10+ hour, 53+ min ago (882+ words) Scientists have engineered a fungus that turns the same amount of feedstock into significantly more edible protein " and does so with far fewer emissions. In new research from Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China, a gene-edited strain of Fusarium venenatum produced richer, more digestible protein while trimming the greenhouse gases normally released during fermentation. The advance arrives as food systems search for lower-carbon ways to feed a growing population. Mycoprotein, a protein-rich food made from filamentous fungi, offers a way to grow protein without raising animals. One species, called Fusarium venenatum, already appears in supermarket meat alternatives because its strands cook and chew in a meat-like way. In its natural form, Fusarium venenatum has a tough cell wall, a rigid outer covering that keeps much of its protein locked away. Thick walls limit digestibility for people and force processors to use…...