Researchers at CU Boulder in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Environmental Science along with other co-authors published in last month's volume of the journal Advanced Science. The an article discussed their recent work on creating a biodegradable soil sensor. The lead author, was Dr. Madhur Atreya, a postdoc at CU, and was joined by Professors Greg Whiting (Mechanical Engineering) and Jason Neff (Environmental Studies), and other co-authors.
The sensor is able to track "soil health by tracking it's own decomposition in real time" and can huge implications for how farmers are able to track and manage their soil health which can aid in reducing fertilizer application and GHG emissions in agriculture.
Check out a summary of the article here, or the full open access article in Advanced Science here.