Why Is NASA Interested In This Upside Down Cave?

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 24 бер 2024
  • Below the Chihuahuan Desert in southeastern New Mexico, lies an extensive system of limestone caves, among them the pristine Lechuguilla Cave and the famed Carlsbad Cavern, home to one of North America's largest underground chambers. But there’s more to this subterranean world than gigantic geological formations. It's also ground zero for a microbial war that’s been raging for thousands of years, right beneath our feet.
    Untold Earth explores the seeming impossibilities behind our planet’s strangest, most unique natural wonders. From fragile, untouched ecosystems to familiar but unexplained occurrences in our own backyard, this series chases insight into natural phenomena through the voices that know them best.
    Untold Earth is produced in partnership with Atlas Obscura and Nature.
    Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode! bit.ly/3mOfd77
    And keep up with Untold Earth and PBS Terra on:
    Facebook: / pbsdigitalst
    Twitter: / pbsds
    Instagram: / pbsds
    *****
    PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: to.pbs.org/DonateTerra
    *****
    Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode! bit.ly/3mOfd77
    And keep up with PBS Terra on:
    Facebook: / pbsdigitalstudios
    Twitter: / pbsds
    Instagram: / pbsterra

КОМЕНТАРІ • 291

  • @nathanbemo1063
    @nathanbemo1063 2 місяці тому +553

    "What doesn't kill you mutates and tries again"🧐🤔🤣🤩

    • @pollytiks3885
      @pollytiks3885 2 місяці тому +12

      Amazon and Etsy both have these tee shirts!

    • @UsenameTakenWasTaken
      @UsenameTakenWasTaken 2 місяці тому +13

      ​@@pollytiks3885
      So what you're saying is that they've changed in response to their environment to have a better chance of taking your resources?
      Weird, that feels topical for some reason.

    • @pollytiks3885
      @pollytiks3885 2 місяці тому +1

      @@UsenameTakenWasTaken 🤣

    • @danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307
      @danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307 Місяць тому

      @@UsenameTakenWasTaken Her jumper is false and ignorant!

    • @SheSweetLikSugarNSavage
      @SheSweetLikSugarNSavage Місяць тому

      😂😂🤣🤣

  • @DrachenGothik666
    @DrachenGothik666 2 місяці тому +214

    Can we just give a shoutout to her shirt: "What doesn't kill you mutates and tries again"? That's just an awesome sense of humour!

    • @OGRE_HATES_NERDS
      @OGRE_HATES_NERDS 28 днів тому

      shoutout to that lady's shirt

    • @Kwambomb23
      @Kwambomb23 16 днів тому

      i mean shes just awesome can tell she knows her shit and is very passionate about what she does

    • @deborahdean8867
      @deborahdean8867 6 днів тому

      Even better is " extinction is the rule, survival the exception "

  • @allisonshaw9341
    @allisonshaw9341 2 місяці тому +365

    Science, archeology, and history are so cool. How anyone can think they're boring is beyond me.

    • @LightBlueVans
      @LightBlueVans 2 місяці тому +25

      exactly! i think the same way and about conspiracies too. how can you believe such fanciful things when REAL LIFE is so magical!!!

    • @Tripleat117
      @Tripleat117 2 місяці тому +5

      I imagine trying to get to these places in the first place is the boring part.

    • @JKTCGMV13
      @JKTCGMV13 2 місяці тому +20

      So much of it is just about your teacher in high school

    • @allisonshaw9341
      @allisonshaw9341 2 місяці тому +3

      @@JKTCGMV13 Actually, my family have always been interested in all of it, and we were encouraged to learn everything we could. Plus, we have a lot of caves in our area and as kids, my cousins and I explored every one we could. Our older cousins and some of our adult relatives loved exploring cages as well.

    • @XOguitargurlOX
      @XOguitargurlOX 2 місяці тому +12

      it's normally because of the environment. Some people are afraid to enjoy the sciences because they put a lot of focus in social status and are afraid of being seen as a nerd. Some have had bad experiences with science as in a snooty professor or peer who was condescending when they didn't know a fact correctly. I haven't met one person who isn't into science, just some people who aren't aware their passion contains science. Same with math...that stuff is EVERYWHERE!!

