Your microbes live on after you die − a microbiologist explains how your necrobiome recycles your body to nourish new life

With the help of the microbes that once played an essential role in keeping you alive, the building blocks of your body go on to become a part of other living things.

Jennifer DeBruyn, Professor of Environmental Microbiology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Sept. 28, 2023 • ~8 min

More than half of life on Earth is found in soil – here's why that's important

With more than one species for every person on the planet, soils are the most diverse habitat on Earth.

John Quinton, Professor of Soil Science, Lancaster University • conversation
Aug. 16, 2023 • ~7 min

Do trees really stay in touch via a 'wood-wide web'? Here's what the evidence says

A new study looked at the many claims made about soil fungi and found some misconceptions.

Emily Magkourilou, PhD Candidate in Soil Ecology, University of Sheffield • conversation
Feb. 13, 2023 • ~8 min

Environment plan for England asks farmers to restore nature – but changes are likely to be superficial

Tinkering around the margins of English farms won’t benefit biodiversity, research suggests.

Elise Wach, Research Advisor, Institute of Development Studies • conversation
Feb. 3, 2023 • ~8 min

Sandcastle engineering – a geotechnical engineer explains how water, air and sand create solid structures

From capillary forces to sand grain shape, the simple mix of sand and water hides the of complexity within.

Joseph Scalia, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University • conversation
Aug. 19, 2022 • ~8 min

Drought: five ways to stop heavy rains washing away parched soil

Storms and flash floods often follow a heatwave.

Dan Evans, 75th Anniversary Research Fellow, Soil and Agrifood Institute, Cranfield University • conversation
Aug. 16, 2022 • ~7 min

Farmers can save water with wireless technologies, but there are challenges – like transmitting data through mud

The Agricultural Internet of Things is making farming more efficient. An information technology expert describes some of the challenges of working with sensors and antennas underground.

Abdul Salam, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Technology, Purdue University • conversation
Aug. 11, 2022 • ~8 min

Plastic pollution: European farmland could be largest global reservoir of microplastics

Up to 42,000 tonnes a year of microplastics are removed from sewage, spread on fields as fertiliser and eventually wash back into watercourses.

Valentine Muhawenimana, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Environmental Engineering, Cardiff University • conversation
May 23, 2022 • ~6 min

Growing plant trade may spread invasive species – but help ecosystems adapt to climate change

Potting soils are helping plant seeds travel. Is it benign or harmful?

Péter Török, Professor of Plant Ecology and Restoration Ecology, University of Debrecen • conversation
May 19, 2022 • ~6 min

Farm vehicles now weigh almost as much as heaviest dinosaurs – here’s why that’s a problem

Whether a combine harvester or a Diplodocus is the cause, compacted soils are a big problem.

John Quinton, Professor of Soil Science, Lancaster University • conversation
May 16, 2022 • ~6 min

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