Have you ever

wondered how caves are formed or how microorganisms can survive so far

below the surface?

The makers

of "Journey Into Amazing Caves," the new IMAX film at Fernbank,

did, and the answers will astound you.

The film takes

viewers into caves within the walls of the Grand Canyon as well as into

glaciers in Greenland and beneath the rain forests of Mexico's Mayan jungle.

The two explorers

are cave rescue specialist Nancy Aulenbach, a Montessori school teacher

assistant from Norcross, and Hazel Barton, a microbiologist and a director

of the National Speleological Society. The two women, and the crew with

the cameras, rappel down sheer cliff faces, dive underground rivers and

crawl and wriggle through many tight squeezes.

Every state

in the country has caves, and Aulenbach and Barton travel into several

different types in the film. The solutional caves in the canyon areas

and cave diving scenes are more commonly referred to as limestone caves

and have been formed by the dissolution of groundwater. Ice caves are

formed when running water erodes and melts tunnels or chambers in the

ice.

At the heart

of the film is the triumph of the two young women, part of a new movement

of extreme athletes and scientists who gather knowledge and data in treacherous

zones of the environment. As they cave, they search for "extremophiles,"

tiny organisms known to survive in the world's most unforgiving environments.

"These

extremophiles are valuable because of their enzymes that aid in genetic

research, such as DNA profiling, and could prove to be beneficial in treating

human illness," said Fernbank Museum's director of external programs,

Anita Kern.

"Journey

into Amazing Caves" is narrated by internationally acclaimed actor

Liam Neeson and features songs and performances by the classic rock band

The Moody Blues.

National Geographic

Books will release two companion books in conjunction with the release

of the film: "Caves: Exploring Hidden Realms," by renowned caving

journalist Michael Ray Taylor, and a children's book, "Exploring

Caves," by film stars Aulenbach and Barton.

To learn more,

visit www.fernbank.edu/museum.

The film runs

through Sept. 3, and will be shown Monday-Saturday at 11 a.m., 1, 3 and

5 p.m., Sundays at 1, 3 and 5, p.m. and at 8 and 10 p.m. Fridays for Martinis

and IMAX.

Films and show

times are subject to change. Purchase tickets at 404-929-6400 $10 for

adults, $9 for students and seniors and $8 for children.

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