Dutch Scientist Wins Ig Nobel Prize for Burying Thousands of Underwear to Test Soil Health

A Dutch scientist has won an Ig Nobel Prize for a study that involved burying thousands of cotton underwear across Switzerland to measure soil health. Professor Marcel van der Heijden of the University of Zurich and three colleagues recruited over 2,000 volunteers to bury white cotton briefs in their gardens and fields. Two months later, the volunteers dug them up, photographed the remains, and sent soil samples to the lab.

The concept was simple: healthy soil teems with microorganisms that break down organic matter. The more the underwear decomposed, the more biologically active the soil. Results confirmed that soil management practices directly affect soil life and quality, which in turn influences fertility and ecosystem health.

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor research that makes people laugh, then think. This year's ceremony was held in Zurich for the first time in 35 years, moving from the US due to concerns over American immigration policy. Next year's ceremony will be in Antwerp. Dutch researchers have won 22 Ig Nobels since the awards began in 1991, including last year's prize for discovering that German students speak better Dutch after a drink.