  • @Suriyavanna
    @Suriyavanna 2 місяці тому +236

    3:15 HER SHIRT!! hahaha I need one

    • @pollytiks3885
      @pollytiks3885 2 місяці тому +1

      Thinking the same thing!! I got one from Etsy, but Amazon has them too.

    • @zainazyar4505
      @zainazyar4505 2 місяці тому

      OMG I was saying the exact same thing!

    • @jamesjaudon8247
      @jamesjaudon8247 Місяць тому +2

      I had to go back and see.👍

  • @RoxaneJ14
    @RoxaneJ14 2 місяці тому +125

    This Diana Northup lady has THE BEST VIBE 🥰

  • @literaterose6731
    @literaterose6731 2 місяці тому +62

    Carlsbad Caverns! I thought that’s what I was seeing in the thumbnail. We went there a bunch of times when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s during visits to my grandparents in El Paso TX. I found them endlessly fascinating and beautiful. This was wonderful to watch, really brought me back to the sense of awe I had touring those amazing spaces. Thank you!

  • @huldu
    @huldu 2 місяці тому +83

    It really makes you wonder if all planets and moons in our solar system are truly devoid of all life or if there are caverns like this far below the surface(or under ice sheets). Where bacteria and simple organisms have been going at it for millions if not billions of years.

    • @jandrews6254
      @jandrews6254 Місяць тому +16

      Given that earth life exists inside active volcanos and in the deepest parts of the ocean where there is incredible pressure, absolutely no light, no oxygen, just black smokers, I’d say the planets and moons mostly have life just not 9’ tall blue humanoids with boobs. We need to see past our own egos and recognise alien life when we do eventually find it.

    • @mrexists5400
      @mrexists5400 Місяць тому +5

      Scientists aren't filmmakers trying to connect an audience to characters in a story, so probably not a big an issue as you think

    • @jamesjaudon8247
      @jamesjaudon8247 Місяць тому +5

      We'll see. I believe the type of life that exists here is special. Anything found out there will be equally special. But until we go there it's all just vivid imagination.

    • @ellielynn8219
      @ellielynn8219 Місяць тому

      @@jandrews6254well said.

    • @Uncanny_Mountain
      @Uncanny_Mountain Місяць тому +1

      When you learn the precambrian explosion wasn't the start, but an end of an even longer proto life period of viruses, bacteria, and "stuff"

  • @Grynslvr2
    @Grynslvr2 Місяць тому +16

    My family toured the caverns when I was about hand high to my dad. I say it that way because, I got too close during the tour and he turned suddenly, accidentally striking me in the mouth. I lost a "baby" tooth in Carlsbad Caverns and as far as I know, that small part of me is now a very small part of the cavern system. Even with loosing a tooth, that visit to the caverns awed me at the time, and have ever since. I'm 67 and still remember the beauty of Carlsbad.

    • @bexxiboo
      @bexxiboo 13 днів тому +3

      In 10000 years they'll re-find that cave and your tooth and wonder how a small boy came to be exploring that cave once upon a time. Wondrous

    • @Grynslvr2
      @Grynslvr2 13 днів тому +2

      @@bexxiboo In 10k years, I wonder what the Racoons at the top of the food chain will think of us humans. GRIN

    • @TraceyIsNotMaryGrace
      @TraceyIsNotMaryGrace 10 днів тому +1

      I’m jealous, you’re a part of history. I want to leave something behind that could be found in thousands of years…

    • @deborahdean8867
      @deborahdean8867 6 днів тому +2

      Theyll find that tooth and think you died as a child in there.

    • @margaretcastellano3167
      @margaretcastellano3167 5 днів тому +1

      Love your story. Living in NM I feel like I just take the Caverns for granted but when I do go there I’m in awe as well. Then I feel that everyone should see the caverns!

  • @Dhi_Bee
    @Dhi_Bee 2 місяці тому +122

    2:53 This lady seemed cool but it’s confirmed she’s awesome as soon as I saw her shirt😂❤

    • @RoxaneJ14
      @RoxaneJ14 2 місяці тому +16

      I knooooowww! I fell in love with her, I want her to tell me stories about science every day forever!

