In Utah, lives a 106-acre stand of Quaking Aspen trees that are all genetically identical because they are all growing from the same massive root system. It’s Pando, the most massive, and almost certainly oldest (by far) organism on Earth.
# Stuff You Should Know Episode Summary
Join Josh and Chuck as they explore Pando, one of Earth's most extraordinary organisms—a massive interconnected aspen forest in Utah that may be tens of thousands of years old and weighs over 6,000 tons. The episode dives into how these unique trees reproduce through underground root systems, creating genetically identical clones, and explains the fascinating ecological relationship between aspens and wildfires that keeps them thriving. But there's a troubling twist: despite being potentially the largest living organism on the planet, Pando is mysteriously dying, and the guys investigate the surprising culprits behind its decline, from human development to an unexpected ecological imbalance caused by long-ago decisions to eliminate predators from the landscape.
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