Is soil actually alive? | with Frank Ashwood
Soil is home to an estimated 59% of Earth’s species, and most of us never give it a thought. Soil ecologist and photographer Frank Ashwood takes us layer by layer through the living world beneath our feet.From leaf litter to deep subsoil, meet the creatures that keep our planet running: springtails that launch faster than a blink, slime moulds that recreated Tokyo’s rail network, armoured mites that have gone without males for around 100 million years, and tardigrades that might now be on the Moon. Along the way, Frank busts earthworm myths, explains how European earthworms are invading North America, and shows how soil life is inspiring new materials and robots.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction: meet “Dr Worm”
1:38 What is soil actually made of?
3:27 Earth’s biggest biodiversity reserve
7:36 The layers of soil explained
9:26 Springtails and their self-cleaning skin
15:43 Hitchhiking mites and pseudoscorpions
18:50 Slime moulds and the Tokyo rail network
21:48 The humus layer: armoured mites and woodlice
30:21 Topsoil: earthworm myths busted
35:47 Earthworms invading North America
38:56 Nematodes: Earth’s most abundant animals
42:47 Subsoil survivors: rotifers and tardigrades
51:20 Protecting soil, and listening to an earthworm
55:28 How to help soil life in your garden
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About Frank Ashwood
Frank Ashwood is a soil ecologist and macrophotographer, specialising in soil invertebrates. He is a Lecturer of Ecology and Entomology at Lincoln University in New Zealand, and received his PhD from University of Lancashire in 2016. Frank has previously worked as a scientist for the British Government’s Forestry Commission, and is a member of the Royal Society of Biology. Frank has appeared on the BBC Earth Podcast, BBC Breakfast, ABC Landline, and his photography has been featured in the Guardian and the New York Times, and has been exhibited internationally, including as part of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
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Frank’s book, The World Beneath Our Feet: https://geni.us/C6wvk6l
This was filmed at the Royal Institution on the 7th of September 2026.
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#soil #biodiversity #RoyalInstitution
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