Tea bags and buried underwear assist scientists in evaluating soil.

Although it may seem strange, Swiss residents are burying cotton underwear
and tea bags in their gardens, yards, and fields to assist researchers in
assessing the Alpine country’s soil condition.

“Proof By Underpants,” a collaborative project between the University of
Zurich and the Swiss federal research institute Agroscope, enlists the help
of private gardeners, farmers, and other interested individuals who bury
cotton underpants throughout Switzerland, dig them up after two months, and
take pictures of what is left.

“The soil is healthier, and the soil life is more active the more
deteriorated the underwear is,”