Here's How Much Earth Gets Blasted Away to Extract a Hunk of Diamond
If you ever wondered how much land mass had to be moved to produce that diamond engagement ring, this series of photos should help put things in perspective.
What All the Metal From a Single Mine Would Look Like As a Giant Orb
Of all the ways humans have altered the Earth, mining must be one of the most awesome—just for the sheer ratio of Earth excavated to metals and gems recovered. Still, it's hard to visualize just how much a single mine has netted in numbers, which is why For What It's Worth is so interesting.
What are these mysterious structures in the southern Kalahari?
They look like alien incubation pods, but these massive grass-and-mud structures are home to a species called sociable weaver birds. Like bees, these birds live in hives together, collectively building them out of mud, grass, and other materials in their environments. In the southern Kalahari, they use telephone…
Industrious Little Birds Share These Whimsical Homes With Hundreds
Looking more like something out of The Lorax than what you would find in Africa's Kalahari Desert, these fantastically decorated telephone poles are actually home to the aptly named Sociable Weaver bird.
