Nature and the environment

Close-up photo of a mushroom in an autumn forest surrounded by fallen leaves and trees in the background.

The fungal mind: on the evidence for mushroom intelligence

The evidence for fungal intelligence is in: they can operate as individuals, make decisions, learn, and have short-term memory

by Nicholas P Money

A sunlit forest trail with a person walking on a rocky path surrounded by tall trees.
MEMOIR

Peak solitude

My three decades alone, basking in the company of a mountain

by Susanne Sener

Photo of two people on a rocky hilltop under a vast sky, one pointing. Snow-dusted landscape and clouds in the background.

How to rewild yourself

You didn’t evolve to live in this techno-industrialised world. Find health and happiness by embracing your wild nature

by Jessica Carew Kraft

Black and white photo of a snowy landscape with bare trees and a view through branches.

Trees don’t rush to heal from trauma and neither should we

Trees teach us that healing from trauma involves balancing short-term protection with the slower process of adaptation

by Beronda Montgomery

Photo of a river with gravel banks winding through a red autumn landscape, mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.

What does water want? Most humans seem to have forgotten

Asking what water wants sounds a bit mystical, even radical. But it’s a practical, proven path to creating a better world

by Erica Gies

Photo of a person walking on a log bridge in a dense forest with tall trees and lush green foliage.

Do you find the 21st century overstimulating? Try ‘longstorming’

As the treadmill of life speeds up, sublime outdoor spaces help us tap into timescales that are longer, slower, planetary

by Vincent Ialenti

Photo of a grassy wetland with a cloudy sky, a distant mountain range and a lone red traffic cone in the foreground.
ETHICS

Future generations deserve good ancestors. Will you be one?

The living, the dead and the unborn are all here with us: we must respect their interests and their world as much as our own

by Roman Krznaric

A night scene with a warmly lit cabin in the woods. An elderly person is inside, visible through large glass windows.

From modernist architect, to a life off-grid, a creative life well-lived

Directed by Ryan Malloy

A man in a sleeveless shirt and hat working in a dense, leafy forest or thicket, looking focused on the task at hand.

What Aboriginal people know about the pathways of knowledge

For Aboriginal peoples, knowledge is specific to cultures: what is true and relevant for one might not be so for another

by Stephen Muecke

Photo of two people sitting on a rock by a stream surrounded by greenery, one with an arm around the other.

Rewilding attachment theory by recognising Earth as a caregiver

We are raised by people, but we are also raised by the Earth – here’s what that means for our emotional development

by Vanessa Chakour

Ancient clay tablet with cuneiform script on a black background, likely an artifact from Mesopotamia.

What did the ancient Babylonians discern in the skies above?

Ancient Babylonian astronomers help us see that our view of the world is as much a product of our senses as of our culture

by M Willis Monroe

Photo of a rugged cliff edge with two people in the distance, overlooking a misty landscape under a cloudy sky.

Why awesome natural beauty drops the jaw and lifts the spirit

Experiencing awe in nature can transform our sense of connectedness to other people and help maintain a spiritual vitality

by T Ryan Byerly

Photo of two people on a ledge under an umbrella during dusk overlooking a cityscape and the sea.

You can be a materialist and find meaning in the universe

My hard-nosed materialism led me to an existential crisis, but then I realised the difference between science and scientism

by Jessica Tracy

Photo of a butterfly on purple flowers with orange centres in a garden setting.

Observing nature in your backyard is not dull but radically significant

Instead of ‘helicopter science’, we need Gilbert White’s intimate study of nature to understand global environmental change

by Yadvinder Malhi

Painting of a garden with vibrant flowers and a house in the background under a cloudy sky. A person stands near a fence.

Gardening with Heidegger: from mystery to truth, via the earth

The garden as a source of authority beyond human wisdom – on Martin Heidegger’s philosophy of gardening for truth

by F Bailey Norwood

Photo of two people sitting on a park bench in a lush green setting with a pathway and trees in the background.

There are many reasons why therapy can be more effective outside

It’s important for psychotherapy clients to have a say not only over their type of therapy, but also where it happens

by Sam Cooley