I came across a cool 360° video about how biologist Naowarat Cheeptham has been searching for antibiotics in a cave.
Spelunking in Search of Antibiotics (New York Times, YouTube)
It’s an interesting story, and there’s a lot more about it in this article from Wired.
Inside the Slimy Underground Hunt for Humanity’s Antibiotic Saviour (Tom Ward, Wired)
What I didn’t expect was that a two minute excursion into a cave would turn into a fascinating journey into speleology. One thing just led to another, and that’s what happened.
It all started because the video and story about the cave reminded of my own experiences in Mammoth Cave. It’s in Kentucky, and I grew up in Indy — it wasn’t that far away, so I visited it numerous times over the years.
In case you’ve never been, here’s a link to a quick peek.
Nature: Mammoth Cave National Park (CBS Sunday Morning)
Each visit was a bit different, but the one thing that I remember most was that Mammoth Cave was billed as the largest cave on Earth. After many hours of tours, it felt like it, too.
Ha, what I saw hardly scratched the surface, literally and figuratively!
Check this video out!
International Mapping (YouTube Channel)
It was a bit mind-bending when they zoomed out to show the true scale of the place. Yet that was nothing compared to what I tripped across next.
It turns out that Mammoth Cave was the largest cave, but it’s not anymore.
That honor belongs to Son Doong Cave in Vietnam. It was “discovered” in 1991, but it wasn’t really explored until 2009. Wow, it’s positively Verne’esque — it even has a jungle!
Here’s a link to a video about how photographer and journalist Martin Edström went on a 360° photo expedition into the cave for National Geographic.
Journey Through the Largest Cave in the World Expedition Raw (National Geographic, YouTube)
Here’s a link to an interactive website where you can explore the results of the expedition.
Son Doong 360: Exploring the World’s Longest Cave (Martin Edström, National Geographic)
Here’s a link to another video with some awesome drone footage.
Drones Take You Inside Hidden World Live (Good Morning America, YouTube)
It’s worth noting that there are tensions surrounding tourism at Son Doong Cave. Here are links to a two part 360° video series about the issue.
Saving Son Doong: Part One (RYOT, YouTube)
Saving Son Doong: Part Two (RYOT, YouTube)
While it is hard to top Son Doong, I came across a number of other speleological marvels in my unexpected journey.
For example, speaking of Verne, here’s a link to some drone footage of a gorgeous ice cave in Vatnajokull National Park on the south coast of Iceland.
The Ice Cave – Drone Video from an Icelandic Ice Cave (Iceland 360VR)
Here’s a 360° video of another ice cave under Pemberton Icefield in British Columbia. Not surprisingly, the lifespan of such wonders in our current climate also comes up in the video.
360° Ice Cave Exploration Near Whistler, BC (Super, Natural British Columbia)
Here’s a 360° video by AirPano< that shows a breathtaking time lapse of a sunset looking out of an ice cave at Baikal in Russia.
AirPano VR (YouTube Channel)
AirPano VR (Official Website)
That was mesmerizing, but there is a Giant Crystal Cave in Mexico made out of gypsum instead of ice that might be even more stunning to see. Unfortunately, you can’t.
Luckily here’s a video that shows a bit of what it looks like as well as explains why you really don’t want to see it in person.
Weird Places: Mexico’s Giant Crystal Cave (SciShow, YouTube)
I was bummed that I couldn’t find great footage of Crystal Cave. However, while searching for that, I found this fun 360° video of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand.
Glow Worm Caves of New Zealand in 360° (National Geographic, YouTube)
The Waitomo Glowworm Caves even have a whole YouTube channel dedicated to them!
Waitomo Glowworm Caves (YouTube Channel)
Near the end of my unexpected detour into caves, I found this neat 360° video and lesson about ancient cave paintings. It’s about art, creativity and communication. These are all near and dear to my heart, so I couldn’t resist including it.
TED-Ed (YouTube Channel)
ED-Ed (Official Website)
Explore Cave Paintings in This 360° Animated Cave (Iseult Gillespie, TED-Ed)
Finally, my unexpected journey ended with this fun, semi-off-topic, discovery 🙂
GoPro Awards: Epic Cloud Cave Wingsuit in Fusion Overcapture (GoPro, YouTube)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this speleological detour as much as I did. If you want to continue exploring caves on your own, here are some resources to get you started.
From the Biggest to the Longest, Five Amazing Caves To Visit (Natasha Geiling, Smithsonian.com)
Hidden Earth: The UK’s National Caving Conference and Exhibition
National Speleological Society