Some species of fungi can store exceptional levels of carbon underground, preventing it from heating up the Earth's atmosphere. Others help plants survive brutal droughts or fight off pests. They are "levers" to address the hazards of a warming climate, and yet they remain a mystery
The biologists Toby Kiers, left, and Merlin Sheldrake take soil samples along the coast of Chaihuin, in Chile, on April 15, 2022. Kiers and her team of researchers are probing a vast and poorly understood universe of underground fungi that can be vital, in her view, in the era of climate change. Image: Tomas Munita/The New York Times
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