    • @Dhi_Bee
      @Dhi_Bee 2 місяці тому +12

      @@RoxaneJ14 yeah, if she needs a grandson, I volunteer lol

    • @retronation9744
      @retronation9744 Місяць тому +1

      She was my boss in college at my research job and she is exactly like this 😂 like she still goes caving at like 80 years old

    • @Kirhean
      @Kirhean Місяць тому

      @@retronation9744 I'd love to listen to her talk with John Michael Godier, just talking about the cave and how it contributes to our understanding of life off Earth.

  • @KatieKatTG
    @KatieKatTG Місяць тому +17

    I finally visited recently, and it truly is breathtaking. It's kind of like seeing the Grand Canyon in person. You can look at a million gorgeous pictures of the place, but it doesn't do justice compared to seeing it in real life.
    I would easily recommend this for a bucket list visit, at the very least.
    Just a few tips, when visiting. Wear comfortable but supportive shoes and get ready for a serious calf workout. The trail down there is miles long and almost none of it will be level. If you have breathing conditions such as asthma, please be aware that there will be pockets where it isn't as easy to breathe. I definitely regretted not bringing my inhaler with me.
    PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. Keep it beautiful for future generations to enjoy.
    Be safe and have fun!

    • @RobinTheBot
      @RobinTheBot Місяць тому

      Isn't there a stumpy little stalagmite in the middle of a path you can touch? It's black with all the oil from people touching it iirc

    • @KatieKatTG
      @KatieKatTG Місяць тому +5

      @RobinTheBot The ranger told us to avoid touching anything aside from the handrails. This was back in February 2024.
      I did see that column and I'm sure people still touch it but I don't know that they are allowed to anymore.
      The rangers seemed pretty serious about it, talking about preserving the biological climate down there.

  • @dasstigma
    @dasstigma 2 місяці тому +18

    2:52
    Best sweater ever.

  • @allisonjones-lo6795
    @allisonjones-lo6795 2 місяці тому +18

    I live in northern New Mexico and I have been to Carlsbad Caverns many times since I was a teenager. I will be taking my grandchildren next year. The Caverns always amaze me!

  • @ryans4877
    @ryans4877 2 місяці тому +22

    I was just at Carlsbad a couple of weeks ago, awesome timing

  • @Lovelife86nj
    @Lovelife86nj 2 місяці тому +23

    Thumbnail upside down 🙃 nice

  • @janetross1900
    @janetross1900 2 місяці тому +9

    I was there with my family as a child on vacation. I’m so glad that my father took us to places like this. It was so cool.❤

  • @rebz8805
    @rebz8805 2 місяці тому +10

    I want her sweatshirt! (What doesn't kill you mutates and tries again) Brilliant!

    • @ezrahopkins1913
      @ezrahopkins1913 Місяць тому

      At least she not trying to promote evolve,but mutate,it's at least makes this digestible

  • @MemphiStig
    @MemphiStig 2 місяці тому +9

    I didn't know caves could do this. Very cool.

  • @robertmitchell5646
    @robertmitchell5646 2 місяці тому +7

    Carlsbad Cavern is awe inspiring. It put me in perspective to nature! Beautiful beyond my words.

  • @toughenupfluffy7294
    @toughenupfluffy7294 2 місяці тому +8

    750 feet below the surface, the Big Room is the largest cave chamber by volume in North America.

  • @chippysteve4524
    @chippysteve4524 2 місяці тому +17

    Hahaha-I love her jumper @ 3:18!

  • @lts_Bubba
    @lts_Bubba Місяць тому +2

    Youngn mustache killn it

  • @louisanow
    @louisanow 8 днів тому

    Atlas Obscura and PBS make a fascinating team!

  • @chefscorner7063
    @chefscorner7063 Місяць тому +1

    My dad and I visited Carlsbad Caverns back in 1976. I couldn't believe how big and open it was. It was still relatively new in that they were still making discoveries in areas that hadn't been researched or even found yet. While I had a hard childhood I was lucky in that the rare good times I did have were of incredible people, places and things. Good thing I always try to find the silverlining. ;)

  • @macsnafu
    @macsnafu 2 місяці тому +8

    3:14 What doesn't kill you mutates and tries again!

