14 DAY TRIAL // Trying to hitch a ride on Minecraft's rampant popularity and teach some real science in the process, the Australian Government's Geoscience body decided to highlight some of the most common misconceptions propagated by the sandbox survival game.
Although whether or not the world-famous building block stacking game can actually get kids inclined to try out speleology or geology is debatable, Geoscience Australia's initiative is truly commendable.
Video games aren't known for being true to life, and Minecraft is no stranger to bending the rules in the name of fun. This is where geologists step in, attempting to illuminate us on the proper nature of our world.
As such, the document published by the organization points out that cobblestones do not form from water and flowing lava, but are found in river beds instead, and that putting cobblestone into a furnace will not create stone, but instead only a very warm rock.
Likewise, gold might be a beautiful metal when it comes to embellishing oneself through jewelry, but due to the fact that it's pretty soft, it doesn't make a good material for crafting armor or pickaxes.
The poster created by the organization is hilarious and well worth checking out. Perhaps they're shooting for an Ig Nobel prize.