spun.earth - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

Our newest research on plant-fungal trade published today in @nature.com. The work, led by scientists from Vrije Universiteit, Princeton University, SPUN & AMOLF combines robotics, mycology & biophysics to reveal underground supply-chain dynamics. Open access: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

submitted 4 hours ago • 1 comment

Have you heard of the Amazon’s incredible underwater forests? During the wet season, the river submerges the trees & fish swim among the branches. A few months on, the forest dries out once more. Aida Vasco, SPUN Underground Explorer, researches the mycorrhizal #fungi in this unique ecosystem.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

In episode 1 of our “Nature’s Genius” podcast series, acclaimed visionary biologists @tobykiers.bsky.social and Merlin Sheldrake of @spun.earth guide us through the intricate wonders of the #MycorrhizalFungi networks that make life on Earth possible. 🍄🎧 Dive in: https://buff.ly/4ka8odx

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

🌳 Protect forests. Protect fungi. 🍄‍🟫 Mount Kenya's forests are rich in biodiversity. Dr. Hannah Karuri, SPUN Underground Explorer, is uncovering the fungal communities living beneath the forest floor. By comparing #fungi in protected vs unprotected areas, she hopes to help conservation efforts.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Boost your garden’s productivity by increasing mycorrhizal #fungi in the soil. Dr. Vasilis Kokkoris from VU Amsterdam explains why mycorrhizae are beneficial for plant growth and soil health. Learn more about enhancing soil health here: www.spun.earth/articles/how...

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

📢 Calling all underground researchers 🔬 We’re working with almost 100 experts sampling Earth's mycorrhizal #fungi in the underexplored corners of our world. Would you like to join our global community? Apply now for funding and support:

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

🐧 Beneath the penguin colonies of the French subantarctic islands, there are underground mysteries to unravel. SPUN Underground Explorers François de Vleeschouwer & Mélanie Roy are looking for mycorrhizal fungi in the soils of these volcanic islands. Footage: Francois De Vleeschouwer/IPEV. @cnrs.fr

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

🔬🍄 Celebrating women breaking new ground in fungal research. On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, meet some of the many dedicated to exploring and protecting the invisible world beneath our feet. @bethanfmanley.bsky.social @carolibe1.bsky.social tobykiers.bsky.social #womeninSTEM

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

The new animated series “Common Side Effects” is a mycology thriller—a fictional story about a rogue mushroom researcher who finds a ‘shroom that can heal any injury or disease. In real life, scientists are searching far and wide to map the world’s unseen fungi. ✍️ @emmalgometz.bsky.social

submitted 18 days ago • 24 comments

Fun article about SPUN, and a new mycology thriller "Common Side Effects" in @scifri.bsky.social. Read about @adricorrales.bsky.social and our network of myconauts who are collecting data to advocate for the protection of underground ecosystems, here: www.sciencefriday.com/articles/com...

submitted 18 days ago • 1 comment

Curious about belowground biodiversity in the driest desert? We partnered with the Council for Atacameño Peoples to explore mycorrhizal #fungi in extreme conditions and their role in crop systems. Stay tuned for results. Daniela Soto Hernández @adricorrales.bsky.social @cmarin.bsky.social

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

How can we leverage the power of fungi to tackle some of the biggest problems of today? Great to see our stats included in this important paper in Nature. Congrats to Nicola Case et al.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Earth’s soils are getting saltier, threatening food crops. ⚠️🌱 Could mycorrhizal #fungi help plants access nutrients and water in these extreme climates? Ahlam Khallef is researching this important question in Bordj Gourbala, a region in Tunisia that’s affected by soil salinity.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

A single gram of soil can contain up to 90 meters of fungal networks. Nearly all plants on Earth form partnerships with mycorrhizal fungi for nutrients. It's a relationship that spans 450 million years. Watch to the end to see these fungi in action. Video by Tuane Eggers & music by Beto Mohr.

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

How can anything grow in very salty, drought-stricken soil? Chott el Djerid is a seasonal salt lake in Tunisia. Some plants grow there despite the harsh conditions. The key to their success is mycorrhizal fungi. We joined Mahmoud Gargouri, Ahlam Khallef & Imane Bahlouli to map the area's fungi.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

Lesotho's high-altitude wetlands are a major carbon sink. But did you know that wetlands rely on fungi to help draw down carbon into the soil? We joined Dr. Peter Chatanga, Dr. Sebolelo Molete & Dr. Liteboho Maduna to map the fungi in Lesotho's wetlands. #WorldWetlandsDay https://buff.ly/42CvXpc

submitted 26 days ago • 0 comments

From the prairies of Kansas to the forests of Colombia, #fungi can lend a hand in restoring damaged ecosystems. @adricorrales.bsky.social SPUN Scientist, & SPUN Underground Explorers Nicole Hynson & Jessica Duchicela interviewed by @goesbykim.bsky.social via @knowablemag.bsky.social bit.ly/4hA7kO9

submitted 28 days ago • 0 comments

📣 FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Are you a researcher exploring the underground? 🍄 Apply to become an Underground Explorer. Gain funding and support from our thriving community of myconauts. Help us spread the word. 🗓️ Deadline: 21 March 👉 Find out more and apply: https://buff.ly/3CludWr

submitted 33 days ago • 0 comments

Microbes are critical to life on Earth. But they’re unsung heroes, unrecognized by international policies. A new paper by SPUN collaborator @laura-vangalen.bsky.social underlines how indispensable microbe-based technologies are to achieve ALL of the #SDGs. https://buff.ly/3WwlZBU

