The article discusses the persistence of soil organic matter (SOM) as an ecosystem property, highlighting recent advances in understanding its stability and dynamics. It emphasizes that molecular structure alone does not control SOM stability; environmental and biological factors play a more significant role. The authors propose new approaches for experimental designs and soil carbon models to better predict SOM responses to global warming. They outline eight key insights into soil carbon cycling, including the importance of root-derived carbon, the influence of soil microorganisms, and the vulnerability of deep soil carbon to degradation. The article also addresses the implications of these insights for land management, climate change prediction, and the development of phyto-engineering and biochar strategies. It calls for interdisciplinary research and the integration of new analytical techniques to advance our understanding of SOM dynamics and improve predictions of soil responses to environmental changes.The article discusses the persistence of soil organic matter (SOM) as an ecosystem property, highlighting recent advances in understanding its stability and dynamics. It emphasizes that molecular structure alone does not control SOM stability; environmental and biological factors play a more significant role. The authors propose new approaches for experimental designs and soil carbon models to better predict SOM responses to global warming. They outline eight key insights into soil carbon cycling, including the importance of root-derived carbon, the influence of soil microorganisms, and the vulnerability of deep soil carbon to degradation. The article also addresses the implications of these insights for land management, climate change prediction, and the development of phyto-engineering and biochar strategies. It calls for interdisciplinary research and the integration of new analytical techniques to advance our understanding of SOM dynamics and improve predictions of soil responses to environmental changes.