February 16, 2026
An evolutionary biologist named Toby Kiers has won the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, recognising her contributions towards understanding fungi. Kiers has studied the relationship and exchanges between plants and fungi and highlighted fungi’s role in absorbing carbon. Her research also underscored the role of fungi in the movement of phosphorous from places rich in phosphorous to places that lack phosphorous. She is the co-founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), which promotes fungi conservation. Together with her colleagues, Kiers produced a map of the underground mycorrhizal fungi networks around the world. Her efforts have brought attention to these small but valuable organisms.
Image Source: wikipedia.org
