More than 1,000 volunteers in Switzerland bury cotton underwear/underpants in different locations as part of a citizen-science project led by researchers. After the fabric is left in the ground for a set period, the rate at which it disappears is used as an indicator of how active biological processes are in the soil.
Outlets report that the underlying idea is that faster decomposition corresponds to stronger biological activity from organisms living in the soil. ScienceDaily and Times of India both say that private gardens show the fastest decomposition rates, while lawns show the least, suggesting that land management practices influence soil life. The Times of India coverage also emphasizes the international and public-participation aspect, describing citizen scientists from multiple countries and framing the work as a way to make soil testing more accessible. Across sources, the differences mainly concern how much context is given about the project’s citizen-science reach, while the core method and main soil-location contrast remain the same.
