As the world’s supply of lithium nears depletion, researchers are looking at fungus as a solution to the issue. Lithium is used in the batteries of electric cars and smartphones, and what researchers are finding is that fungus can naturally eat up old batteries and spit out lithium, along with cobalt, another valuable material. Typical battery recycling is energy-intensive and costly, but a fungus based recycling process could be more cost-effective while saving energy.