The Thin Layer

In warehouses, bunkers, basements, and skyscrapers, urban hydroponic farms produce food without soil at all; meanwhile, exobiologists are inventing ways to grow food among the stars. In our final episode of “The Thin Layer,” we ask: in these futures, is there still a place for soil? Presented by Dan Crane Written by Ian Steadman & Eli Lee Sound design by Laura Irving Made with the support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Head to How We Get To Next for more information, including show notes and transcripts, as well as details of our other series.

Throughout history, people and communities have built close connections with the land. When we talk about soil — and about trying to “fix” soil —taking action can mean breaking or disrespecting those connections, good intentions or not. Lessons on environmental cooperation from a Marxist revolutionary, the Great Green Wall, and more. Presented by Dan Crane Written by Ian Steadman & Eli Lee Sound design by Laura Irving Made with the support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Head to How We Get To Next for more information, including show notes and transcripts, as well as details of our other series.

Are our lives too clean? Exploring the life that lives in the ground, and two sides of a dirty coin: soil’s role in the biggest pandemic you’ve never heard of, and soil as a source of miraculous medicines. Presented by Dan Crane Written by Ian Steadman & Eli Lee Sound design by Laura Irving Made with the support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Head to How We Get To Next for more information, including show notes and transcripts, as well as details of our other series.

What if you knew how the world was going to end? In this episode, we dive into the story of the Dust Bowl, which decimated 250,000 square miles of land in the United States in the 1930s, and Hugh Bennett, the man who saw it coming and tried to warn people—even when no one wanted to listen. How do we use—and misuse—soil for our own ends? Are we missing the signs that another environmental catastrophe is on the way? Presented by Dan Crane Written by Ian Steadman & Eli Lee Sound design by Laura Irving Made with the support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Head to How We Get To Next for more information, including show notes and transcripts, as well as details of our other series.

Life depends on a thin layer of soil, wrapped around the planet like the skin of an apple. A quarter of all life itself actually lives in soil. We grow our food in it; it is a source of medicines and illness; it filters our water; it provides nutrition for our food. Its importance is incalculable—but it’s easy to miss. From his porch in Los Angeles during wildfire season, Dan Crane explores how local stories of mud and dirt can be part of the global story of life itself. Presented by Dan Crane Written by Ian Steadman Audio design by Laura Irving Head to How We Get To Next for more information, including show notes and transcripts, as well as details of our other series.