So now we’ve talked about all kinds of byproducts, including man-made (Fordite), nature-made (fulgurites), and one that’s a little of both (calthemites). Each of these is beautiful in its own way, but ...

Deep in the ruins of Chernobyl’s Reactor 4, hidden beneath layers of radioactive debris, lies one of the most dangerous objects on the planet: the Elephant’s Foot. A grotesque, wrinkled mass of molten ...