An Arctic Road Trip Brings Vital Underground Networks into View (quantamagazine.org) AI

A Quanta Magazine field report follows biologist Michael Van Nuland and colleagues as they sample Alaskan tundra to test machine-learning predictions about rare mycorrhizal fungal “hot spots.” The article describes how underground fungal networks connect to plant roots, exchanging nutrients and carbon, and how recent imaging and robotic tracking suggest the fungi actively regulate this system rather than merely serving plants. Because these networks help store vast amounts of carbon in permafrost but are vulnerable to warming, wildfires, and thaw, the researchers argue that better mapping and protection of soil biodiversity could matter for climate resilience.