This Daring Fly Swims in a Shimmering Bubble Shield | Deep Look

Covered in a shiny bubble, the alkali fly scuba dives into the harsh waters of California’s Mono Lake. Thanks to an abundance of hair and water-repellent wax, this remarkable insect remains dry while embarking on a quest for tasty algae and a place to lay its eggs. Learn more about Mono Lake’s world-famous tufa towers at PBS TERRA’s Untold Earth: DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED in San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. — California’s Mono Lake is an incredibly harsh environment. It is three times saltier than the ocean and strongly alkaline. This landscape has striking limestone towers called tufas, creating an otherworldly setting. But in these extreme conditions, only a handful of species can survive: algae, nematodes, brine shrimp and the alkali fly. These flies emba