Let's take a moment to appreciate soil.
As the semester draws to a close, I'd like to link back to my first post on why I started this blog. Apart from deep-diving into soil pollution, I also wanted to raise awareness about the world's soil which is an underrated part of our environment and in pollution discourse. Soil offers us a variety of ecosystem services, from ensuring food security, playing a role in the water cycle, preventing erosion and flooding, as well as promoting the flourishing of biodiversity. Another benefit our soils bring us is their integral functioning in the global carbon cycle as mentioned in my last post.
You can also get high on soil. Yes, you read that right. Mycobacterium vacca, a microbe in the soil has been shown to boost "happy hormones" in the human body, namely serotonin and norepinephrine, working in the same manner as antidepressant pills. The drug-like effects of this cool little microbe were discovered serendipitously by a doctor who created a serum out of the bacteria to give to lung cancer patients to test its immune-boosting potential. Instead, she discovered its mood-enhancing effects as patients reported feeling happier and less pain than those without the dose of bacteria.
In a country like Singapore, where we are disconnected or alienated from food growing practices, it is easy to forget about this integral part of our lithosphere. Perhaps those who have "green fingers" who dabble in gardening might appreciate our soils and the life in them, like earthworms and soil bugs. So if you can, get your hands dirty in the soil and reconnect with nature - it might bring a smile and brighten your day!
Media coverage on soil pollution
It is great to see that the soil crises we are facing are slowly entering conversations in the mainstream media and receiving the attention it deserves. For example, I recently saw an interview on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah with Sadhguru, a yoga and spiritual leader about the importance of taking policy action to reverse soil degradation, covering issues on agrochemical soil pollution and the loss of soil microbes.
I like the analogy he drew on soil microbes, that they are as essential to soil and plant health as gut microbes are to human health. I hope more soil scientists, researchers and science communicators come to the forefront of mainstream media to talk about this as well. It is imperative to translate science into policy, technology and legislation. Raising public awareness is a key part of enabling that.
Book recommendation
Over the course of writing this blog, I found some interesting reads about soil. This book covers not only soil pollution, but also soil erosion and degradation:
A World Without Soil
This book is authored by a celebrated biologist, Jo Handelsman. She begins by celebrating soil and its capacities, then draws the complex connections between soil erosion, climate change, food, and water security and drug discovery. Handelsman also outlines indigenous communities practices for sustainable farming, technology and policy solutions to reverse severe unsustainable soil degradation that has proliferated in the past few decades.
Favorite quote from the book: "The methods for building soil health are well known, having been practiced for centuries. Good soil stewardship is possible even in the face of feeding nine billion people. More than possible, it is necessary".
References
Kennedy, P. (2018, May 29). How to Get High on Soil. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/how-to-get-high-on-soil/251935/
Lowry, C.A., J.H. Hollis, A. de Vries, B. Pan, L.R. Brunet, J.R.F. Hunt, J.F.R. Paton, et al. 2007. “Identification of an Immune-Responsive Mesolimbocortical Serotonergic System: Potential Role in Regulation of Emotional Behavior.” Neuroscience 146 (2–5): 756–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.01.067.