The Mystery of Wombat Poop

Guest: David Hu, Professor of Fluid Mechanics, Georgia Tech Cubes occur very rarely in nature. There are some minerals – like iron pyrite, aka fool’s gold – that naturally form in cubic crystals. Another notable exception is the Australian marsupial called a wombat – it’s shaped like a fuzzy, overstuffed football, but its droppings have flat edges. Wombats poop cubes. And until recently, nobody knew why.