Why 1000 citizen scientists from 25 countries across buried their cotton underpants
Researchers in Switzerland conducted a citizen science project where participants buried cotton underpants to measure soil health and decomposition rates. The study found that private gardens showed the highest biological activity compared to lawns and farmland.
Why it matters
This unconventional method provides a simple, scalable way to monitor soil fertility and biodiversity, highlighting the importance of soil health in environmental conservation.
What happens when you bury a pair of cotton underpants in the ground and come back two months later? For nearly 1,000 citizen scientists in Switzerland, the answer offered an unusual window into the hidden world beneath their feet. In a large citizen science project, participants buried more than 2,000 pairs of cotton underpants and 12,000 tea bags at sites across Switzerland. The goal was not a prank. Researchers wanted to see whether the speed at which the cotton broke down could reveal how active the soil's living community was.The results, published on August 26 in New Phytologist Foundation, suggest that a simple pair of cotton underpants can provide useful clues about soil decomposition and fertility — while also helping people pay more attention to one of Earth's most important and often overlooked resources.The more the underpants disappeared, the more active the soil wasSoil is filled with bacteria, fungi and…
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