Articles:

Medicines From Fungi: Penicillin, Lovastatin, and Cyclosporine
https://owlcation.com/stem/Medications-From-Molds-Fungi-and-Health

Importance of Fungi in Human Lifehttps://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/importance-of-fungi-in-human-life/

The majority of grasses and trees require a mycorrhizal relationship with fungi to survive.
Yeasts have been used for thousands of years in the production of beer, wine, and bread.
Fungi not only directly produce substances that humans use as medicine, but they are also versatile tools in the vast field of medical research.
Some fungi attack insects and, therefore, can be used as natural pesticides.

Researchers find fungus used in traditional medicine can fight cancer
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-10/23/content_33596564.htm

Chinese scientists have found evidence that a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine widely sought by the public for its healing powers, also carries anti-cancer benefits. They found there an interaction between two anti-cancer compounds in the fungus Cordyceps militaris.

List of Fungi Benefits
https://sciencing.com/list-fungi-benefits-8606974.html

Environmental Benefits
Fungi feed on dead organic matter which includes leaf litter, soil, dung, wood and dead animals. They recycle 85% of the carbon from dead organic matter and release the locked-up nutrients so they can be used by other organisms. This makes the fungi vital for the ongoing health of ecosystems – defined as a biological environment consisting of all the living organisms in a particular area, along with the nonliving factors with which they interact.

Medicinal Uses
Certain mushrooms such as Ganoderma lucidum, Agaricus subrufescens and Cordyceps sinensis enjoy usage as therapeutics in traditional Chinese medicine. A 2008 study published in the “Journal of Natural Products” found that mushrooms contain unique compounds and nutrients that are effective against viruses. The shiitake mushroom is a source of a clinical drug called Lentinan. In Japan, Lentinan is approved for use in cancer treatments. The well-known antibiotic drug penicillin is derived from the fungus Penicillium. Pieces of fungus were discovered near the body of a neolithic traveler in the Alps; it is theorized that he used some fungus as tinder, and other types possibly medicinally

Culinary Benefits
Several fungi are edible. These include straw mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitakes, truffles, milk mushrooms and black trumpets. Button mushrooms and Portobello mushrooms are commonly used in salads and soups. Mushrooms add flavor to any dish they accompany. Mushrooms contain large amount of vitamin D2, when exposed to ultraviolet light. Recent research conducted by Pennsylvania State University showed that an hour of ultraviolet light exposure right before the mushrooms are harvested raises the vitamin D2 content in the mushrooms.

Chemical Industries
Fungi are also used to produce industrial chemicals, including citric, malic and lactic acids. They are also used in the production of industrial enzymes such as lipase, cellulase and amylase. Lipase is used in laundry detergents. Fungi are also used as insect biocontrol agents. Insecticidal toxins produced by fungi can kill insects at very low concentration.

The 7 Weirdest Mushroom and Fungi Species In The Worldhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/bizarre-mushrooms-species

The Brain Mushroom (Gyromitra esculenta)

Bearded Tooth Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus)

Coprinus comatus

Morchella esculenta

Amanita muscaria

Hydnellum pecki

Indigo Milk Cap (Lactarius indigo)

https://ecovativedesign.com/

Imagery:

Looking into Fungi's composting values and the visualisations of varying moulds.

The composting process

Three types of organisms – fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes – begin to grow all over the material and break down the waste. This produces heat, further increasing the activity of the bacteria.

Once the bacteria have used up all the starch and sugars, the temperature falls again, creating a better environment for the fungi, which then begins breaking down any woody material.

Composting can take weeks or months depending on how much air and moisture are present.

The compost is ready to use when it is crumbly in appearance and has a slightly earthy smell

New food packaging launched which decomposes like orange peel
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/3-9-october-2016/new-food-packaging-launched-decomposes-way-orange-peel/

The packaging, designed by TIPA, decomposes within six months, after which it becomes fertiliser for soil.

The new fully compostable, flexible packaging is designed to biologically decompose within 180 days, behaving similarly to the way in which orange peel breaks down.

In tests run by TIPA’s labs to simulate home composting conditions, the new packaging was seen to decompose in just 24 weeks, after which it becomes fertiliser for soil

The packaging for Snact’s range of fruit jerky snacks is among TIPA’s laminate series, designed to package various snack foods including granola bars, potato chips, dried foods and vitamin capsules.

The Israeli-based company has also developed other compostable packaging options, including standalone and printed coextruded high-transparent cast films, which are sealable and generally used to package fresh produce and bakery products.

