“Cave popcorn usually occurs in wet areas of the cave where water can flow on the surface,” explained Lee-Gray Boze, a physical scientist from the United States Geological Survey, in an interview with How Stuff Works. “These wet areas are often found in the longest cave systems, indicating a wet environment and air flow. In contrast, drier areas tend to be less decorated.”
Another common environment for cave popcorn is areas with dripping water, where the drips cause popcorn to form in a radius around the drip sites.
In a recent analysis of the Altamura man’s teeth conducted in 2020, another team discovered wear on his teeth, indicating that he was an adult at the time of his unfortunate death. They also observed that one of his teeth had likely been lost a few weeks prior to his death, as the other teeth had shifted in response. The researchers noted that “alveolar resorption is still in an incipient stage,” suggesting that the tooth loss occurred shortly before his demise.
All in all, it wasn’t a great few weeks for the Altamura man.
