Soil microbes are the unsung engineers of our planet, weaving the fabric of life with every breath and every step. Our future depends on their survival, and their fate is, in many ways, in our hands.

It's easy to overlook the soil beneath our feet, or to think of it as just dirt to be cleaned up. But soil wraps the world in an envelope of life: It grows our food, regulates our climate, and ...

Although dirt doesn’t seem to be particularly interesting on the surface — we often picture a lifeless, unremarkable substance beneath our feet — it’s actually a dynamic ecosystem teeming with ...

Mr. Jabr is the author of “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life.” When my partner and I bought our home in Portland, Ore., four years ago, we immediately began designing our dream ...

Scientists in Italy have discovered bacteria that can break down PFAS "forever chemicals," offering new hope for cleaning up ...

Soil. Dirt. Earth. It seems like pretty simple stuff. We stick a seed in the ground, and up pops a zinnia or a pumpkin. We dig a hole to plant a tree or a bigger hole to pour a foundation for a house.

Wave-like landforms on Mars provide clues about the planet’s icy history, its potential to support life, and the behavior of ...

The Encounters 12th International Documentary Festival is running in South Africa from 12 to 29 August 2010. A highlight on the programme is the green documentary called Dirt! The Movie - an ...

Soil, dirt, earth—whatever you want to call it, most of us don’t give much thought to the stuff that lies underfoot. Which is a big mistake, according to Soil: The World at Our Feet, an ...

Dirt is not an ecosystem and doesn’t contain nutrients or minerals. Soil has four key functions: as a medium for plant growth; as a means of water storage; as a modifier of Earth’s atmosphere ...