Modeling climate change is a MASSIVE undertaking which involves a multitude of scientific disciplines. Assistant professor from Boston University, Jenny Talbot aims to enhance our understanding of our changing planet by studying carbon cycling from (you guessed it) beneath the forest floor. Fungi, being more related to the Animal Kingdom don’t release oxygen like photosynthetic plants. Instead they carry out respiration more similar to us, ultimately “exhaling” co2 after digesting their carbon food source. Prior to her work, the carbon dioxide leaving the forest floor that enters our atmosphere has been largely left out of our models.

I look up to these scientists who see the importance of not only studying fungi, but using a mycological approach to better understand certain facets of nature; in this case, our changing planet. Thank you Jenny Talbot for your hard work and dedication.