davo- do you consider fungal spores as living organisms?
anyway, being that they are in the wood, water would not remain at boiling temperature by the time it reaches them regardless.
i'm always looking for more driftwood, but i'm not such a fan of gnarled bunches. you'll have to look for pieces that are larger than what you want because stripping away the bark and some of the softwood will bring it down to size. a piece like #7 except with a longer section after the joint (thick branch) would be something i would be interested in.