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

Cliffs are extreme environments home to unique and diverse plants. ⛰️ Felipe Morales Armijo, a SPUN Underground Explorer, is researching how mycorrhizal fungi might help plants grow in these harsh cliff habitats. Learn more about the Underground Explorers Program: https://buff.ly/4iM6lMg

submitted 35 days ago • 0 comments

New podcast: Journey to Colombia’s cloud forests with SPUN scientist Adriana Corrales. 🎧🌳 Hear first-hand from expedition leader Adriana as she explains her quest to identify mycorrhizal #fungi critical to the endangered Colombian black oak's survival.

submitted 37 days ago • 0 comments

Underneath your feet, plants and #fungi make shrewd deals: sugars for nutrients. It’s one of the oldest trading relationships on Earth. Plants turn CO2 & sunlight into rich energy compounds like sugars. They feed these to the fungi who, in return, trade nutrients they have foraged from the soil.

submitted 40 days ago • 0 comments

Truffles are notoriously hard to find. But not so hard if you’re a dog. With his keen sense of smell, Heather Dawson’s dog Rye helps her document the diversity of fungi living beneath Pacific Northwest forests. A good read by @nerdychristie.bsky.social. www.science.org/content/arti...

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments

Fungi live underground AND under the sea! 🌊 Marine #fungi account for 5% of the total ocean biomass yet we know little about them. There’s a world of ocean-living fungi to yet discover. Article by @marinemicrobes.bsky.social

submitted 44 days ago • 1 comment

New year, new research! 🌱 Excited to dig deeper into the fascinating mangrove ecosystems of the Middle East. 🌍🌊 Stay tuned for insights on their vital role in hosting unique biodiversity, carbon storage, and coastal resilience! #MangroveResearch @spun.earth

submitted 49 days ago • 0 comments

Do the westerly winds crossing the Southern Indian Ocean carry #fungi spores as far as the remote French subantarctic islands? 🌏 💨 SPUN Underground Explorers François De Vleeschouwer and Mélanie Roy plan to evaluate how far long-distance spore dispersal could influence local fungal biodiversity.

submitted 50 days ago • 0 comments

Fungi living above the snow line in the Himalayas? 🗻 Monsoon rains cause biodiversity to flourish among the Himalayan plants. Roshan Ojha, SPUN Underground Explorer, is on a mission to find out if this biodiversity hotspot extends to underground #fungi too. https://buff.ly/4iM6lMg

submitted 54 days ago • 0 comments

How can #fungi help remediate soils degraded by mining in Ghana? Jacob Ulzen, SPUN Underground Explorer & research fellow at University of Ghana, is fascinated by the applications of mycorrhizal fungi to remediate soil damaged by mining & support agriculture. Read his Q&A👉 https://buff.ly/4062YHx

submitted 64 days ago • 0 comments

My department is hiring a fungal biologist! aprecruit.ucr.edu/JPF01990

submitted 78 days ago • 1 comment

Fungi live in the threatened mangrove forests in Seychelles. 🇸🇨 SPUN Underground Explorer Laura Montano investigates whether mycorrhizal #fungi help Seychelles’ mangroves to survive. The research could prove vital for mangrove conservation. bit.ly/4fg7SqV

submitted 71 days ago • 0 comments

Why decentralize science on #fungi? 🔬 Africa is home to rich biodiversity. But at present, scientists in Africa must send their samples of soil & underground fungi out of the country or continent for DNA sequencing. We interview Jacob Ulzen on keeping science local: www.spun.earth/articles/int...

submitted 76 days ago • 0 comments

On #InternationalMountainDay, a snapshot from last autumn during our @spun.earth fieldwork in Corsica's forests. The Aiguilles de Bavella, striking red granite spires, served as our backdrop. The findings from this fungal community soil survey are now landing on my desk.

submitted 77 days ago • 0 comments

⚠️ 1 in 3 trees globally faces extinction, according to the IUCN. Why are so many trees failing to adapt to the climate crisis? It might have something to do with a lack of #fungi. SPUN scientists investigate trees migrating away from the mycorrhizal fungi they depend on.👇 bit.ly/4gnV5DE

submitted 77 days ago • 0 comments

✨Visual Fungal Omics✨Check out my recent papers! I emphasize visual presentation of data to make biological interpretation easy and appealing for non-experts. 🍄 I transform data into stunning visuals, showcasing the beauty of fungal genomes. #bioinformatics #dataviz #genomics #evolution #fungi

submitted 84 days ago • 2 comments

Calling all myconauts. Excited to have joined BlueSky to share our work on the structure, trade & nutrient flows of mycorrhizal networks. Video time lapse of root (red) & mycorrhizal network (light blue) over 300hrs

submitted 86 days ago • 0 comments

Soil isn't just underground. With the help of networks of mycorrhizal fungi, soils are formed even on the most vertical cliffs. Underground Explorer Felipe Morales Armijo is working w/@spununderground.bsky.social to map vertical fungi across the cliffs of Mexico. Happy World Soils Day.

submitted 83 days ago • 0 comments

Our survival is intimately linked to the health of our rapidly degrading soils. #WorldSoilDay Protecting the soil protects #fungi, which in turn protects all life on Earth. Learn more: bit.ly/3OCBmnI Lab footage by Sander van Otterdijk, Rachael Cargill, and Loreto Oyarte Galvez.

submitted 83 days ago • 0 comments

Our first Bluesky post contains some good news for #fungi! After a long history of being unprotected, COP16 marked a huge advancement in the conservation of fungi. 🍄🥳 Thanks to work led by our partners at Fungi Foundation, The Fungal Conservation Pledge was introduced at #COP16. bit.ly/3Vl9GHL

submitted 83 days ago • 2 comments