What 2000 Buried Underpants Revealed About Where Soil Is Most Alive

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After being buried in the ground for two months and broken down by soil organisms, a new pair of cotton underwear (left) shows clear signs of decomposition (right). (Credit: Nicolas Zonvi) Private gardens had the highest soil biological activity of any land type studied, while lawns had the lowest. A shredded pair means the soil below is alive and working. The amount of each pair eaten away by soil organisms measured how biologically active and fertile that soil was.

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