Piled high and deep

Check out this amazing infographic depicting the highest heights and lowest lows of our planet, from the outer reaches of the atmosphere all the way to the bottom of the deepest oceanic trench in the world. It’s topical, too, including in its graphics the depth reached by the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico. Just seeing graphically how far down they had to go — and, by extension, how far down we’re going to have to routinely go if we insist on oil as our main energy source — really illustrates how non-trivial the problem in the Gulf happens to be.