Mushrooms are multitalented multitaskers; they can improve human health and cognition, provide a transformative trip, sub in for steak, and even help one of the most polluting industries in the world become less destructive. Now, fantastic fungi are even serving as an ocean-friendly alternative material for surfboards.

Steve Davies, a 23-year-old recent design graduate from the U.K., is experimenting with using mycelium, the versatile root-like structure of fungi, as the basis for a new plastic-free board. "It sounds a little bit crazy, but it's a way to get away from polystyrene, polyurethane, and resin boards that can sit in landfill and not decompose for hundreds to thousands of years," he tells the BBC.

According to Davies, who first came up with this eco-friendly board alternative for his final project at university, over 400,000 surfboards are made each year, and 80 percent of them are not sustainable. A lot of the plastic used to make these boards eventually ends up in the ocean, harming wildlife and ultimately people who consume seafood as well.