Mexico's giant crystal cave got it's name from the stunning 10 meter long crystals that were found inside. The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F) with 90 to 99 percent humidity. Due to these factors, the cave is relatively unexplored. Without proper protection people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time. The cave lies on an ancient fault and there is an underground magma chamber below the cave. The magma heated the ground water and it became saturated with minerals, including large quantities of gypsum. The hollow space of the cave was filled with this mineral rich hot water and remained filled for about 500,000 years. During this time, the temperature of the water remained very stable at over 50°C. This allowed crystals to form and grow to immense sizes.
Bonus Picture: A science team explores the cave.
BBC Docu - How Earth Made Us
October 15, 2011
October 7, 2011
The Earth core
The earth's core is a remarkable place. Tremendous pressure, insane temperatures, liquid metal storms and raging magnetic fields. A recent horizon episode talked about some mysterious phenomena that have recently been cleared up. One of those was the discovery that earthquake waves travel through the earth faster from north to south than from east to west. In the short clip below you can find out why that is the case.
They have also discovered a sort of Bermuda triangle in space but if you want to find out more about that, you will have to watch the full episode. :p
BBC Horizon - The Core (59 minutes HD)
They have also discovered a sort of Bermuda triangle in space but if you want to find out more about that, you will have to watch the full episode. :p
BBC Horizon - The Core (59 minutes HD)
Mathematical beauty
Why are numbers everywhere? Why does math produce patterns? Why does order emerge out of chaos? Why do we live in a rational logical universe?
October 1, 2011
The unseen eye
"When you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Here we see the iris contracting and expanding, regulating the diameter of a gaping black hole, the pupil, and thus controlling the amount of light that enters the eye.
Bonus Pictures: An Extreme close up of the human eye.
Here we see the iris contracting and expanding, regulating the diameter of a gaping black hole, the pupil, and thus controlling the amount of light that enters the eye.
Bonus Pictures: An Extreme close up of the human eye.
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