{"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":"The Wood Wide Web: The Forest Discovery That Sparked a Backlash","slug":"the-wood-wide-web-the-forest-discovery-that-sparked-a-backlash","published_at":"2026-04-27T00:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-world-the-universe-and-us-601524/the-wood-wide-web-the-forest-discovery-that-sparked-a-backlash","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/ARML1134826042.mp3?updated=1777040556","audio_url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML1134826042.mp3?updated=1777040556","summary":"Episode 363 Suzanne Simard is a world-renowned forest ecologist who shot to stardom with her first book Finding the Mother Tree. It tells the story of her life’s work, showing trees and plants are connected through fungal networks, demonstrating a kind of wisdom and intelligence. Now, with the release of her latest book When the Forest Breathes, she’s keen to highlight the destructive and extractive forestry practices of the modern age - and why Western science needs an update. Rowan Hooper sits down with Simard under the famous Lucombe Oak in London’s Kew Gardens. Together they explore the concept of the ‘wood wide web’, the name given to her breakthrough work showing communication between forest trees via an underground fungal network. They discuss the scientific backlash that came when she popularised this work and how it all came at a particularly difficult time in her life. And they explore her time spent with indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest. As Simard aims to make us view forest ecosystems in a more holistic and regenerative way - what will it take to truly change the industry?To read more stories like this, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Episode 363 Suzanne Simard is a world-renowned forest ecologist who shot to stardom with her first book Finding the Mother Tree. It tells the story of her…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2195,"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/the-wood-wide-web-the-forest-discovery-that-sparked-a-backlash/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/the-wood-wide-web-the-forest-discovery-that-sparked-a-backlash.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}