Taphonomy aims to understand the preservation of plant and animal remains through the study of the materials in which they are preserved. In the years to come, soils may be viewed as an integral and defining component of taphonomic science. "Soils and Taphonomy" acts as a doorway into a new paradigm for taphonomic sciences, examining the role of soil microbial biomass, invertebrates, fungi in terrestrial decomposition, as well as decomposition of bone and other materials associated with buried cadavers in soil.