{"podcast":{"title":"The World, the Universe and Us","slug":"the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524","podcast_index_feed_id":601524,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ARML6831509338","website_url":"https://www.newscientist.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f22f7b82-8d70-11ef-9557-7b534e653208/image/090b01ebf055769a0cfc5e9ac956962b.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Scientist","episode_count":444,"summary":"From the evolution of intelligent life, to the mysteries of consciousness; from the threat of the climate crisis to the search for dark matter, The world, the universe and us is your essential weekly dose of science and wonder in an uncertain world. Hosted by journalists Dr Rowan Hooper and Dr Penny Sarchet and joined each week by expert scientists in the field, the show draws on New Scientist’s unparalleled depth of reporting to put the stories that matter into context. Feed your curiosity with the podcast that will restore your sense of optimism and nourish your brain. For more visit newscientist.com/podcasts","last_synced_at":"2026-06-13T02:20:08.188658+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524"},"episode":{"title":"Scientists Mapped Earth's Vast Fungal Network - And It's Critical For The Climate","slug":"scientists-mapped-earth-s-vast-fungal-network-and-it-s-critical-for-the-climate","published_at":"2026-06-12T13:54:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524/scientists-mapped-earth-s-vast-fungal-network-and-it-s-critical-for-the-climate","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524","url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2859272913.mp3","audio_url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2859272913.mp3","summary":"Episode 376 For the first time, scientists have mapped Earth’s vast underground fungal network - and it’s bigger than anyone imagined. Beneath our feet, plants and fungi have a hidden symbiotic relationship, sharing nutrients through fine fungal threads called hyphae. With these new global maps, we’re now starting to understand just how important the mycorrhizal network is in keeping the Earth’s climate stable - including the extent of the carbon it draws down. But the ecosystems where these networks exist are being stripped back for agriculture and damaged by fungicides - so how can we protect them? To explore this topic, Rowan Hooper is joined by some of the researchers behind the project - Toby Kiers, Tom Shimizu and Merlin Sheldrake. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Find out more about SPUN, the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks: https://www.spun.earth/ See the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: https://a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earth Read Rowan’s symbiosis book ‘Togetherness’: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/459006/togetherness-by-hooper-rowan/9781911717140 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Episode 376 For the first time, scientists have mapped Earth’s vast underground fungal network - and it’s bigger than anyone imagined. Beneath our feet, p…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1576,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524/episodes/scientists-mapped-earth-s-vast-fungal-network-and-it-s-critical-for-the-climate/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524/scientists-mapped-earth-s-vast-fungal-network-and-it-s-critical-for-the-climate.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}