Research First-authored by Sang Hyun Lee Published in 'Nature Physics' and Featured on Front Cover
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A research team including Sang Hyun Lee, assistant professor in the College of Natural Science's Department of Microbiology, recently earned a major achievement by having their research published in Nature Physics, a leading scientific journal. The publication granted the team another honor by featuring a photomicrograph from the research as the front cover for the month’s issue.
“Fungi have been far less studied than bacterial systems in biology, engineering, and physics, despite their widespread importance in natural and engineered systems,” explains Lee. “Publication of this work as a cover article in Nature Physics reflects growing recognition that fungi are active drivers of physical processes, including multiphase flow and fluid organization in porous media. I believe this work helps open new interdisciplinary research directions within and beyond CNS and the Microbiology Department, connecting mycology, physics, and engineering.”
Lee’s study explores how filamentous fungi controls multiphase flow and fluid distribution in porous media. In short, they have identified mechanisms through which hydrophilic fungal hyphae can "push" non-aqueous phase liquids (oil-like phases) out of tiny spaces in soil and other porous media.
For years, scientists have known that fungi change the way liquids move, but they have not been able to understand exactly how they do this. Professor Lee and his team created a model of soil on a microchip to watch the fungi grow under a microscope. What they found is that fungi can block small pathways as they grow; they can then push into small spaces and redirect where the liquids are going. This means that fungi are able to free trapped liquids in the soil, mix them together, and change how water and contaminants spread underground.
Fungi have always been known to be beneficial to soil, plants, and trees, but because their mycelium is microscopic, it’s hard to know how these benefits are produced in soil systems. This research will help inform our understanding of how we can use fungi to advance environmental clean-up efforts, carbon storage, and agriculture.
"This research provides a mechanistic understanding of how living filamentous networks interact with fluid flow and reshape transport behavior in porous environments,” says Lee. “The findings may inform a wide range of applications where flow through porous materials is important, including bioremediation, soil and groundwater management, enhanced oil recovery, filtration systems, and bioinspired material design. More broadly, the work establishes a foundation for studying living systems as dynamic components of transport and interfacial phenomena.”
Click here to learn more about the study.