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We like the idea here that everything is connected. We advocate a permaculture approach to food where diversity and interdependence are celebrated and where ecology, as the science of connections, is never far away.
The health of some, the health of others, the health of our dear old planet, the health of the soils beneath our feet, and why not the health of our solidarities.
Guest: Marc-André Sélosse
Marc-André Sélosse is a professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and at the universities of Gdansk (Poland) and Kunming (China).
His work focuses on ecology and symbioses, in particular mycorrhizal symbioses that unite soil fungi with roots. He is a mycologist who quotes Bossuet and a botanist who talks about our insides better than anyone.
He has just published “Nature and Prejudices – Inviting Humanity into Natural History” with Actes Sud.
I’ll spare you his many titles; he is editor of four international scientific journals and of the popular science magazine Espèce. He has published more than 210 research articles and 250 popular science articles. He is the author of books for the general public on microbiomes (Never Alone, 2017), tannins (The Tastes and Colors of the World, 2019) and soil (The Origin of the World, 2021).
He is co-author of a graphic novel about the soil with Mathieu Burniat (Sous Terre, 2021, Dargaud).
My questions
- May I ask how you’re doing?
- May I return the question you recently asked in one of your posts: can someone be blind to the world they see?
- How did you become interested in the microbial world, and especially in fungi, that fascinating realm of life?
- A word about the best mushrooms for our health?
- People say microbes make us sick, but aren’t they also responsible for our good health?
- We are holobionts: I believe you don’t like that word very much, but can you explain to us what it means?
- And what about symbiosis?
- How can one take care of their inner community?
- Can we draw a link between the health of our inner landscape and that of the outer landscape (and in particular the soils)?
- Interdisciplinarity is close to your heart — why?
- You published a book titled “Never Alone”; what does that mean?
- Your next book invites humanity into natural history; what does that entail?
- I read that you were vice president of the association “les Cépages Modestes” — can you name a few for us?
- And finally, a recipe and a nutritional tip for listeners?
Resources to learn more
- A video about soils
- Marc-André Sélosse’s latest book: Nature and Prejudices – Inviting Humanity into Natural History, published by Actes Sud
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A podcast presented by Louise Browaeys with Matthieu Brillard handling the technical side.
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