They present the idea of 'planetary intelligence', which describes the collective knowledge and cognition of an entire planet. They believe that the concept might actually help us deal with global issues such as climate change, or even help us discover extraterrestrial life.
The researchers point to evidence that underground networks of fungi can communicate to suggest that large-scale networks of life could form a vast invisible intelligence that profoundly alters the condition of the entire planet.
One of the primary species driving that change at the moment, they point out, are humans.
And currently, from the climate to the plastic crisis, we may well be irrevocably changing the environmental balance. We don’t yet have the ability to communally respond in the best interests of the planet.
One of the primary species driving that change at the moment, they point out, are humans.