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Giant Gypsum Rosette

endure an ice - pack undershirt , Mario Corsalini stands by a gargantuan rosette of gypsum in the Naica Mine ’s watch crystal cavern .

[ Read the full story on the revived microbes from the lechatelierite cave ]

Butterfly Crystal

A multifaceted " butterfly " crystal clings to the wall in the Naica Mine ’s Cave of Crystals . These crystals formed in mineral - rich water heat up to correctly around 136 degrees F ( 58 degrees C ) , a temperature at which the mineral anhydrite in the water is deposited as gypsum , concord to 2007 research in the diary Geology . The gypsum in the crystals is in the figure of selenite .

Experiencing the Cave

Laura Rosales Lagarde of the University of Nevada , Las Vegas , takes a moment to live the heating of the Cave of Crystals without an chalk suit or other protective gear . With temperatures that can hover near 140 degrees F ( 60 degrees C ) , the cave is adequate for an unsuited someone for just a few moments .

naica mine

naica mine

naica mine

The Phoenix Mars lander inside the clean room the bacteria were found in

A large sponge and a cluster of anenomes are seen among other lifeforms beneath the George IV Ice Shelf.

An irregularly shaped chunk of mineral on a black fabric.

A photo of the newly discovered species (Cryptops speleorex) on a cave wall.

a close-up of a Martian rock with a bubbly texture

an illustration of a rod-shaped bacterium with two small tails

Close-up of Arctic ice floating on emerald-green water.

This ichthyosaur would have been some 33 feet (10 meters) long when it lived about 180 million years ago.

Here, one of the Denisovan bones found in Denisova Cave in Siberia.

Reconstruction of the Jehol Biota and the well-preserved specimen of Caudipteryx.

The peak of Mount Everest is the highest point in the world.

Fossilized trilobites in a queue.

An image comparing the relative sizes of our solar system�s known dwarf planets, including the newly discovered 2017 OF201

a person holds a GLP-1 injector

A man with light skin and dark hair and beard leans back in a wooden boat, rowing with oars into the sea

an MRI scan of a brain

A photograph of two of Colossal�s genetically engineered wolves as pups.

an abstract image of intersecting lasers