This gem is actually a fossil

Ammolite comes from the shells of an extremely old and extinct group of animals called ammonites. Unlike other gemstones, they're also technically fossils, and I think they're pretty cool.

#shorts

[OliyTC]

I was so worried he was going to throw the giant fossil on the ground and shatter it, glad he didn't

[AgressiveMonkee]

It's a weird feeling when you're watching an educational video and still fear a sudden hammer appearance

[rickrhay]

Chemist: "We don't really know why it's like this."

Biologist: "Yes we do."

[irisshard]

When Nile has a reputation to smash things on this channel, your whole body is tense that he might destroy the artifacts...

[joyl]

An explanation for the shape:
"It is argued by many that logarithmic spirals are so common in biological organisms because it is the most efficient way for something to grow. By maintaining the same shape through each successive turn of the spiral, it is argued, the least amount of energy needs to be used."

[Eventualmoss]

Oh my god I just realized Ammo Knights in the splatoon series is a pun on this.

[thecomediacguy]

“This is actually one of the full sized shells and isn’t as flashy…”
*proceeds to pull out the largest fossil of ammonites I’ve ever seen*

[zehra]

"It comes from an extremely old and extinct group of animals called ammonites-"

My mind:*Pokemon intensifies*

[carlynscolorfulcreations]

Im a opal cutter, and amolite is definitely my second favorite iridescent gem, the broud flash you get from good amolite is so much stronger than even the highest quantity lighning ridge opal. Im so happy your getting into this sort of thing!

[azalago]

Ammonites were very similar to modern day nautilus, which have the same chambers inside their shells. The nautilus make the chambers as they grow larger, and it maneuvers gas into them to help it float.

[rat_dragon]

The pockets are filled with air to help control their swimming - basically like a swim bladder in fish

[JordiVanderwaal]

And if you take it to a lab in Kanto (real region in Japan) they revive the fossil and you get a pretty cool giant mollusc.

[guntherdergarstigeganter]

Nile Red has maxed out the chemistry skill tree, he is now level one in archeology and necromancy.

[oliverfreeland]

The chambers were used as a floatation mechanism, to go down ammonites would fill the chambers with water, to go up they would push the water out again. The curves in the chambers add rigidity and surface area to the entire structure meaning it could go to extreme depths and not be crushed by the pressure.

[bruhmoment]

Sheldon's shop in splatoon makes a lot more sense now

[Muonium]

It indeed IS a fossil, but it's a mineral too. It's a "pyritized" ammonite. The ammonite's organic material has been replaced with pyrite - FeS₂ iron disulfide, or fool's gold -; that's why it has a metallic luster, because it's a semiconductor with a small bandgap of ~1eV and so the electrons in the valence band are free enough to reflect incident visible light like a metal does.
E: Actually I think "Misha" in the replies may be correct, the iridescent color-play likely indicates multi-layer interference-induced light dispersion from nacreous aragonite (CaCO3) lamellae. Pyritized ammonites have a more uniform monochromatic luster with an apparent notable absence of viewing angle dependent chromatic shift.

[Yezpahr]

For once he didn't destroy it. And he gave us a few seconds of extra tense doubt at the ending.

[kimmy]

He really vary between being geeky and showing us cool things like this to making everything explodes. I like both

[Stoneward]

Who else thought he was gonna smash it to pieces at the end?

[ishaan-gupta]

so now i know where the inspiration for the pokemon “Omanyte” is from