Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)
@spun.earth
SPUN is a scientific research organization dedicated to mapping and protecting Earth's underground fungal networks. www.spun.earth
Can soil fungi influence what happens inside clouds? Researchers identified proteins produced by endophytic soil fungi that can trigger ice formation. The finding raises new questions about how fungi may influence precipitation and other atmospheric processes. Full study: buff.ly/w0fvWcm #fungi
In a new Science study, researchers provide the first estimate of the global density and biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks. Learn more: https://scim.ag/4vfgZRv
A new paper supported by SPUN’s Underground Explorers Program explores fungi inside the roots of 11 Chloraea orchid species in central Chile. The findings reveal highly variable fungal communities, with important implications for orchid conservation. Full paper: buff.ly/W9gaXYB #mycorrhizalfungi
In a threatened corner of the Amazon, Underground Explorer Camila Nobre found 48 mycorrhizal fungal species beneath the forest. Her work points to an urgent restoration question: what belowground life needs to be present for forests to grow back in all their complexity? Video by Justin Magness
Field update: Sampling in the US Desert in 100 degree temperature. Earlier this year, SPUN scientists Jinsu Elhance and Dr. Anne Polyakov together with Dr. Cameron Egan of USC traveled to the Mojave Desert to sample soils around threatened Joshua trees. More soon. 📸: Gabe De La Rosa
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
Moss-dominated biocrusts and their fungal partners may help us understand one of life’s major transitions: how early plants and fungi adapted to life on land nearly 470 million years ago. Read the paper @newphyt.bsky.social: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 📸: Gabriel De La Rosa
Thank you @natmicrobiol.nature.com! Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map here: www.spun.earth/mapping/a-hi...
Nature Microbiology@natmicrobiol.nature.com · 2mo ago#NatMicroPicks A network like none other! 🌍🍄 Global data and modeling estimates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form extensive underground networks that play a major role in plant carbon–nutrient exchange #MicroSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Fungal networks act as the planet's underground circulatory system, but 90% of their biodiversity hotspots sit outside protected areas. @spun.earth has mapped Earth's mycorrhizal biomass to help prioritize below-ground conservation. Learn more 👉️ mongabay.cc/ffqDoN
The fungal highways under our feet is 10 M light years long! @spun.earth @tobykiers.bsky.social @fmartin54.bsky.social www.radiofrance.fr/franceinfo/p...
Un réseau de champignons long de dix millions d'années-lumière découvert sous nos pieds
Des chercheurs ont calculé, l'étendue et l'importance du vaste réseau de champignons qui se développe sous terre. Une véritable toile souterraine, longtemps méconnue, mais essentielle dans la régulati...
radiofrance.fr
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...
Scientists for years have known mycorrhizal fungal were vital for plant life and storing carbon. But little was known about their density until now.
Threads of Earth’s Underground Fungal Networks Are Long Enough to Reach Beyond the Solar System - Inside Climate News
For the first time ever, researchers have quantified the length and mass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks globally and mapped the ecosystems where they are densest.
insideclimatenews.org
~1 billion times the distance from Earth to the Sun. That is approx the total length of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae in topsoils. These microscopic fungal networks form one of Earth’s circulatory systems moving carbon and nutrients. Out now in @science.org : lnkd.in/eKAsVN_Z
I converted the distance covered by all the fungal hyphae in the planet's soils into light years: the distance is 11,700 light years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zip... @spun.earth
Scientists Mapped Earth's Vast Fungal Network - And It's Critical For The Climate
YouTube video by The World, The Universe And Us
youtube.com
Congratulations to the @spun.earth consortium on their @science.org paper providing the first global estimate of plant root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal biomass and hyphal length in soils. Great review in @theguardian.com on global implications. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Subterranean fungi networks more than 100 quadrillion km in length, study finds
First ever global mapping of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi shows scale of hyphal systems that sustain plant life
theguardian.com
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 hidden circulatory system pulses just beneath the planet’s surface. Embedded in soil, dense networks of microorganisms, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, attach to plant roots. Laid end to end, these filaments would extend for 68 quadrillion miles. Great work by Toby Kiers @spun.earth Gift link 🍄
68 Quadrillion Underground Miles of Fungi
nytimes.com
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 topsoil contains ~110 quadrillion km of fungal threads, roughly one billion times the distance from the Earth to the Sun. A new study in @science.org maps this hidden arbuscular mycorrhizal infrastructure for the first time. Explore the Mycorrhizal Infrastructure Map: buff.ly/PISOj8k
A hidden infrastructure
Mapping Earth’s underground mycorrhizal fungal networks — the hidden infrastructure beneath our feet.
a-hidden-infrastructure.spun.earth
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