2,000 Pairs of Buried Underwear Helped Measure Soil Health in This Unusual Experiment
Researchers found decomposition varied by land use, with underwear breaking down fastest in private gardens and slowest on lawns.
7 Articles
7 Articles
Soil biota was studied using more than two thousand pairs of underwear in Switzerland. The experiment showed how biological activity changes in gardens and lawns.
Why scientists asked 1,000 people to bury their underwear
More than 1,000 volunteers buried cotton underwear across Switzerland to help scientists measure how active different soils are. The faster the fabric disappeared, the more biological activity was taking place underground. Gardens showed the fastest decomposition, while lawns had the least, revealing how strongly land management can shape soil life.
The condition of underground ecosystems around the world is deteriorating, posing a threat to agriculture and food security. Scientists decided to investigate this process in more detail.
A citizen science project, coordinated by researchers from the University of Zurich and Agroscope, aims to investigate soil biodiversity through an innovative approach: the participation of volunteers who buried cotton underwear in various locations across Switzerland. The initiative, called ‘Proof by Underpants’, seeks to generate data on soil biological activity and raise awareness about the importance of subterranean ecosystems. The ‘Proof by…
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