00:00Life on Earth. That includes birds in the sky, animals moving across the savanna, even us living in cities and going about our lives.
00:11However, according to a new report published in the journal PNAS, most of the life that lives on this planet lives underneath the surface.
00:18The report estimates that some 59% of all life on the planet lives underground, which they say makes the soil the quote, singular most biodiverse habitat on Earth.
00:28That's namely due to the fact that 88% of bacteria, 85% of plants, and 90% of fungi, as well as large portions of other creatures like viruses, live in the dirt.
00:38But 4% of mammal species do as well.
00:41And while there's still a ton we don't know about the soil and its impacts on life globally, the researchers say this is yet another indicator of just how important the habitat is.
00:49Telling The Guardian in a recent interview, quote, organisms in soil play an outweighed impact on the balance of our planet.
00:55Their biodiversity matters because soil life affects climate change feedback, global food security, and even human health.
01:02Which is why the researchers are now calling for more conservation efforts with regards to literally preserving our planet's dirt.
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