Scientists discover a fungus in Western Australia that eats gold and want to take it into space

In Western Australia’s goldfields, researchers have discovered a strain of the fungus known as Fusarium oxysporum that has an actual ‘Midas touch.’ This organism has a pink colour and is capable of interacting with the mineral deposits below the ground, breaking them down into a liquid state, and ultimately growing solid gold crystals on the thread-like hyphae.

The presence of gold on the hyphae of this fungus allows for increased growth rates and sizes compared to their non-gold-infected cell cultures. The researchers now plan to investigate further into using this biological alchemy to mine for precious metals on the Moon and Mars. By utilising fungal bio-mining technology, future missions will be able to utilise a terrestrial biological wonder to provide the foundation for extraterrestrial resource recovery infrastructure.

This discovery highlights how unexpected natural processes can reshape modern science, revealing that even microscopic organisms can play a powerful role in advanced technologies and future space exploration.

This bio-mining innovation offers a low-energy, sustainable method to extract high-value minerals, revolutionizing deep-space exploration and terrestrial mineral recovery efforts. This discovery positions fungal biotechnology as a vital tool for planetary colonization, turning dormant alien landscapes into thriving resource hubs.

These fungal strains effectively function as microscopic refineries, selectively precipitating gold from complex ores without the need for toxic chemicals. This biological breakthrough underscores the potential for self-sustaining lunar colonies to thrive by harnessing natural microbial processes for critical manufacturing. As research advances, such organisms could redefine how humanity approaches resource extraction, both on Earth and beyond, in a more sustainable and innovative way. This biological synergy highlights how nature’s most ancient organisms could provide the modern key to unlocking vast, untapped mineral wealth.

A fungus in Western Australia that eats gold

Researchers from CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) discovered that Fusarium oxysporum is known to absorb gold from its surroundings through the process of dissolution and by precipitating this gold as nanoparticles onto the hypha (branching filaments). The process is highly reactive in nature and involves the production of superoxide by the fungi used to oxidise the gold, thus allowing for a coating of gold on the fungi. This remarkable ability highlights potential applications in biotechnology, bio-mining, environmental recovery, nanotechnology research, and innovative methods for sustainable resource extraction and material development.

Why the fungus prefers gold

Analysis published in the journal Nature Communications reveals that fungi that are coated with gold exhibit greater growth rates than those that are not coated with gold, compared to fungi that do not interact with gold. This suggests that the presence of gold could assist as a catalyst for biochemical reactions or assist in the uptake of other nutrients, thus giving a competitive advantage to the fungi in the extreme mineral-rich environments of the Australian outback.

How microbes replace heavy machinery

The exploration of microbes processing minerals, commonly known as bio-mining, is a hot topic in the studies of agencies such as NASA and the ESA concerning potential implementation in space. Due to the prohibitive cost of moving large amounts of heavy equipment to the Moon or Mars, invisible to the naked eye, workers like Fusarium oxysporum could potentially be employed to extract gold and other metals from regolith, or soil on other planets. The biological aspect of in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) will support human presence in space over the long term in a more sustainable manner.

How biological signatures may eliminate the need for costly exploratory drilling

In addition to space use, this finding has many immediate applications on Earth as well. CSIRO scientists state that the presence of the gold-coated fungus found growing on the surface is an indicator to mining companies that deeper underground deposits of gold may exist in larger concentrations, and therefore may eliminate the need for expensive drilling for exploratory purposes by using biological indicators first.