What forms the landscapes of the Earth with its mountains, rivers, soils, and the places we live in? One view holds that Earth’s surface is shaped when rocks are uplifted by geologic forces, and are then destroyed by rain, ice, and wind that carve landscapes by erosion and weathering. Another view suggests that the green layer of life between rocks below and climate above is the key player. Do plants with their roots, animals that dig into soil and the vast number of microorganisms shape the landscapes? Or do minerals, soil, and water provide the environment for them to live? Or are they both interdependent? Can they together resist the massive climate change imposed by humans today? Watch the scientists of the German-Chilean “EarthShape” project study these questions along a climate gradient in Chile, in the National Parks Pan de Azúcar, La Campana, and Nahuelbuta. Take a tour through fascinating landscapes and see the young scientists study the interactions between geology and biology, from the dry Atacama Desert to dense forests, and in their sophisticated home laboratories. See how feedbacks control Earth’s climate. A science movie designed and produced by Friedhelm von Blanckenburg from GFZ Potsdam, Germany, Kirstin Übernickel from Universität Tübingen, and Wolfgang Dümcke from Filmbüro Potsdam, Germany, within the German National Science Foundation (DFG) funded research network “EarthShape – Earth Surface Shaping by Biota” which is coordinated by Todd Ehlers (Universität Tübingen) and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg (GFZ Potsdam).