What Happens When a Ghost Town Turns Into a Lab

Gothic, Colorado is a surreal place. Once populated with thousands of silver-seeking miners, the tiny outpost is now home to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, where dozens of scientists are coming to grips with the consequences of climate change (among other things). Some of them have been doing research there for decades.

But to understand why the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab is so special, you have to see it. Flanked by majestic mountains and filled with wildlife, the field station comes alive in the summertime. Gizmodo recently visited the lab and talked with some of the researchers. The life of a scientist in Gothic, it seems, is nothing short of extraordinary.