What’s the word for the smell of rain? It’s petrichor. For years, scientists referred to this evidence of rain as argillaceous odor because it was particularly noticeable near soil with a lot of whitish clay called argil. Then, in the early 1960s...
ecoball n.— «Dangerous toxins are leaching into the soil—perhaps the water supply as well—from piles of rubbish which have littered the area for years. The waste is compacted into what are euphemistically called “ecoballs.” Small mountains of these...
photodegrade v.—Gloss: (of plastics and polymers) to breakdown when exposed to sunlight. Note: A more technical definition of photodegradation is here. «Plastic bags don’t biodegrade. They only break down into tiny toxic little bits that pollute...
dirt drug n.— «Take the remarkable anti-cancer properties found in soil bacteria. It’s helping bone cancer patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. In fact, the “dirt drug,” as it’s been coined, is teamed with a more conventional...
rock flour n.— «The production of rock flour is another venture under the auspices of Minerals for Agriculture. When companies mine basic rock for aggregates, the fines from this process, called rock flour, can be used to remineralise the soil...
swampbuster n.— «Added to the “sodbuster” penalties were new “swampbuster” provisions applying the same sanctions to farmers who drain wetlands to plant crops.» —“Dairy, Soil Plans OK’d; Grain Policies Debated” Omaha World-Herald July 10, 1985...