Imagine an underground web of mind-boggling complexity, a bustling cosmopolis beneath your feet. Quadrillions of miles of tiny threads in the soil pulsate with real-time messages, trade vital nutrients, and form life-giving symbiotic partnerships. This is the mysterious realm of fungi. Acclaimed visionary biologists Toby Kiers and Merlin Sheldrake guide us through the intricate wonders of the mycorrhizal fungal networks that make life on Earth possible.

This is an episode of Nature’s Genius, a Bioneers podcast series exploring how the sentient symphony of life holds the solutions we need to balance human civilization with living systems. Visit the series page to learn more.

Featuring

Toby Kiers, Ph.D., is the Executive Director and Chief Scientist of SPUN (the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks) and a Professor of Evolutionary Biology at VU, Amsterdam.

Merlin Sheldrake, Ph.D., is a biologist and writer with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He is currently a research associate of the Vrije University Amsterdam, works with the SPUN, and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation.

Credits

• Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel
• Written by: Cathy Edwards and Kenny Ausubel
• Produced by: Cathy Edwards
• Senior Producer: Stephanie Welch
• Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris
• Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey
• Producer: Teo Grossman
• Graphic Design: Megan Howe

Resources

Merlin Sheldrake – How Fungi Make our Worlds | Bioneers 2024 Keynote

Merlin Sheldrake and Toby Kiers – Mapping, Protecting and Harnessing the Mycorrhizal Networks that Sustain Life on Earth | Bioneers 2024 Panel Discussion

Interview with Merlin Sheldrake, Author of Entangled Life

Deep Dive: Intelligence in Nature

Earthlings: Intelligence in Nature | Bioneers Newsletter

SPUN (the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks)

Fungi Foundation