If you hear “soil,” you probably think of dirt. Something you wash off your shoes, not something worth talking about.

But a single teaspoon of healthy soil contains more living organisms than there are people on Earth — bacteria, fungi, earthworms and countless others, all working just below our feet.

So why do we treat it like it’s dead?

Healthy soil isn’t just dirt. It’s a living ecosystem, and one that’s central to food security, ecosystem restoration, climate action and biodiversity. It filters and purifies the water we drink, grows the food we eat, and makes landscapes more resilient to climate shocks. Degraded soil can’t do any of that.

So what does it take to restore it? And why does soil health matter so much more than we give it credit for?

Watch the latest episode of Wait, what?!to find out.