Discover the Blood Falls of Antarctica

Though magnificent to behold, Antarctica’s Blood Falls can be quite a ghastly sight. Imagine gallons of blood-red water gushing from a hole in a glacier staining a pure white landscape with a horrific hue. It might as well be the location for a new Hollywood suspense thriller.

But while it could greatly inspire new horror movie ideas, scientific studies conducted around the Blood Falls are more of the sci-fi genre. Apparently, this natural wonder is a treasure trove of information that could prove if there’s life on other planets. The deep red water comes from an underground saltwater reservoir buried in the Taylor glacier. There, biologists have discovered a population of ancient uncanny bacteria that were able to survive without sunlight or oxygen just by feeding off iron and sulfur. It’s the closest the Earth can get to an “alien” environment, and scientists are deathly intrigued.

Discovered in 1911 by an Australian explorer by the name of Griffith Taylor, the Blood Falls is believed to have been formed 5 million years ago, even before the Ice Age. A crack in the glacier caused the salt lake to flow out, and upon exposure to oxygen, iron in the water turns to rust and thus stains the ice red. That’s thriller science for you.