In today’s episode I’m speaking with Merlin Sheldrake, Biologist and Author of one of my all time favourite books, Entangled Life. Merlin received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama. His research ranges from fungal biology to the history of Amazonian ethnobotany, and he is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms. His book, Entangled Life, is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, has been translated into thirty-two languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide.Reading it a few years ago absolutely blew my mind. Never before had I read something so poetic yet informative, and since then my relationship with nature has evolved to be much more profound. It’s a book about how fungi make our worlds, change our minds and shape our futures – but also an exploration of the living world and our place in it. If you haven’t read it yet I can highly recommend it — whether you have an existing interest in fungi or not, it will turn your world upside down!The book was actually one of the reasons why I decided to launch the podcast - so it felt quite surreal to record a conversation with Merlin! A few of the things we spoke about include what drew him to the world of fungi, his work at the intersection of science and art, and also how to cultivate a relationship with organisms that feel incredibly different from us, such as fungi. We also discussed hope and what we can learn from other species to find a way forward. I hope you’ll enjoy it!Want to dive deeper?Merlin’s website — https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/Get Entangled Life — https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/entangled-life-book-merlin-sheldrake-9781784708276Merlin on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/merlin.sheldrakeSubscribe to the Why We Care newsletter on Substack (thank you so much!!!)Subscribe here — https://whywecare.substack.com/Come say hi!Why We Care on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/whywecarepodcast/Tiphaine on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/tiphainemarie_/If you enjoyed the episode and want to help the podcast, I would be super grateful if you could leave a little review or share it with a friend who might like it. Thank you so much for caring and sending you lots of love! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.