SPUN scientist @thecrobe.bsky.social joined @npr.org to explain the tiny fungal threads beneath our feet, how they support plants, and why mapping them matters for conservation, restoration, and climate models. Listen here: buff.ly/SNzr2qc

The underground story keeps traveling. Coverage of our new @science.org paper continues, with recent features from CNN Brasil, de Volkskrant, Wired Japan, Spektrum, Le Monde, Wyborcza and Clarin. Learn more about the research and explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: buff.ly/Xk8v9y1

Meet our 2026 Underground Explorers. This year, SPUN is supporting 55 researchers, conservationists, and soil experts from 31 countries to help document mycorrhizal fungi in some of Earth’s most underexplored ecosystems. #ProtectTheUnderground #UndergroundExplorers #MycorrhizalFungi

How much mycelium is in one teaspoon of soil? In an interview with SAMRN, @thecrobe.bsky.social shows how SPUN’s Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map makes hyphal density visible: in a pixel, the model predicts almost 8 meters of mycelium in 1 cm³ of soil. Full interview on Mycorrhizas: buff.ly/f2ePOSd

Across 7 countries, 22 regions, 109 sites, and 1,230 samples, we’re studying deep-soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across agricultural lands. By comparing deep and surface soils, we’re asking how fungal communities differ with depth and farming pressure, and how they relate to belowground carbon.

ICOM 2026 attendees: SPUN is heading to Cairns. Justin Stewart (@thecrobe.bsky.social) will be representing SPUN across the conference, including a talk on our newest global mapping work and a hands-on R workshop. Come say hello. #ICOM2026 #MycorrhizalFungi #SoilEcology

The Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map is one of @nature.com's standout science images for June. Selected by Nature’s photo team, the map appears alongside deep-sea life, auroras, fossils & other research helping reveal worlds that are difficult to see. Gallery: buff.ly/qN3m3rU Map: buff.ly/21F9Kln

A new study published in @newphyt.bsky.social predicts the global distribution of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, a less explored mycorrhizal type dominating soils at high elevations and high latitudes. Full paper: buff.ly/AU9VbtV

Heading to the South American Mycorrhizal Symposium in Quito? Jacqueline Gallant, Director of Programs at the More-Than-Human Life (MOTH) Program at NYU Law, will lead a pre-symposium workshop: “Translating Mycological Science into Law: The Basics.” Apply by July 20: buff.ly/8latej2

How much do Earth’s fungal networks weigh? In new research we used robotic imaging of 300,000+ hyphae, field samples and satellites, to estimate the global length, volume, and biomass of mycorrhizal fungal networks. The answer: roughly 300 megatons. Read the study in @science.org: buff.ly/xZYY3vA

We mapped the estimated scale of Earth’s AM fungal networks. Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map. www.spun.earth/mapping/a-hi...

A new study in @science.org by an international team maps the distribution and mass of Earth’s living arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a microbial infrastructure made of tiny fungal tubes called hyphae. Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: buff.ly/PISOj8k Read the study: buff.ly/xZYY3vA

Global map Global news Our new paper in @science.org estimates the global length, volume, and biomass of AM fungal networks, microscopic systems that help plants access nutrients in exchange for carbon. The story has travelled far, we are grateful for every outlet that helped carry it. #fungi

A new study in @science.org by an international team maps the distribution and mass of Earth’s living arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, a microbial infrastructure made of tiny fungal tubes called hyphae. Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: buff.ly/PISOj8k Read the study: buff.ly/xZYY3vA

The Atlas of Mexico’s Soil Biodiversity is live. Created by SPUN Underground Explorer Roberto Garibay Orijel and 30+ scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Atlas uses #DNA data to make #belowground #biodiversity visible. Explore the Atlas: buff.ly/VWYJWWG

Can cloud forest restoration succeed without understanding the fungi belowground? In Nigeria’s Ngel Nyaki, Dr. Iveren Abiem and team are studying mycorrhizal fungi that may support forest recovery and resilience. #mycology #forestrestoration #mycorrhizalfungi #cloudforest

New study published in Conservation Letters led by @claraqin.bsky.social shows areas that help wildlife often do little for the soil fungi that plants depend on. Research here: conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... Press release here: www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

Grateful to @alex-wigglesworth.bsky.social and the @latimes.com who joined us during the spring heatwave in the US desert, when temperatures climbed past 100 degrees. It was a stark reminder of the climate pressures threatening the Joshua trees we’re trying to save. Read here: buff.ly/4rIo6m4

Soils underpin life on Earth, yet they remain largely overlooked. 1 in 5 assessed soil-dependent species is at risk of extinction and another 20% lack enough data to determine extinction risk. New report by IUCN and @conservationorg.bsky.social: buff.ly/bpD4wMq #soils #soilbiodiversity

Beneath the surface, fungi are running a sophisticated show. Fungal RNA helps scientists capture a brief snapshot of that activity belowground — but because RNA degrades quickly, samples must be flash frozen in the field before they ever reach the lab. #ProtectTheUnderground #MycorrhizalFungi #RNA

Nearly 40% of Earth’s land is already degraded, affecting food production, water availability, livelihoods, and economic stability. SPUN is heading to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for UNCCD COP17 between August 17 and 28, 2026. Will you be attending? Let's connect.

New in @highcountrynews.org: @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social explores what the Underground Atlas reveals about #mycorrhizal #fungi in the Western U.S. and why belowground biodiversity needs a place in conservation planning. Explore the Underground Atlas: buff.ly/mLAyCNf Full article: buff.ly/g8aQqZ9

How can you protect something that hasn’t yet been named? A recent study in @currentbiology.bsky.social finds that only 155,000 of Earth’s roughly 2–3 million fungal species have been formally described. When #fungi remain unnamed, they are much harder to study, recognize, and protect.

When conditions are right (moisture, temperature, low disturbance), some species of #ectomycorrhizal #fungi produce #mushrooms that release spores. Those #mushrooms can appear suddenly, then disappear just as quickly. All the while, plant-fungal associations continue hidden #belowground.

Video courtesy of Rachael Cargill of @vuamsterdam.bsky.social and @amolf-nl.bsky.social

New study shows that regenerating #Palmyra, Earth’s most remote atoll, may depend on underground #fungi too. Scientists from Lund University, @ox.ac.uk, @nature.org, and @spun.earth, found mycorrhizal fungi in every Pisonia root sampled. Paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social: buff.ly/prQdvbW

Meet the people taking Earth Day underground. Help us make today #UnderEarthDay. -Visit www.spun.earth/under-earth-day -Share the video -Download the logo and post it today -Use #UnderEarthDay -Tag @spununderground #fungi #mycorrhizalfungi #mycology #ProtectTheUnderground

Make this April 22 #UnderEarthDay How can you help? See: buff.ly/msi7bbR Share video Download logo Post on April 22 Use #UnderEarthDay Tag @spun.earth A global call to protect life belowground and conserve the underground fungal networks that sustain life aboveground. 🎵 Cosmo Sheldrake

Come join the underground crew at ARTIS Amsterdam for @tobykiers.bsky.social’s State of the Environment Address on how underground fungal networks shape climate & conservation. Not in Amsterdam? Join us virtually. Hosted by @tylerprize.bsky.social and SPUN. 🔗 buff.ly/y7bBeqe #mycorrhizalfungi

For 56 of the 94 fungal species assessed in this study, there's still insufficient data to reliably evaluate extinction risk. A reminder of how much fungal diversity remains understudied, and how urgently better knowledge is needed for conservation. 🔗 conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...