Do Trees Think? | Tumble Episode

Do trees think? That's the question nine-year-old listener Alden wanted to find out — and he already had a hunch that mushroom roots might be involved. In this episode, you'll meet a young soil scientist named Natalia Mondi, who studies forests from the ground up. She'll take us underground to discover how trees send messages through a hidden network — and how that knowledge is helping to heal a sick forest in Canada.

🎧 Listen to the Episode

Transcript-Do Trees Think.pdf

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🌲 What Kids Will Learn

• Why trees don't need brains to think — and what "thinking" actually looks like for a tree.

• How mycorrhizae (a.k.a. mushroom roots!) connect trees underground and help them send messages and share nutrients.

• What makes a forest healthy or sick — and what a sick forest actually looks like up close.

• How scientists like Natalia study soil DNA to understand what's happening in a forest and help it heal.

  
  

🔎About The Featured Experts

Natalia Mondi is a master's student in Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, where she works with Dr. Suzanne Simard on the Mother Tree Project. Originally from the Big Island of Hawaii, Natalia has been drawn to the dirt since she was a toddler — literally. She now studies soil carbon dynamics and the microscopic relationships that help forests thrive, including on Kwiakah First Nation land in British Columbia, where she's helping to restore a forest that's been through a lot. When she's not digging up soil samples, you can find her surfing, hiking, dancing, or taking long walks through bogs.

🧑‍🏫 Classroom & Home Resources 🔗

• NGSS Alignment: 5-LS2-1, MS-LS2-3

• 📜 Crosscutting Concept: Systems & System Models

• 📚 Learn More:

  • Watch Dr. Suzanne Simard's TED Talk, "How Trees Talk to Each Other," here. You can also see an article about Suzanne's work on the TED website here.

  • Learn more about the Mother Tree Project and Natalia's research here.

    
    

💬 Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think it's important to study what makes a forest healthy or sick?

2. Would you really call what the trees are doing in the episode thinking? Why or why not?

   
   

🎧 More Episodes About Trees, Forests, and Fungi: The Science of Fungi, What if Trees Didn't Exist?, Do Trees Fart?

📚 For Teachers: Explore our Audio Courses for NGSS-aligned science learning.

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