{"660904":{"#nid":"660904","#data":{"type":"news","title":" A Trip into a Dark, Toxic Cave in Search of Worm Blobs","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESix minutes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter flying 1,500 miles, that\u0026rsquo;s all three Georgia Tech student researchers would have inside a dark, smelly cave tucked under a small ridge near a ski lift in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEven with full-on oxygen masks and protective clothing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe trio recently traveled from Atlanta to explore the cave, which was packed with a toxic \u0026mdash; and deadly \u0026mdash; mix of gases capable of knocking a person unconscious within a few breaths. Surrounded by walls covered in patches of sulfuric acid able to burn skin and eat through clothing and gear, they searched for a phenomenon they\u0026rsquo;ve only observed in a Georgia Tech lab: worm blobs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It was dangerous, but it was necessary,\u0026rdquo; said Harry Tuazon, a bioengineering Ph.D. student who led the excursion.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2022\/08\/trip-dark-toxic-cave-search-worm-blobs\u0022\u003ERead about their treacherous exploration of the cave.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudent researchers enter one of the planet\u0026rsquo;s harshest environments to better understand sulfur worms\u0026rsquo; collective behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"  Student researchers enter one of the planet\u2019s harshest environments to better understand sulfur worms\u2019 collective behavior."}],"uid":"35403","created_gmt":"2022-09-06 17:35:39","changed_gmt":"2022-09-06 17:35:48","author":"Carly Ralston","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2022-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"660719":{"id":"660719","type":"image","title":"Worm Blob Toxic Cave Entrance","body":null,"created":"1661946864","gmt_created":"2022-08-31 11:54:24","changed":"1661946864","gmt_changed":"2022-08-31 11:54:24","alt":"Emily Kaufman and Darshan Chudasama in protective gear at the entrance of the cave","file":{"fid":"250336","name":"IMG_3101_edit.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_3101_edit.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/IMG_3101_edit.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1533609,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/IMG_3101_edit.jpg?itok=SHJh4rel"}}},"media_ids":["660719"],"groups":[],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"177841","name":"Saad Bhamla"},{"id":"186986","name":"worm blob"},{"id":"191192","name":"Sulphur Cave"},{"id":"191193","name":"Harry Tuazon"},{"id":"191194","name":"Emily Kaufman"},{"id":"453","name":"undergraduate research"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nNews Contact Info\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJason Maderer\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}