There's an Astounding Amount of Fungi Beneath Our Feet
New mapping reveals a vast, global underground fungal network upon which nearly all plants depend.
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The brief
Scientists have mapped the global networks of tiny underground fungi for the first time. These microbes form an expansive system that supports the majority of plant life on Earth.
Coverage from Smithsonian Magazine, VICE, and Newser emphasizes the scale of these hidden networks. Reports from atmos.earth and Mother Jones highlight the immense reach of these fungi, stating they could stretch to the sun nearly a billion times or reach beyond the solar system.
Future attention will likely focus on the implications of these first-time maps and the functional relationship between the fungal networks and global plant populations.
Synthesized by Archynetys from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: all claims supported by sources Updated 22d ago.
Quick answers
What has recently been discovered about underground fungi?
Their vast global networks have been mapped for the first time.
How important are these fungi to other life forms?
According to Smithsonian Magazine, nearly all plants depend on these tiny underground microbes.
How large are these networks described to be?
Coverage suggests the networks are unfathomably huge, with some reports stating they could stretch to the sun nearly a billion times or extend beyond the solar system.
Coverage (8)
- Study: Fungal Networks So Massive They’d Span 10% of the Milky Way Answers in Genesis · 23d ago
- Scientists just finished mapping the 110-quadrillion-mile network hiding under your feet Yahoo Creators · 23d ago
- SPUN Maps Earth's Hidden Fungal Network: 110 Quadrillion Kilometres of Living Threads MycoStories · 23d ago
- Nearly All Plants Depend on Tiny Underground Fungi. The Microbes' Vast Global Networks Were Just Mapped for the First Time Smithsonian Magazine · 23d ago
- There’s an Unfathomably Huge Network of Fungi Lurking Beneath the Earth VICE · 23d ago
- A Hidden Universe: Underground Fungi Could Stretch to the Sun Nearly a Billion Times atmos.earth · 23d ago
- Our Hidden Fungal Networks Could Reach Beyond the Solar System Mother Jones · 23d ago
- There's an Astounding Amount of Fungi Beneath Our Feet Newser · 23d ago
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