{
  "id": 7402813,
  "title": "Scientists map massive layer of life just beneath our feet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/scientists-map-massive-layer-of-life-just-beneath-our-feet",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-14T21:09:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Big Think",
    "slug": "big-think",
    "url": "https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/fungal-internet/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Beneath our feet lies a vast, intricate network that may be the largest piece of infrastructure on Earth: a fungal web measuring an astonishing 68 quadrillion miles in length. Until recently, this underground system remained largely uncharted, despite being larger than all roads, cables, and shipping lanes combined. Scientists have now begun mapping the enormous fungal network, discovering that it plays a crucial role in supporting plant life and regulating the planet's carbon dioxide levels.\n\nThis fungal network consists of hair-thin filaments called hyphae, which form vast structures known as mycelium. Around 70% of all botanical species engage in relationships with these fungi, forming partnerships known as mycorrhizae that benefit both parties. The plant provides the fungus with carbon from photosynthesis, while the fungus supplies essential nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, and water.\n\nTo map this incredible network, researchers collected and analyzed 16,000 soil samples from around the world. They found that roughly 15 centimeters of the planet's soil contain around 110 quadrillion kilometers of fungal hyphae. The network weighs approximately 300 million tons, equivalent to five times the biomass of all humans on Earth combined.\n\nInterestingly, the fungal network is not evenly distributed across the globe. It is particularly dense in grasslands, covering as much as 40% of the world's arbuscular mycorrhizal network. This includes the Tibetan Plateau, the grasslands of the Everglades, and South Sudan. In contrast, rainforests are not considered the most dense areas of fungal activity.",
  "summary": "Directly beneath our feet stretches a world both smaller and much, much larger than the one we know. Scientists have just begun mapping what may well be the largest piece of infrastructure on Earth: a network of fungal threads that is 68 quadrillion miles long. It’s alive! And we thought we’d mapped just about everything there is to map on this planet: continents, voting patterns, bird migration…",
  "key_points": [
    "Massive fungal web stretches 68 quadrillion miles beneath Earth's surface",
    "Fungi form hyphae filaments and mycelium structures with plants",
    "15 cm of soil contains 110 quadrillion kilometers of fungal hyphae"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}