargeter | Freepik