  • @megansfo
    @megansfo 2 місяці тому +14

    I would love to see this someday! Also, it's great to see a fellow boomer featured here. She's great! 🌺

  • @mascadadelpantion8018
    @mascadadelpantion8018 2 місяці тому +15

    Science is the coolest confusing thing in the world

    • @ickmonster73
      @ickmonster73 Місяць тому +2

      Science is the study of the confusing things in the world

    • @Uncanny_Mountain
      @Uncanny_Mountain Місяць тому

      Wait til you find out about the Zodiac Calendar and the Phoenix Cypher of 216

  • @Lichlord
    @Lichlord Місяць тому +1

    Diana Northup is one of the best science communicators I’ve ever heard. Can we hear from her more often?

  • @chrystal884
    @chrystal884 19 днів тому

    I’ve been to Carlsbad Caverns so many times in my life but I enjoy it every time.

  • @ronkirk5099
    @ronkirk5099 2 місяці тому +2

    I really like visiting caves, but a wild cave tour of Jewel cave in S. Dakota where there is a very restrictive bottle neck you have to crawl through was just about too much for me. Dark and tight at the same time was pretty scary.

  • @howardX81
    @howardX81 Місяць тому +1

    You have to see it in person. It will blow your mind!

  • @Moeistic
    @Moeistic Місяць тому +2

    These people are the real heroes of humanity. Civilization is possible because of their work and sacrifice. Yet the rest of us spend our lives worshiping celebrities and politicians and making them rich.

  • @Mr2Reviews
    @Mr2Reviews 2 місяці тому +6

    I hear potential for new antibiotics.

  • @2headedcow5252
    @2headedcow5252 2 місяці тому +29

    I love learning when there is no test 🥹

  • @user-iy9cy4tl2h
    @user-iy9cy4tl2h Місяць тому +1

    Wow I haven't seen a short doc this good in quite some time 👍👍👍💛

  • @Jianju69
    @Jianju69 Місяць тому

    So much thought-provoking material in just five minutes!

  • @evilginger013o_o
    @evilginger013o_o Місяць тому +2

    Take nothing but pictures,
    Leave nothing but footprints,
    Kill nothing but time.

  • @Centerpieceofmind
    @Centerpieceofmind 26 днів тому

    Everyone should experience Carlsbad Caverns. Truly amazing place. It's so big, the videos don't do it justice.

  • @psychosis7325
    @psychosis7325 2 місяці тому +1

    Diana N's Jumper/sweater is bloody awesome 🤣👌

  • @lexloose2112
    @lexloose2112 2 місяці тому

    so beautiful, I'd love to visit its timeless beauty, the same as the crystal caves in Peru. Another stunning show of nature's magnificent glory.

  • @regolith1350
    @regolith1350 19 днів тому

    3:14 "What doesn't kill you mutates and tries again." 🤣🤣🤣

  • @clemguitarechal
    @clemguitarechal Місяць тому

    I wish this video was 2 hours long ! This subject, and all its collaterals, are fascinating

  • @marklivingstone3710
    @marklivingstone3710 2 місяці тому +2

    Check out the Caves on Kauai in Hawaii where the trees grow downwards from the upper surfaces.

  • @vladdevener5586
    @vladdevener5586 2 місяці тому +2

    Absolutely incredible🤍🤎.

  • @user-kt5cp7lv5e
    @user-kt5cp7lv5e 23 дні тому

    I watch this UA-cam video and all I got was this T-shirt. I love it!

  • @mikejettusa
    @mikejettusa 2 місяці тому +1

    Extremely interesting. I really hope they actually think about protecting the environment of places we go beyond our planet because we certainly have not done this here 😢

  • @MossyMozart
    @MossyMozart Місяць тому

    Dr Diana Northrup is completely adorable, especially with that sweatshirt.
    I knew Carlsbad Caverns was big and the home of so many bats, but I never knew how beautiful it is.

  • @TraceyIsNotMaryGrace
    @TraceyIsNotMaryGrace 10 днів тому

    So awesome.

