Curious places in Georgia
4 articles, each fact-checked and tied to a spot you can stand on.
1.8-million-year-old human ancestors so varied in appearance they challenge whether we've been splitting ancient humans into too many species.
Earth's deepest known cave (2,212 meters) hosts extremophiles in permanent darkness with no photosynthetic input. The ecosystem survives on chemosynthesis and organic matter trickling down from the surface.
1.8-million-year-old skulls showing more variation than exists between chimps and bonobos - yet they're all from one population. This discovery suggests that Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and other 'species' are normal variation within a single, highly variable human ancestor.
The second-deepest cave on Earth hosts ecosystems in zones of total darkness over 2,000 meters deep. Life here depends entirely on organic matter washing down from above.
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