Unearthing the secret social lives of trees – podcast

Loading player...
Over her career, first as a forester and then as a professor of forest ecology, Suzanne Simard has been uncovering the hidden fungal networks that connect trees and allow them to send signals and share resources. Speaking to Suzanne about her new book, Finding the Mother Tree, Linda Geddes discovers how these underground webs allow plants to cooperate and communicate with each other. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
29 Apr 2021 English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

How RFK Jr’s mixed messages on vaccines are impacting scientific research

As a measles outbreak expands across the US, comments by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr have come under scrutiny. Kennedy has said that the best way to prevent measles is to get vaccinated – but he has also caused alarm among paediatricians, vaccine experts and lawmakers by promoting vitamin…
17 Apr 19 min

What 40 years as Observer science editor has taught Robin McKie

Robin McKie reflects on his 40 years as science editor for the Observer and tells Madeleine Finlay about the game-changing discoveries and scientific controversies that he’s reported on during that time. He describes how the discovery of the structure of DNA revolutionised science, what he learned about misinformation from the…
15 Apr 20 min

Streams of medicines: how Switzerland cleaned up its act

Switzerland is leading the world in purifying its water of micropollutants, a concoction of chemicals often found in bodies of water that look crystal clear. They include common medicines like antidepressants and antihistamines, but have unknown and potentially damaging consequences for human and ecosystem health. In the second of a…
10 Apr 17 min

Streams of medicines: what’s hiding in the UK’s waterways?

The UK is known for its national parks: areas of outstanding natural beauty with rolling hills and crystal-clear streams and lakes. But research has shown that England’s most protected rivers are full of pharmaceuticals. In episode one of a two-part series, biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay about the…
8 Apr 17 min