Soils for Science FAQs

With the majority of microbial pathogens already antibiotic resistant we need to take immediate action. Failure to act promptly risks further deterioration in our ability to combat infectious disease.  

Soils are a habitat for millions of species of microbes, each producing specialised chemicals that have evolved over billions of years to help each species defend and compete against other species. The study of soil microbes and their chemistry can inspire the development of new antibiotics. Indeed, this is how the majority of modern antibiotics were discovered some 50+ years ago!

Researchers at The University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Bioscience have the skills and expertise, and are committed to discovering new and improved antibiotics. As this is a huge undertaking that needs to deliver in short timelines, we have taken the unprecedented step of reaching out through Soils for Science to partner with the public. Our view is that we stand a better chance of succeeding if we work together.

Soils for Science invites the public to collect and send backyard soil samples to the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, UQ, where researchers will study and learn how soil microbes use chemistry to compete with each other. Knowledge gained will inspire the development of new and improved antibiotics.

If you are 18 years or older you can request a free soil sampling kit, and download and register in the Soils for Science APP (Apple or Android). Once you receive the kit, follow the instructions to collect, photograph and register soil samples in the APP, taking care to accurately enter the code on each sample bag. Use the pre-paid postage pouch to return the samples to UQ. In due course, high resolution images of the microbes living in your soil will be uploaded to the Soils for Science gallery (please bear with us as this is a slow process and we have a very large number of soil samples to get through).

There are three soil sample kit sizes, all containing a sampling trowel, instruction card and return pre-paid postage pouch, but with differing numbers of soil sample bags – small (5 bags), medium (10 bags) and large (20 bags). For organisations that join as Soils for Science partners we negotiate purpose-built kits with much larger numbers of soil sample bags.

Yes. For organisations that have the ability to collect large numbers of soil samples and/or would like to use the Soils for Science concept to advance STEM training and awareness, we are delighted to offer the option to become an Soils for Science partner. To have discussions about becoming a partner please contact us at soilsforscience@uq.edu.au.

Due to high levels of public interest, from time to time we experience delays in preparing and shipping kits. Please bear with us and we will get to everyone as soon as we can.

Yes, we encourage all the family to participate in Soils for Science. The 18+ years age limitation only applies to requesting a soil sampling kit and registering soil samples in the Soils for Science APP.

No. While it is true that the majority of Soils for Science citizen scientists are based in Queensland, the Soils for Science initiative is open to all Australians. Check out the Soils for Science APP to see the map of soil samples collected near you.

This is a good question, and there are several important reasons:

First, by registering a soil you record the sample code against your profile, which you can later use to look up the high-resolution images of the microbes living in your soil (as displayed in the Soils for Science gallery).

Second, the registration process allows us to most effectively gather data about the collection location for each soil sample.

Third, uploading a photo of the soil clearly displaying the sample code confirms it is a valid sample.

Finally, by registering the soil you confirm, you have the authority to collect and to freely gift the sample to UQ.

Importantly, UQ can only perform research on samples properly registered in the Soils for Science APP. Those we receive that are not registered are (sadly) discarded.

Yes. The Soils for Science APP adheres to European Union requirements for data and privacy protection, which are even more secure than Australian requirements. It also has to comply with social media standards and privacy considerations mandated by Apple. Your personal details entered into the Soils for Science  APP will not be shared with third parties, so you don't need to worry about getting spam emails.

No! The half a cup of soil that you provide per soil sample is more than enough for us to embark on decades of research. Rest assured we have no interest in mining your backyard. The make-up of the soil is something we can replicate and we do not need further samples.

This is not a problem. For those who can't use the Soils for Science APP on a mobile device we have provided a Soils for Science APP web interface, that can be used on any internet-enabled computer.

No. Remarkably, the diversity of soil microbes is almost limitless, such that the microbes living in two soil samples collected only 5-10 m apart can be quite different. This means that the soil microbes in your backyard are likely very different to those of your neighbour's yard.

You should only collect soils on land you own, or with the permission of the owner.

Use the supplied trowel to scrape away the top few cm of soil and dig down 5-10 cm to collect ~half a cup (60-80 g). Avoid touching the soil with your fingers when adding it to the soil sample bag. Try to avoid sampling plant material such as roots, leaves etc.... Same goes for worms, beetles and other creepy critters. Individual soil samples should be spaced 5-10m apart, further if your backyard permits, and in different soil types. While damp soil is fine please avoid sampling very wet soils (they don't store so well).

Yes! The Soils for Science APP allows you to scan across the map of Australia, zooming in and out to see the many hundreds of sampling locations and many thousands of registered soil samples. Check out your neighbourhood and encourage your neighbours, family, friends and work colleagues to fill in gaps in the Soils for Science sampling map.

We add about a tablespoon of soil to sterile water, and use this to inoculate several isolation plates (petri dishes containing different culture media - not all microbes like the same food). These isolation plates are then incubated for 2-3 weeks, allowing time for the different types of microbe to grow into visible colonies. The end result resembles a battlefield of competing microbes, jostling for space and dominance. We then take a high-resolution photograph (for the Soils for Science gallery) and use a sterile probe to carefully sample each of ~5-20 separate pure microbial colonies per isolation plate. These are then individually re-cultured on a new set of petri dishes, after which we take another set of high resolution photographs (for the gallery). Finally, we harvest the microbe cells from each pure culture petri dish and cryopreserve them at -80°C. Once cryopreserved, each microbe is effectively immortal as we can take a sample from the freezer at any time, apply it to a fresh petri dish, and regrow the microbe in order to study its chemistry. This is why we don't need to mine your backyard! The science needed to advance a microbe to a new antibiotic is at a level beyond the scope of this short answer – suffice to say it’s where UQ researchers excel.

The Soils for Science gallery contains high resolution images of microbe isolation plates and pure culture plates, all coded to the source soil sample. For example, if you search "S4S-00012" in the Soils for Science gallery you will see all the images that arose from the processing of soil sample "S4S-00012". The gallery provides tools to zoom in and closely examine images – some of which are highly informative, while many are just intriguing and beautiful.

If your soil sample was registered in the Soils for Science APP we will eventually process it in the lab, and upload the isolation and pure microbe plate images into the Soils for Science gallery. You can find selected images by simply searching your soil sample code. As it will take us many months (even years) to get around to all soil samples, we will flag a few of our favourites each month within the gallery. They may not be yours, but they will be interesting all the same.

Yes, please do! The Soils for Science gallery gives you the option to share images/links on several social media platforms.

Our soil sample codes allow for 99,999 soil samples – after three months we are already at 5,200 and are adding ~2,200/month.

This is a tricky question, but the answer is about 20-50 x the number of soil samples. So for every 10,000 soil samples we will likely recover 200,000 to 500,000 pure microbes. This is very ambitious and to achieve this goal we will almost certainly need to install automated robotics.

We are grateful to very generous philanthropic benefactors, and to The University of Queensland, and the Institute for Molecular Bioscience.

Soils for Science has been established as an ongoing initiative, and we anticipate it will continue to engage with the public and build a legacy asset for UQ researchers that will have value for many decades to come.

Yes. Donations can be made through the dedicated UQ Soils for Science donation site. If you would like to sponsor a research student, the purchase of a critical item of equipment (i.e. robotics), or discuss other ways in which you can support Soils for Science, please contact us directly at soilsforscience@uq.edu.au