The study linked soil types to land use changes from 850 to 2015 to better understand how human activities impact global water, energy, and biogeochemical cycles. By analyzing soil preferences for different land uses, researchers found that humans tend to prefer certain soil types over others. Good soils are increasingly used for croplands, while poor soils are more commonly used for grazing land and nonforests. This information helps improve Earth system models by providing more accurate land surface characteristics.