Mycelium-based composites for extreme environment engineering: from Earth to space

With the continued expansion of global resource development and scientific exploration, engineering construction in extreme environments requires material systems with environmental resilience and multifunctional protective capacity. Mycelium-based composites (MBCs) show strong potential for engineering in extreme settings due to their low energy demand, environmental responsiveness, and multifunctional integration. This paper reviews the application of mycelium-based composites for construction in four extreme environments: deserts, polar regions, marine, and extraterrestrial settings. Evidence shows that mycelium-based systems exhibit strong environmental adaptability. In desert environments, they support thermal regulation and passive heat storage; in polar environments, they provide thermal insulation, foundation stabilization, and humidity buffering; and in marine environments, they contribute to in-situ use of solid waste, resistance to water erosion, and extension of impact-resistant structures. For extraterrestrial engineering, the growth-based fabrication of MBCs aligns with in-situ resource utilization and offers sustainable solutions for structural construction, radiation protection, and closed-loop life support. Owing to their bioactivity and self-growth characteristics, living or reactivatable MBC systems may further support localized regrowth, self-repair, or environmental response under controlled hydration and nutrient conditions, enabling dynamic responses to external environmental fluctuations during long-term service. Future efforts should emphasize coordinated multifunctional design, long-term control and protection of mycelial activity, and the establishment of extraterrestrial multi-factor simulation and on-orbit verification systems.