That’s right, transparent soil.  Scientists have developed a see-through soil for use in in situ 3D imaging of living plants and root-associated microorganisms.  The clear soil is already being used to study food-bourne human pathogens on fresh produce, and could prove useful in studying root development, root-microbe interactions, nutrient uptake in plants, and the spread of crop diseases, among many other fields of study.

The complete study is available free online at: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0044276  and also available for download in Adobe PDF format here: Transparent Soil for Imaging the Rhizosphere