  • @HouseboundPerspectives
    @HouseboundPerspectives 2 місяці тому +1

    kartchner caverns has a pretty interesting history, very VERY similar stories

  • @MariaMartinez-researcher
    @MariaMartinez-researcher 2 місяці тому +1

    "(gentle inquisitive music)" 😘

  • @graemebrumfitt6668
    @graemebrumfitt6668 2 місяці тому +1

    Cool cave! TFS, GB :)

  • @ARCavingandOutdoors
    @ARCavingandOutdoors Місяць тому

    What a gorgeous cave

  • @AdventuringwithTrevor
    @AdventuringwithTrevor Місяць тому

    Just was here on April 7th on my way to Texas for that eclipse, was an insane experience. Highly recommend it

  • @tinknal6449
    @tinknal6449 Місяць тому +2

    Man will never set foot on mars.

  • @astrinymris9953
    @astrinymris9953 Місяць тому

    2:52 I want that sweatshirt! It's great! 🤣🤣🤣

  • @drewtwon7374
    @drewtwon7374 16 днів тому

    Our ancestors ether lived or died and fueled these caves with their bodies.
    Nature is amazing.

  • @garybeasley4885
    @garybeasley4885 Місяць тому

    I’ve seen both caves in person. Theres no comparison to hydrologically formed caves, a wild beauty all their own. The gypsum formations are mind bending to say the least!

  • @marka0014
    @marka0014 Місяць тому

    In Pennsylvania I have been to both Lost River Caverns and Crystal Caves, both were awesome.

  • @wilhelmmeyer89
    @wilhelmmeyer89 27 днів тому

    Nice. Usually you don't hear this at school.

  • @MartinBrabi
    @MartinBrabi Місяць тому +2

    In the halls of the mountain king 😉

  • @teehasheestower
    @teehasheestower 2 місяці тому +3

    Obviously its in Australia, like all the other upside down caves.

  • @exploringdixie
    @exploringdixie Місяць тому

    I started caving 2 years ago and it feels like you're on another planet!

  • @MaryAnnNytowl
    @MaryAnnNytowl 27 днів тому +1

    Here I was thinking, from the thumbnail, there was some cave somewhere that had been turned on its head due to odd geological processes. Still, not disappointed.
    That shirt, though... it couldn't be truer, in many situations, LOL! I mean, many microbes would rather you live, to spread more of them, but others just want a nice big meal. 😂 Now I need to find a copy of the shirt, LOL!

  • @yukit119
    @yukit119 Місяць тому

    3:17 Love her tshirt

  • @Cudddlefish
    @Cudddlefish 2 місяці тому +8

    1:22 And it was as that moment that he became the Batman.

  • @Melody-mt5im
    @Melody-mt5im Місяць тому +1

    5:28 RIGHT as the narrator says “undisturbed” while talking about the importance of not introducing anything to a newly discovered environment, a BARE HAND reaches out and touches the cave formation. 😭
    (Edited to adjust timestamp)

    • @channel-eq6vr
      @channel-eq6vr 13 днів тому

      Just realized when mankind steps on Mars….. there will be the largest microbial pollution of another planet. Our intestines are a laboratory with intervalic dumping. So don’t be such purists or activists!

  • @stev838
    @stev838 Місяць тому +1

    It shows the pole flip
    Costou found one with 112 reversals , try and find that episode some time. You can’t

  • @orcinusvox5107
    @orcinusvox5107 Місяць тому +1

    0:37 for a sec thought u said a microbial worm was raging for thousands of years

  • @kt6332
    @kt6332 Місяць тому

    Everything has life. Most people can’t recognize it because they were taught differently in schools. Meaning, taught to think the way they want you to think instead of you thinking for yourself!

  • @silvestrisvita
    @silvestrisvita 16 днів тому

    This video could have been an hour and i would have watched it twice. I want to know more!!! Cave microbial warfare studied by multiple disciplines?! Yes pls!!!!

  • @Norfolk250
    @Norfolk250 Місяць тому

    That face!!!
    0:05

  • @li_celly
    @li_celly Місяць тому

    I remember touring the Carlsbad cavern and we were supposed to be quiet to prevent waking up the bats. some teen behind me whistled Rue's and Katniss's tune and I whistled back. I think everyone giggled like the book nerd we were.

  • @Kurtlane
    @Kurtlane Місяць тому +1

    Are the bats still there at Carlsbad Caves? Are they there all year round, or are they seasonal?

