September 1, 2024 ▸ Science

Episode 749:Trees: The Wood Wide Web

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the most important and often misunderstood living beings on the planet. That’s right, we talk about trees. At first, this seemed like a boring topic, but once the research started, our minds were blown. The big reveal was that trees have a fungal network weaved into their root systems that trees use talk to each other and share nutrients and resources. There are also things called “Mother Trees” that have a memory of good and bad times stored in their DNA, and they use this fungal network to upload this DNA into younger trees to “teach them” if a threat arises. From talking to birds when they need to eliminate bugs, to alternate alien worlds and what they would look like without lumber, we go deep on this one.

Visit our Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treefacts/

https://www.treehugger.com/facts-about-trees-4868798

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mother-trees-are-intelligent-they-learn-and-remember/

https://e360.yale.edu/features/are_trees_sentient_peter_wohlleben

https://www.treepeople.org/2023/04/14/fungi-and-trees-plants