Fungi Futures
Merlin Sheldrake (live via video)
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Appearing live on screen via video link, Merlin Sheldrake, world-renowned mycologist and author of “Entangled Life”, joins us for an in-depth discussion hosted by multi-award-winning ABC journalist and presenter Natasha Mitchell.
The fungi kingdom has shaped our world for more than a billion years. Does it hold the answers to rewriting our future?
Journey deep into the roots of nature to the mycelial universe beneath our feet that braids all life on Earth together and has the power to change our minds, heal our bodies, and safeguard our future.
Set against the backdrop of our iconic lush Forest Gallery after dark, emerge with a renewed sense of optimism for what lies ahead.
From the mystical to the practical, immerse yourself in the mushroom experience with edible fungi treats provided by Long Prawn.
Presented in partnership with Now or Never
Speaker
Merlin Sheldrake (live via video)
Biologist and best-selling author of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures.
Merlin’s research ranges from fungal biology to the history of Amazonian ethnobotany, to the relationship between sound and form in resonant systems. By examining fungi on their own terms, he reveals how these extraordinary organisms – and our relationships with them – are changing our understanding of how life works.
Merlin received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. He is a research associate of the Vrije University Amsterdam, works with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation. Entangled Life, a New York Times and Sunday Times best-seller, has been translated into thirty languages, and was named a TIME Must-Read Book. He is the presenter of the documentary Fungi: Web of Life, narrated by Björk.
A keen brewer and fermenter, Merlin is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms. He is a musician and performs on the piano and accordion.
Moderator
Natasha Mitchell
Science Journalist and Presenter, Big Ideas, ABC Radio National (RN)
Natasha Mitchell is a multi-award-winning journalist, radio presenter, podcaster, and audio storyteller specialising in science & society. She is host of the ABC Radio National's flagship Big Ideas program and podcast, was founding host and producer of the internationally renowned radio show and one of the ABC’s first podcasts, All in the Mind, which won the Grand Prize and four Gold World Medals at the New York Radio Festivals, amongst other awards. Natasha hosted the ABC's daily social affairs program Life Matters, and was founding host and producer of Science Friction, awarded Best Science and Medicine podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards. Natasha served as a board member and vice president of the World Federation of Science Journalists and was recipient of the prestigious MIT Knight Fellowship. She has facilitated many public forums around Australia, including four science dialogues with the Dalai Lama and guests. She has an engineering degree with first class honours, and a postgraduate diploma in science communication.
Accessibility
We can assist with any access requirements you may have for this program, please contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your Museum visit.
Presented in partnership with Now or Never
