At over 1,000 degrees, and they’re getting closer. This isn’t a movie. These are volcanologists working just a few meters from incandescent lava, protected by special suits as they collect and handle samples of material capable of exceeding 1,000 °C. Using long poles, they extract fragments freshly ejected by the volcano, and as they cool, the water boils violently and a cloud of steam envelops everything. The images are impressive, but it’s even more impressive to think about what we’re looking at, molten rock from the Earth’s interior, turning into new rock right before our eyes. While we watch a terrifying and fascinating spectacle, they move closer to study it, measure it, and understand it. This is how science works in one of the most extreme places on the planet, facing the Earth’s fire. 🌋🔥