Plastic-eating fungus could help fight against waste
The vast fungi kingdom could play an important role in tackling the planets's problem with plastic.https://news.sky.com/story/plastic-eating-fungus-could-help-fight-against-waste-11495833

around 2,000 fungi species are still being classified each year
A fungus that can "eat" plastic in weeks rather than years could help fight the growing plastic waste problem, according to a report by Kew Gardens
It can take decades or sometimes hundreds of years for some plastics to properly degrade
a study on a waste site in Islamabad, Pakistan, isolated a fungus in the soil that quickly broke down chemical bonds.
It took just two months for the fungi - Aspergillus tubingensis - to biodegrade a type of plastic called polyester polyurethane (PU) into smaller pieces.
PU is used in products such as fridge insulation and synthetic leather.
The Pakistan study suggests fungi could be "developed into one of the tools desperately needed to address the growing environmental problem of plastic waste"
Fungi digests its food by secreting enzymes and absorbing the dissolved organic matter back into cells.
The first-ever State of the World's Fungi report highlights the important role they can play in helping clean up the environment.
Fungi can also feed on pollutants such as oil spills, toxic chemicals like sarin nerve gas and TNT, and even radioactive waste.
an estimated 93% of fungal species are still unknown to science
More than 100 scientists from more than 18 countries contributed to the report by Kew's Royal Botanic Gardens, which says "fungi rarely get the attention they deserve".

Videos

Science:

Fungi are more than just the fruiting bodies we see and they are doing more than we could ever imagine. This supposedly simple organism is everywhere and involved in everything. Here are five specific examples of mushrooms and just exactly what they can do. From treating cancer to breaking down plastics, mushrooms just may be saving the world. Meredith Keppel's passion for environmental science began one summer in southern Virginia at Nature Camp. Here she discovered a passion for nature and fungi that led her to spend a semester of her sophomore year in Maine at an intensive all-girls school for marine science. While there she conducted research on population genetics of a paralytic phytoplankton for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Meredith has also volunteered with numerous local organizations including Loudoun Habitat for Humanity, Herndon Environmental Network, Runnymeade Park, and Goose Creek Association. Additionally, she has spoken on the subject of fungi at many local garden clubs and was the speaker for last January's Green Breakfast, hosted by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. Her future plans include studies in environmental science and sustainability.

Notes:

Death is what fungi are all about. By feasting on the deceased remains of almost all organisms on the planet, converting the organic matter back into soil from which new life will spring, they perform perhaps the most vital function in the global food web. Fungi, which thrive on death, make all life possible.

Nature's night light

Paul Stamets at TEDMED 2011

Top Mycologist in the world,

Paul Stamets, mycologist talks about the antimicrobial properties of fungi, how they can be used as potent insecticides, and how they may help boost the human immune system.

Visualising the natural internet:
'The Organic Internet'

The audio of this montage is from different parts of lectures given by Suzanne Simard, Paul Stamets, and Terence Mackenna, and they are non linearly pieced together. Additionally, the montage's music is by Chicha Libre which is a band of cumbia peruana psicodelica (psychedelic peruvian cumbia).

The Earth's Internet: How Fungi Help Plants Communicate
A GREAT VIDEO TO USE FOR the earth's
INTERNET INFORMATION

You Didn’t Know Mushrooms Could Do All This | National Geographic

There are now many champions of fungi. Tradd Cotter is one of the most vocal. A mycologist and microbiologist, Cotter owns Mushroom Mountain, a research facility in South Carolina that focuses on testing potential applications for fungi. Describing how to train fungi on "gladiator plates," Cotter explains that many fungi are so good at surviving that they are able to adapt in order to feed on otherwise toxic or non-biodegradable materials such as oil or plastics. The process is known as mycoremediation, taking in toxic compounds and reducing them to harmless ones. Mycoremediation has been sought after for for oil cleanups and expedited composting. What's more, the mushrooms that bloom from these cleanups are still a safe food source.

Other collaborations include working with fungi to create portable, lightweight, sustainable products for disaster relief and developing countries. Mushroom bricks are being tested as a building material that uses water as an adhesive agent. The blocks have been tested for durability, flame retardancy, strength, and flexibility. In disaster relief packages, other mushrooms may be used to attract and trap disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Mushroom Mountain and Clemson University are investigating medicinal uses as well—going so far as to create what could be a "pharmacy in a bag." The theory is that by harnessing certain fungi's ability to take in bacteria such as E. coli, researchers could train the fungi to sweat out metabolites that could combat an infection within 24 to 48 hours. Ideas continue to be tested, and those working with fungi are confident in the infinite possibilities for the versatile mushroom to solve modern problems.

The Wonderful World of Fungi - Documentary 2018
Explores the role of fungi since the begining of time for sustaining all like on Earth due to mammals raised temperatures.

In design:

The Mush-Lume lighting collection is GROWN, not manufactured, from mushrooms! Danielle Trofe teamed up with Ecovative Design to harness their patented growing process and bring this innovative material science to the lighting industry. Combining mushroom mycelium with agricultural waste to create an organic, sustainable and biodegradable lamp shade.

Furniture made from fungus could offer a novel alternative to conventional manufacture and the waste associated with mass production.

Fungus: the plastic future
In this episode of Upgrade, Motherboard dives head first into the R+D world surrounding the development of fungi as a viable replacement for plastic, and the people who hope it can lead to a better and more sustainable future.

Ecovative Design and How You Can "Grow" Your Packaging

(It takes around 10 days to fully grow your own mould for packaging, therefore due to the quick turn around in deadline, this idea cannot be done practically however will be used to inform methods of production and the uses of fungi itself in an informative rather than practical developmental way.)