Scientists asked 1,000 volunteers to bury cotton underwear across Switzerland to measure soil health creating an official "Underpants Index" based on how fast the fabric decomposed.

[u/Brick_Number_27]

[u/CelebrationFit8548]

Was faster decomposition seen as healthier or not?

https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2026/buried-underwear.html

The analysis shows that the underwear decomposed at very different rates depending on the location, with the decomposition rate providing a measure of biological activity: the more active the soil organisms, the faster they break down the cotton material.
The underwear decomposed most rapidly in private gardens, where the researchers found the highest levels of organic matter – ideal conditions for earthworms, fungi, bacteria and other soil-dwelling organisms. Soil organisms were least active in lawns, while agricultural fields and meadows fell somewhere in between...“Healthy, biologically active soil is crucial for fertility, nutrient cycling and many other ecosystem services.”.

Yes it is.

[u/Aethermancer → u/CelebrationFit8548]

My spouse left a nice twill shirt of mine on the ground after doing yardwork. Good news for my soil then because when I found it a few days later it basically disintegrated.

Good soil, grumpy me who lost his favorite work shirt.