{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1805954,
        "msgid": "scientists-map-underground-fungal-motorway-1-billion-times-the-earth-sun-distance-1781596244",
        "date": "2026-06-16 13:45:00",
        "title": "Scientists Map Underground Fungal 'Motorway' 1 Billion Times the Earth-Sun Distance",
        "author": "Thalatie Kaprina Yani",
        "source": "MEDIA_INDONESIA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Environment",
        "summary": "Researchers have for the first time mapped a vast subterranean network of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, estimated to stretch 110 quadrillion kilometres globally. The fungal filaments, or hyphae, lock away roughly 300 megatons of carbon and transfer billions of tonnes of CO2 into the soil annually, functioning as a crucial planetary circulatory system. The study warns that agricultural land has 50% lower fungal density than wild ecosystems, with 95% of fungal biodiversity hotspots lying outside protected areas.",
        "content": "<p>Beneath the ground we walk on lies a giant hidden network that\nsupports much of life on Earth. For the first time, scientists have\nsuccessfully mapped the underground \u2018motorway\u2019 formed by arbuscular\nmycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In a study published in the journal Science,\nthis network is estimated to stretch 110 quadrillion kilometres, a\nfantastic distance equivalent to nearly one billion times the distance\nfrom the Earth to the Sun. The network of fine threads called hyphae\nlocks away around 300 megatons of carbon, or the equivalent of 4 to 6\ntimes the total mass of all living humans today. \u201cIt is very difficult\nto overstate the importance and sheer scale of these fungi,\u201d said Dr\nJustin Stewart, lead author of the study from the Society for the\nProtection of Underground Networks (SPUN). \u201cThere can be up to 10 metres\nof mycorrhizal network in just a single teaspoon of soil.\u201d To compile\nthis global map, the researchers aggregated measurements from 16,000\nsoil core samples worldwide and then analysed them using\nmachine-learning models. They found that grasslands store around 40% of\nthis fungal infrastructure, with the highest densities predicted in the\nwetlands of South Sudan, the Everglades in Florida, and the Tibetan\nPlateau. Ecologically, this fungal network functions like the Earth\u2019s\ncirculatory system. It moves approximately 4 billion tonnes of carbon\ndioxide into the soil each year, equivalent to 11% of total carbon\nemissions from human activities. The network also extends the reach of\nplant roots by up to 100 times to supply water and nutrients. \u201cWith the\nemergence of new technologies in high-resolution imaging,\nmachine-learning, and robotics, we are beginning to uncover what has\nbeen hidden beneath our feet,\u201d said Dr Corentin Bisot, one of the\nco-authors and a biophysicist from AMOLF. However, the report also\nbrings bad news. The density of fungal networks in agricultural land is\npredicted to be 50% lower than in wild ecosystems. The researchers warn\nthat this decline could damage the soil\u2019s ability to store carbon and\nwithstand environmental stress. More worryingly, 95% of fungal\nbiodiversity hotspots lie outside protected areas. Dr Toby Kiers,\nExecutive Director of SPUN, stressed the need for concrete action.\n\u201cFungi have been ignored in climate and conservation agendas for too\nlong. Now is the time to change course,\u201d he said. Meanwhile, Merlin\nSheldrake, a biologist involved in the study, described the map as an\nexciting first step. He believes that understanding this planetary\ntransport system can help humanity face various future global\nchallenges, from food security to climate change.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/scientists-map-underground-fungal-motorway-1-billion-times-the-earth-sun-distance-1781596244",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}