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Modelling mycelium growth

  Why material science? Since material names are used to define periods of civilisations of the past (Stone Age, Bronze Age, etc ...), material science is considered, in my opinion, one of the species-defining endeavours. Civilizations that mastered smelting iron ended up victorious. All of a sudden, enemies had to deal with stronger swords and implantable shields. The same applies today, countries that managed to master silicon chip manufacturing ended up economically victorious. With the advent of biotechnology, largely with the help of artificial intelligence tools such as AlphaFold, there could be a promise of a new class of materials that are grown instead of manufactured. Bio-composite materials offer an alternative solution to create materials inspired by nature and can returned to it at the end of their lifespan. Such materials will tremendously accelerate reaching our sustainability goals. Mycelium Composites One such material is mycelium, which is considered nature's solu