Antarctica Has a “Bleeding” Glacier | NOVA PBS
Did you know that Antarctica has a glacier that bleeds red? (At least, that’s what it looks like.)
Originally published in 2020 on @pbsterra 🇦🇶
Five stories high and emerging from the Taylor Glacier in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, Blood Falls seeps into an ice-covered body of water called Lake Bonney. It’s one of the continent’s most enigmatic natural features and has fascinated scientists for decades. What makes it red? Does it always flow? And can anything actually survive near it? To find out—and see just how bizarre Blood Falls is with their own eyes—Caitlin and Arlo travel to the Dry Valleys, about 60 miles from McMurdo Station. There, they meet with microbiologist Jill Mikucki and hydrogeologist Peter Doran to investigate why this glacier looks the way it does, what lives there (spoiler: CHARISMATIC MICROBES!), and what clues it holds for finding and understanding life on other planets and moons in our solar system, like Mars, Jupiter’s Europa, and Saturn’s Enceladus. Answering these questions, it turns out, requires lots of probes, cameras, and even a massive sensor hanging from a helicopter.
📰 Stay up to date on the latest science discoveries, full episodes, articles, videos, and more by signing up for NOVA’s newsletter here: https://to.pbs.org/4brCC7Y
▶️ Stream NOVA documentaries & more with PBS Documentaries on Prime Video: https://amzn.to/4hXBlsu
💙 Help us bring the universe closer to home. Your donation ensures that NOVA’s deep-space discoveries and quantum physics explorations remain free and inspiring for the next generation of scientists. Support fact-based storytelling today. https://bit.ly/48UnsrD
🌟 Follow on social for more NOVA content
Twitter: https://twitter.com/novapbs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novapbs
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@novapbs

@intothevoid2046
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
Doesn't look bloody at all. I think it is only called Blood Falls because the alternative was too disgusting.
@andru451
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
If this is the color of your blood then you got sh!tty blood
@AuntieSingeA
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
I had no idea Antarctica has worms, tardigrades, lakes, or flowing water. Wild!
@del5.0
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
We've known about this for thousands of years; tell us something we don't know.
@jimhockley9730
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
he sang rest never sleeps but apparently it does
@drnathanjames
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
IRON
because red anything in nature in one of these CLICKBAIT videos is IRON… Nova insulting our intelligence and wasting our time all at once… keep it up and the UNSUBSCRIBE BUTTONS GETS PUSHED!
@SimplebutSurprising
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
The fact that this could help us understand life on Mars is honestly way cooler than the red color itself.
@JurassicLion2049
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
Reupload?
@JKHTX
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
Someone fed it taco bell
@charlesvane2774
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
A science video where I actually learned something I didn’t already know. Thank you!
@manitobaoutdoors7705
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
Wow. Iron Oxide. Some people always have to make everything about gender and being cute.
@CammieSue
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
The more we learn, the more questions we have about things we never knew!
@DeniseKasunic
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
Iron
@dianatopoulos5602
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
You learn something new every day. Thanks!
@tpseeker3367
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
LOL
Glacier having it's period.
Add that to the Things I never thought I'd ever hear.
Knowledge can be a scary thing & we'll never stop gaining knowledge.
@sajsultan1839
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
They probably say we landed on mars and use this site.
@stinkymccheese8010
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
Have they taken acoustic surveys of the ground yet?
@ZaPirate
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
color is due to iron oxide. What's with the clickbait title?
@EverMore-u7l
June 6, 2026 at 3:57 am
This is Abso-Lutely Bonkers!❤🧊
Comments are closed.