There’s a Vast Network Beneath Your Feet—And It Could Be Conscious, Some Theories Claim

4 min readHere’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:Fungus is a type of eukaryotic organism, which includes molds, mushrooms, and yeasts.In a recent study, a team of researchers predicted the size of a vast underground network of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus—and found that it was wildly expansive. According to some unrelated studies, other types of fungi show forms of intelligence, and one theory suggests that they could even be conscious. When we walk outside, it’s easy to see that the world around us is bustling with life—trees swaying in the wind, bumblebees flitting from plant to plant, birds pecking at crumbs left behind by passersby. This biodiversity is always on display, right in front of our eyes. But what about the creatures that are hidden away where we can’t see them? In a recent study, published in the journal Science, scientists mapped a vast, interconnected network of organisms beneath our feet. It’s not only much larger than expected—some research suggests that it could be conscious.The international research team focused on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal networks. Fungus is a type of eukaryotic organism including yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. It’s distinguished from the plant kingdom because fungal cells lack chloroplasts, or the organelles that conduct photosynthesis. AM fungal networks are found in the soil, and they have formed symbiotic relationships with plant life over the past 475 million years.In the study, researchers compiled a global dataset of AM fungal density and biomass using findings—such as high-resolution imaging and field measurements—from previous studies. Then, they used a machine-learning model to estimate biomass across the world. The team predicts that there are more than 621 trillion miles of AM fungal networks in the planet’s topsoil. To put into perspective just how expansive this is, Pluto is 3.6 billion miles away from the sun. If you were to connect every AM fungal network end to end in one big line, the strand would be long enough to span that distance roughly 172,500 times.These AM fungi are essential for plants across the world, as they play a major role in their sustenance. For instance, mycorrhizal fungi are thinner than most plant roots, so they come into contact with more soil per volume. This helps the fungi absorb nutrients from the soil and redirects them back to the host plant. In the same vein, fungi also send additional water to surrounding plant life.Other unrelated research suggests that fungus might expand our definition of what consciousness and intelligence are. For instance, a 2024 study found that fungi have some sort of “pattern recognition” capabilities. The researchers used a type of wood-eating fungus called Phanerochaete velutina. During the experiment, they incubated the fungus on wood blocks, then arranged those blocks on soil plates in two distinct patterns: a circle and a cross. After several months, the mycelium (or root-like) networks remained in a similar pattern to which they started.More impressively, the circle group avoided sending connections through the center of the circle, and instead sent shoots outward, indicating that the fungi were “aware” of where food opportunities might be. Likewise, the mycelium networks in the cross group had the most connectivity between the outermost points, also implying that the fungus could transmit information about its surroundings. Had it lacked this ability, the fungus likely would have spread out evenly in all directions. This is a feature that Yu Fukasawa, PhD—a researcher on the study—views as “very intelligent,” according to Science Focus.Researchers have also demonstrated that other brainless organisms display signs of intelligence. For example, slime molds—a colony of unicellular eukaryotes also known as “the blob”—can navigate mazes, solve math problems, and make decisions. Despite mold typically falling under the fungal umbrella, slime molds aren’t mold at all; rather, they’re a part of Kingdom Protista and are not closely related to the recently mapped fungal networks. Still, their unique abilities are forcing scientists to reevaluate what exactly intelligence is.More broadly, some scientists believe in a hypothesis called the Cellular Basis of Consciousness, which suggests that “life and conscious sentience are coterminus,” according to creator Arthur Reber, PhD. By nature of fungus being alive, this theory would imply that the eye-wateringly large AM fungal networks beneath our feet are conscious beings.Whether fungi are conscious or not, researchers stress that it’s crucial that we protect these networks—without them, ecosystems are at risk of collapse. In fact, the team on a recent paper is part of a research organization called Spun, which is dedicated to safeguarding underground systems and driving innovation in subterranean climate science. There are several factors that threaten these fungi, according to Spun.Human activity such as logging and urbanization destroy the habitat that AM fungi—and their plant counterparts—reside in. Commercial farmers use harsh farming tactics such as aggressive tillage, chemical fertilizers, and fungicides that damage AM fungal networks. Extreme temperatures, floods, and droughts put these networks at risk. Fires can even reduce biomass by up to 96 percent. However, if we focus on protecting AM fungal networks, we could promote biodiversity and mitigate some of the effects of climate change, since fungi are wonderful at carbon sequestration, according to Spun. 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Prior to her time as an editor, she was a freelance science reporter. She enjoys covering everything from shipwrecks to pimple popping, but her favorite topics include climate change, conspiracy theories, and weird biology. When she’s not writing, Emma can be found hopping between coffee shops on the hunt for the world’s best oat milk cappuccino.