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LAST QUARTER MOON - May 11-17

The first half of this week will be spent in a bubble of reflection and waiting, with some possible economic concerns. The next steps at work may appear uncertain and cloudy, though everything starts again quickly from the middle of the week — at the urging of Mars, in favor again. In love, a spiteful Venus could lead to nervousness or small tremors for couples who have recently moved in together.


Finally a week that brings back your good mood, soothing the economic anxiety that has, for some time now, darkened your thoughts. A proposal or beginning of negotiations can bring new revenue by the end of spring. It's sunny in love too — those in the early stages of relationships can resume more exciting dialogue after a period of apart or a time of uncertainties. The "new" Venus makes you want to "create a home" together.


This will be a lively week, after a period in which fatigue was at an all-time high! Mercury and Mars will be in your sign from mid-week: the perfect blend of intelligence and initiative. And, thanks to the beneficial transits of Venus from the second house, it's also a time to start afresh. In love, you are right to ask for more, especially if this is the beginning of a new relationship. Do not settle — make them understand from the start. Most importantly: Stay away from indecisive exes who reappear only to disappear again.


All of these planets in the Twelfth House make you feel like you're watching life through clouded glass. At times, you have been unable to actively intervene; sometimes you don't really understand certain dynamics at play around you. The arrival of Venus in your sign restores a harmonious balance. Dialogue will be relaunched, the best way to strip the glass away, bringing you back to the center of your choices.


This is a week with a strong "+" at work. Things start moving at normal speed again; performance anxiety and work concerns calm down. Members and associates begin to be active and efficient, triggering opportunities and enlarging the circle of your friends. Love proceeds in a uniform motion — no great revolutions. You are awaiting the imminent arrival of Venus which will remain in your sign for six months! Then, for those who want it, the fireworks will begin ...


If I were you, I would shake off this anxiety and nervousness now that you are beginning to feel the imminent arrival of Jupiter in your sign! It's time to roll up your sleeves and find some optimism. From the end of the summer you will have very little free time and will be glad to be so busy. The sky will give you an important gift — get ready to receive it.


In Rome there is a beautiful bike path that leaves the city and follows the river for eleven kilometers, alongside green hills with flocks of animals, lakes and beautiful scenery. Then, the track abruptly ends, without even a terminus. This path doesn't lead anywhere, but it's full of beautiful views and great inspiration. In your professional life, commitments are many and perhaps not always aimed in the direction of your goals, but they can train your mind and enrich your experience and insights. Even if it doesn't seem that way, they are part of your path. Treasure them.


This period is an uphill struggle and up to the summer there will be some chattering teeth — but it's OK, smile anyway. Over the course of this week, Mars comes out of the quadrature that has made you more nervous, tense and irritable for the past month. Venus enters a beautiful trine that returns your desire to love — and especially love for yourself. The last ballast of your sky will fall, as if by magic on Monday. At that point, you will have paid every "training" debt and can finally return to flying.


With Mars and Mercury in opposition, there is a slight risk of seeing the glass half empty, not realizing that instead it's half full of wonderful news. Those who have faced a recent change are focusing on the difficulties and uncertainties of new scenarios, rather than on growth opportunities that are offered. Even love floats suspended, especially for lonely hearts. Shortly, Venus' formidable trine will bring a refreshing change and novelty all summer.


The concentration of planets at work makes you efficient and dynamic, always up to date with everything. But you should try to give yourself some time to relax. Learn the precious value of "useless" activites: Treat yourself to a massage, a day off, etc.. You'll find that it's not useless at all — especially because in the middle of the week Venus will enter your opposition and create anxiety for most.


Mars has left the quadrature! It's about time. Have you felt like you were driving with the handbrake on? That the shock absorbers had gone and you dipped into a pot hole? Oscillating between nervousness, aggressiveness and discouragement? Well, it was Mars' fault and those hostilities will stop from Wednesday. Things will reinitiate, flow smoother and less strenuously. This will also benefit the heart, which will open your partner or, for singles, to the surprises that this heaven can offer.


Mercury is causing confusion and making it hard to concentrate, while Mars brings nervousness. There is a risk of making careless mistakes or lighting up over nothing. Fortunately, Venus stops its quadrature and is back in favor, meaning prosperity and harmony for couples after a few weeks of long faces. And there will be some chances of meetings for lonely hearts. These are the last planetary hostilities: From the end of the spring the sky will clear and it will be bright all summer.

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Green

Forest Networks? Revisiting The Science Of Trees And Funghi "Reaching Out"

A compelling story about how forest fungal networks communicate has garnered much public interest. Is any of it true?

Thomas Brail films the roots of a cut tree with his smartphone.

Arborist and conservationist Thomas Brail at a clearcutting near his hometown of Mazamet in the Tarn, France.

Melanie Jones, Jason Hoeksema, & Justine Karst

Over the past few years, a fascinating narrative about forests and fungi has captured the public imagination. It holds that the roots of neighboring trees can be connected by fungal filaments, forming massive underground networks that can span entire forests — a so-called wood-wide web. Through this web, the story goes, trees share carbon, water, and other nutrients, and even send chemical warnings of dangers such as insect attacks. The narrative — recounted in books, podcasts, TV series, documentaries, and news articles — has prompted some experts to rethink not only forest management but the relationships between self-interest and altruism in human society.

But is any of it true?

The three of us have studied forest fungi for our whole careers, and even we were surprised by some of the more extraordinary claims surfacing in the media about the wood-wide web. Thinking we had missed something, we thoroughly reviewed 26 field studies, including several of our own, that looked at the role fungal networks play in resource transfer in forests. What we found shows how easily confirmation bias, unchecked claims, and credulous news reporting can, over time, distort research findings beyond recognition. It should serve as a cautionary tale for scientists and journalists alike.

First, let’s be clear: Fungi do grow inside and on tree roots, forming a symbiosis called a mycorrhiza, or fungus-root. Mycorrhizae are essential for the normal growth of trees. Among other things, the fungi can take up from the soil, and transfer to the tree, nutrients that roots could not otherwise access. In return, fungi receive from the roots sugars they need to grow.

As fungal filaments spread out through forest soil, they will often, at least temporarily, physically connect the roots of two neighboring trees. The resulting system of interconnected tree roots is called a common mycorrhizal network, or CMN.

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