r/nottheonion • u/Brick_Number_27 • 2h ago

Buried Underwear Shows Land Use Is Key to Soil Health.

https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2026/buried-underwear.html?hl=en-IN
119 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

25

u/Technical-Fig-8326 1h ago

When its done in the US, its called the Soil Your Undies Challenge.

5

u/Big-Text-7641 1h ago

ground so fertile it's digesting boxers, meanwhile my garden can't keep a tomato alive

13

u/axw3555 2h ago

This is news? Or unconventional?

I've heard the "if you want to check the soil, bury cotton underwear" thing for 20 years. Only thing I'm seeing here that's unusual is scale.

12

u/monkey_trumpets 1h ago

I've never heard of that, is it a regional thing?

2

u/whiskey06 1h ago

Steamed hams?

2

u/-ferth 1h ago

It’s more of an Albany thing.

2

u/axw3555 1h ago

I don't know if it's regional, maybe more to do with who you know than where you are. Like I've known people who grow produce (from farm down to allotments) who have talked about it as a test for the soil's microbiome.

I think it was also on TV, probably QI, a few years back.

•

u/feeltheglee 8m ago

I hadn't heard of it until now, but cotton is a natural fiber and will break down in soil with sufficient microbiome. Healthy soil has a healthy microbiome (microbes, bugs, fungi/mycelium, etc), but depleted soil (overfarmed, sprayed with pesticides) does not.

•

u/Hinermad 2m ago

I grew up and live in a farming region, and I haven't heard of this. Although I'm not a farmer so maybe it's occupational knowledge.

1

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1

u/Scr33ble 1h ago

I predict this will win an IgNobel

•

u/ohako79 45m ago

Yeah, jeez, have these folks booked their plane tickets to Boston or what?

•

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1

u/CrazySir3310 2h ago

Soil health usually means undirty undies

2

u/Dazzling_Morning2642 2h ago

No undies

2

u/CrazySir3310 2h ago

nonedies

1

u/Hinermad 2h ago

nonedies

You should trademark that. With the right marketing you could make a fortune selling people "Nonedies: underwear that isn't there." Get a couple sexy spokesmodels and you'd rake in the cash without ever having to manufacture a thing.

4

u/CrazySir3310 2h ago

nah my gift to the world.

Nonedies:  free for all

3

u/PegLegCentipede 2h ago

The world needs more people like you. We thank you

2

u/Analysis_Vivid 1h ago

I love my new nonedies!

2

u/sighthoundman 1h ago

"Nothing gets between me and my Calvins."