Evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers takes us along on her epic quest to map the world's fungi networks and understand their behaviour before it's too late.
Beneath our feet lies a mystery. A complex underground network of mycorrhizal fungi keeps our ecosystem alive by exchanging nutrients and carbon with almost all plants on Earth. Remarkably, no one knows exactly how these sophisticated and ancient systems operate, or how they are affected by climate change.
The Underground Astronaut follows evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers, named one of the 2022 TIME100 Next Innovators, on her quest to map the world's fungi networks and understand their behaviour before it's too late. A fragrant and high-stakes journey into the soil. “No fungi, no future.”
The Underground Astronaut is part of Ammodo Docs, a series of short documentaries about original minds in arts and science.
The big bang, tardigrades, humanity as a dying breed: A child researcher on a farm by the Baltic Sea has some astonishing thoughts about these things – and his curiosity about the present is infectious.
Rovin lives on a farm on the countryside at the Baltic Sea. In his very own rhythm he is occupied exploring his environment. Moss, fire and his great curiosity: discovering new planets, stars, unknown beings – the universe. Maria is taking care of the stones at the beach very close to her house, while Christopher is busy moving stones up on a little hill. All of them in search for something.
DOK Industry is realised with the support of Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media upon a Decision of the German Bundestag.