Science Fictions Episode 91: Entangled Life and the wood wide web
Nov 18, 2025
Discover the captivating debate around the 'wood wide web'—a concept that suggests trees communicate through fungal networks. Explore the conflicting evidence about mycorrhizal networks and their role in sharing resources. Unpack the tensions between popular narratives and scientific integrity, as researchers challenge earlier claims and call for more rigorous studies. Reflect on why this enchanting idea resonates culturally, and whether it shapes public perception and policy on nature.
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Losing To The Mushroom Book
- Stuart Ritchie recounts his book losing the Royal Society Book Award to Entangled Life in 2021.
- He describes the personal frustration and cultural mania that followed the mushroom book's success.
Fungal Symbiosis vs The Wood Wide Web
- Mycorrhizal fungi form symbioses with plant roots and help plants gather water and nutrients while receiving carbon from plants.
- Popular accounts turned this accepted symbiosis into the broader "wood wide web" claim of ubiquitous tree-to-tree networks and communication.
Author’s Family History Raised Eyebrows
- Stuart notes Merlin Sheldrake's father is Rupert Sheldrake, known for controversial parapsychology ideas.
- He suggests this family background creates uneasy parallels with mystical interpretations of fungi networks.
