AI Summary
5 min readIn 2019, researchers in Australia lowered a trap—a can filled with organic matter on a string—down a deep mining borehole. When they pulled it up, they found a creature that had never been seen before: a pale, blind, vermicelli-shaped millipede with over 1,200 legs. It was the first true millipede ever discovered, meaning it actually had more than a thousand legs. They named it Eumilipes persephone, after the Greek goddess of the underworld. This discovery, made by a scientist named Bruno Bazzato, is a vivid reminder of how little we know about what lives beneath our feet.
What soil actually is
Most people think of soil as the dark, crumbly stuff in a garden bed. But according to Dr. Frank Ashwood, a lecturer in ecology and entomology at Lincoln University New Zealand, that picture is incomplete. True soil is a combination of mineral components—sand, silt, and clay from eroded rocks—plus water, air, and, crucially, organic matter and life. Without the decomposing plant material and the organisms that break it down, you just have eroded rock. Soil as we know it began to form around 400 million years ago, when plants first colonized land, evolved roots, and started accumulating organic matter. That unlocked nutrients from the rock and allowed a vast ecosystem to evolve. Today, about 60 percent of all the world's biodiversity lives in soil.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (03:57) **What Soil Actually Is** - Frank defines soil as a living system, not just dirt.
- 2 (05:12) **How Soil First Formed on Earth** - The origin story of soil, beginning around 400 million years ago.
- 3 (06:03) **The Litter Layer: The Soil's Food Source** - The topmost, visible layer of decomposing plant material.
- 4 (07:04) **The Soil Food Web** - Explains how organisms interact and why complexity matters.
- 5 (09:56) **What is Humus?** - Defines the stable, slow-cycling organic matter in soil.
- 6 (11:20) **Topsoil vs. Subsoil** - How to tell these two major layers apart.
- 7 (12:53) **Bizarre Creatures of the Deep: Tardigrades** - How life adapts to the harsh, lightless subsoil.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Though we’re often not aware of it, the ground beneath our feet is teeming with an abundance of life and activity – from the complex networks of fungi and tangled roots put down deep into the Earth by the plants that live on its surface to the staggering variety of organisms that make their homes in the damp and darkness of the soil. This vast, fascinating ecosystem is vital for the health of the planet but remains largely unstudied.
In this episode we’re joined by Dr Frank Ashwood, a lecturer in ecology and entomology at Lincoln University, New Zealand, to talk about his latest book, The World Beneath Our Feet – The Hidden Life of Soil and Why it Matters to us All.
He tells us how more than half of the planet’s biodiversity is found living within soil, how the animals that live underground have inspired innovations in medicine and technology and how we may be able to use our knowledge of soil biology on Earth to help us in our quest to establish colonies on other planets.
Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Receive an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website).
https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30
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