  • @sleverlight
    @sleverlight Місяць тому

    lmao love her shirt "What doesnt kill you mutates and trys again"

  • @kingX777
    @kingX777 19 днів тому

    Be careful, The Falmer can be tough…

  • @Yezpahr
    @Yezpahr 2 місяці тому

    I truly believe one of these days we'll find a second genesis of life in caves just like these.
    It would be so wild.

  • @fajarsuryantoro7025
    @fajarsuryantoro7025 2 місяці тому

    I want that professor sweater 😮😮😮

  • @russ549
    @russ549 Місяць тому

    The natural world is actually cooler than anything we've made

  • @iam_GOMPA
    @iam_GOMPA 13 днів тому

    0:43 Looks like someone is meditating

  • @nmtumbleweed5320
    @nmtumbleweed5320 Місяць тому

    Discovered😂

  • @callinglast
    @callinglast Місяць тому

    Heyyyy! Dewey escaped Woodsboro and went to the caves!!!

  • @alexritchie4586
    @alexritchie4586 Місяць тому

    I've always been fascinated by the concept of para-life. That there may well be other forms of life completely different from our evolutionary tree right here on Earth.

  • @MrExel47
    @MrExel47 Місяць тому +1

    "Uh there is a giant cave with trillions of bat in it. Let´s install lights everywhere!"

  • @buckmazz
    @buckmazz Місяць тому

    They want to see how their hardware will perform in Australia.

  • @danjohnston9037
    @danjohnston9037 2 місяці тому +1

    Thumbnail worked

  • @chronicfatiguehermithiker3022
    @chronicfatiguehermithiker3022 Місяць тому

    Giant creature.

  • @ericpierce3660
    @ericpierce3660 Місяць тому

    If you visit Carlsbad Caverns, be sure to take the natural entrance if you are able. If you take the Visitor Center entrance instead, you'll just go down an elevator and step out into the Big Room. Kind of anti-climactic and boring. It won't be _nearly_ as impressive as going down the natural entrance, where following in the footsteps of explorer Jim White, you'll go down and down and down and down, entering chamber after chamber, each one bigger than the previous one, until you finally end up in the Big Room, so large that when White held up a lantern, he couldn't see the roof of the cavern. That's how you experience a little bit of the wonder he experienced!

  • @NathanCabs
    @NathanCabs Місяць тому

    We will never find life in another planet using Earth's stabdards

  • @Zach-ku6eu
    @Zach-ku6eu 2 місяці тому +1

    Seed them over the equatorial methane zones of Mars!

  • @retronation9744
    @retronation9744 Місяць тому

    Aye I worked on this project

  • @ramoncotton
    @ramoncotton 16 днів тому

    Is this under the Carlsbad lagoon?

  • @Stealth86651
    @Stealth86651 Місяць тому

    Nooo, don't fall for it NASA, stay away from The Caves.

  • @jamiegallier2106
    @jamiegallier2106 2 місяці тому

  • @e.manaka2140
    @e.manaka2140 Місяць тому

    looks like... Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia to me!

  • @gabiporter6552
    @gabiporter6552 Місяць тому

    The shirt, what doesn't kill you , mutates and tries again ! I need that!

  • @DavidCraig-go1zv
    @DavidCraig-go1zv Місяць тому

    Bioelectrochemical. I love her t-shirt. "What doesn't kill you, mutates and tries again. 😄

  • @joseville
    @joseville Місяць тому

    5:52 what is the frosted looking thing there?

  • @user-dt9qc5uv2m
    @user-dt9qc5uv2m Місяць тому

    Seems NASA is also becoming more interested in our oceans. Anyone watching the Ocean's ROV channel? Incredible life forms, many transparent. But one the "Barrelhead" is so bizarre, body of a normal looking fish but a transparent head! One of the creepiest is the "Sling-jaw fish" with a normal looking jaw but it shoots out like a telescope really creepy. There's also a sea slug that can chop off its own head and grow a new body!

  • @TomCrosman
    @TomCrosman 26 днів тому

    What about the upside down cave? All I heard was a discussion about carlsbad.

  • @katieharrington2845
    @katieharrington2845 Місяць тому

    Maybe thats where we find the upside down lol

  • @manaliajudiya
    @manaliajudiya Місяць тому

    Possibly Bats like species lived here.