Climate envoy visits AMOLF to learn how fungal networks contribute to CO2 drawdown and storage underground

On January 8th, a delegation led by the Netherlands’ Climate Envoy, Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, visited the AMOLF lab of Tom Shimizu. Researchers in Tom’s group are developing new robotic imaging technologies to study fungal networks. Over the past few years, Tom and his collaborator Toby Kiers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and The Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) have made significant progress in understanding how these networks function.

Climate envoy Jaime de Bourbon de Parme with his delegation, together with AMOLF/VU researchers.

Protecting underground fungal networks is one of the measures we can take to help control CO2 levels in the atmosphere. These microbes interact with plant roots underground to form an extensive network of nutrient exchange and transport. A key part of this underground system involves transferring carbon from plant roots into the soil through fungal networks. Healthy fungal networks can play a critical role in controlling rising CO2 levels, as the carbon they transport into the soil remains there longer compared to other sources, such as decomposed leaves.

When asked for a first impression, Jaime de Bourbon de Parme expressed excitement that researchers in the Netherlands are playing a world-leading role in pioneering this new field of climate-relevant research. Upon live demonstrations of fungal nutrient flows in the AMOLF lab, he also expressed surprise at the complexity of fungal behaviors. “I didn’t realize how complex and dynamic these underground organisms are. It’s an unknown world with big implications for global climate.”

To get a sense of how nutrients are transported in fungal networks, click on this video with real-time footage of carbon flows in fungi, acquired on microscopy set-ups in the AMOLF lab:

More information about this research group?

[button type=”readmore” url=”https://amolf.nl/research-groups/physics-of-behavior/”]Visit the Physics of Behavior Research Group page[/button]

What's happening

Most recent news items

All news items

Research highlights

Natural phenomena ‘hyperuniform disorder’ enables highly efficient, thin silicon solar cells

Silicon solar panels are rigid and heavy, and many rooftops cannot support them. This creates a need for thin, flexible solar cells that can be integrated into building materials. However, making silicon solar cells thinner makes it harder to trap light inside the material. Researchers in the 3D Photovoltaics group found a fascinating way to overcome this challenge using a phenomenon called hyperuniform disorder. They publish their findings in the journal ACS Photonics.

The researchers were able to make highly efficient silicon solar cell materials that are 30 times thinner than conventional ones. They managed to do this by integrating a layer of nanometer sized structures on top of the material. Up close, this pattern looks random, but it is remarkably when you step back: no clumps, no gaps, and no repeating pattern. This is called hyperuniform disorder (or HUD).

Read news item

People and recognition

Off Road grant for a better understanding of intestinal cells that communicate with the immune system

AMOLF postdoc Dr. Susanna Eli received an Off Road grant from ZonMw to investigate cells known as M cells in the gut lining that connect the intestine to the immune system. Understanding how M cells develop could ultimately contribute to better treatments for intestinal and immune-related diseases. The grant amounts to 100,000 euros.

Read news item

Events and outreach

Science for all ages at Wetenschapsdag 2026

Each year during the national Weekend of Science, AMOLF opens its doors to visitors of all ages to share our enthusiasm for science. AMOLF organizes Wetenschapsdag together with four other research organizations at Amsterdam Science Park: ARCNL, Nikhef, CWI, and University of Amsterdam.

Read news item

About AMOLF

Annual AMOLF Diversity Day focuses on Impostor Phenomenon

Once a year, the AMOLF Inclusion and Diversity team organizes Diversity Day for all AMOLF employees. On October 1, this year’s event took place with the theme Beyond Impostor Phenomenon – More Than Just Luck.

Read news item