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Interview with Carol J. Amore, Filmmaker

Yellowstone Wild Through Time

What makes Yellowstone National Park’s geothermal microbes unique?

Each hot spring and geyser has its own set of unique current and ancient fossilized microbes. They act as guiding posts into the past, present, and future of life on Earth. These microbes can further our scientific understanding of potential life on other planets.

For instance, Mammoth Springs’ dominant microbes, intensively studied by leading scientists, include cyanobacteria, Sulfurihydrogenibium, and Thermochromatium. The Art of Yellowstone Science by Bruce W. Fouke, PhD, leading geomicrobial scientist, and Tom Murphy, photographer, illustrates key research at Mammoth Springs.

Norris Geyser Basin contains a large, complex array of hot springs unique to this area. Dedicated microbiologists have confirmed that specialized microbes include:

• Caldisphaera, Crenarchaeota

• Cyanidioschyzon, Rhodophyta

• Euglena, Euglenozoa

• Hydrogenobaculum, Aquifex

The iconic Grand Prismatic Spring contains specialized microbes including Calothrix, Cyanobacterium, Synechococcus, and Phormidium (orange cyanobacterium).

Each day, new Yellowstone microbe discoveries are made that advance medical sciences and deepen our understanding of life on Earth. Key learnings about past and potential future life on other planets may also be explored through these important Yellowstone microbes.

“This film captures Yellowstone’s nature perfectly: it’s primeval, raw, unforgiving, and stunningly beautiful.”

Roland Hatzenpichler, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Director, Thermal Biology Institute
Affiliate Faculty, Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology
Affiliate Faculty, Center for Biofilm Engineering
Montana State University, Bozeman
www.environmental-microbiology.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In the making of Yellowstone Wild Through Time, advanced LiDAR drone remote sensing technologies were used. High-intensity radar laser light penetrated targeted land areas to render images of both surface terrain and subsurface features. This data was enhanced to provide meaningful scientific insights into the terrain and what lies beneath it.

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The film used approved LiDAR data images from Yellowstone’s entire ecosystem, including Mammoth Springs and other hot spring and geyser locations. LiDAR drones were carefully controlled by certified professionals in areas where park visitors were not permitted during supervised operations. High-altitude satellite imagery was also used for comparative data over targeted LiDAR drone flight areas.

LiDAR technology can also predict geological features such as lava flows from Yellowstone’s supervolcano beneath the park’s surface. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses laser pulses to create highly accurate 3D maps and environmental models by measuring the distance as light reflects off surface and subsurface terrain. In archaeology, LiDAR can reveal hidden structures beneath dense vegetation, such as those found in Brazil’s Amazon jungle.

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“Combining nature, science, music, and art, Yellowstone Wild Through Time celebrates the beauty and wonder of one of Earth’s greatest one-of-a-kind ancient and changing treasures.”

Daniel Pierce, PhD, RPA
Research Archaeologist
Terra Incognita Research Institute
(LiDAR Archaeology Drone Discoveries in Brazil’s Amazon, 2024–2025)
(Permitted LiDAR Drone Geology Research, Yellowstone National Park, 2026)

“Experience what lies beneath. Yellowstone Wild Through Time uses photography and visualization to uncover Earth’s geothermal energy, revealing Yellowstone’s hidden architecture—a living landscape forged by forces both visible and unseen deep within the Earth.”

Christopher Bodine
Completing PhD, Research Archaeology
Terra Incognita Research Institute
St. Louis University, Geospatial Sciences (Master’s)
(LiDAR Drone Expert and Archaeological Researcher, St. Louis, Missouri)
(LiDAR Archaeology Drone Discoveries in Brazil’s Amazon, 2024–2025)
(Permitted LiDAR Drone Geology Research, Yellowstone National Park, 2026)

Yellowstone National Park – 2025

Seasonal Night Skies Observations
(Nighttime Time-Lapse Filming)

Summer – Milky Way
Immediately after sunset, brilliant views of the Milky Way stretching overhead can be seen. The brightest portions of the band set by 1–2 a.m., creating dramatic time-lapse opportunities.

• Ursa Major (Great Bear): In the film, a grizzly bear runs across the sky as a special visual effect, reflecting Yellowstone’s grizzly population.

• Aquila (Eagle): Represented as an animated flying bald eagle. The Summer Triangle constellation is visible, with Altair as the bottom star as it rises. The eagle shape appears flying north, with its right wing pointing toward Vega.

Autumn – Saturn
Saturn appears throughout the early evening during the 2025 filming period. Saturn’s moon Enceladus, known for geyser-like plumes erupting from its icy surface, offers a compelling visual comparison to Earth’s geysers.

Andromeda Galaxy
The neighboring Andromeda Galaxy will be visible nearly all night during the 2025 filming period.

Winter – The Pleiades and Hyades
Depending on filming hours, these two open clusters rise in the east after approximately 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. The Pleiades are instantly recognizable, while the Hyades appear to follow them across the sky, marking the passage of time.