Fungal Biomining in Microgravity episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 22, 2026 · 5 MIN

Fungal Biomining in Microgravity

from Intellectually Curious · host Mike Breault

On the ISS, a humble mold becomes a metal miner. We break down the BioAsteroid experiment, where Penicillium simplicissimum outpaces abiotic chemistry in microgravity to extract palladium from a meteorite, while a rival bacterium forms a protective barrier. We explore why palladium matters for space life support and how in-situ resource utilization could turn biology into a scalable off-Earth factory.Note:  This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes.  Please double-check any critical information.Sponsored by Embersilk LLC

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 22, 2026

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Fungal Biomining in Microgravity

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