(The Symbiosis Tellus) Communicating Science through Comics

Life on Earth is sustained by symbiotic interactions, beginning about 460 million years ago. In parallel, we are living some of the most rapid changes in both nature and climate changes in the world’s history. These nature/climate events are intimately related with human activities; it is particularly urgent to convey the biologic basics of the beneficial symbiosis that link individuals for multi-species networks in ecosystems, and for human wellbeing. This article documents reflections, motivations and strategies associated to the creative process of producing a comic book devoted to the beneficial symbiosis between terrestrial plants and soil fungi and its importance in the context of new healthy-sustainable paradigms. We aim to explore how interdisciplinary between the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave and Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra have led to new dynamics and understandings of a challenging visual communication issue; and also how the mutual work between scientists- writers and illustrator can result in comics as a catalyst for knowledge and awareness