Sand is one of the world's most vital, and surprisingly scarce, natural resources. While it seems abundant, the specific angular sand from rivers, lakes, and coastlines is essential for making concrete, asphalt, and glass. Wind-blown desert sand is too smooth and rounded to be used in construction. This high demand has triggered a global sand shortage, making it the second most-used natural resource on Earth after water, with humans consuming about 50 billion tons of it annually. The resource is so precious that in 2008, thieves in Jamaica stole an entire 400-meter public beach, likely to sell the sand for hotel construction.

The modern word "arena" meaning a large space with seats for spectators actually comes from the Latin word for sand, arena, because the floors of Roman amphitheaters like the Colosseum were covered in sand to absorb fluids. The composition and color of sand tell the geological story of a coastline, varying from the black basalt beaches of Iceland to the green olivine sand of Hawaii. The famous pink sands of Bermuda get their color from the shells of foraminifera, while the perfect star-shaped sand found in Japan, is the exoskeleton of another microscopic organism. Even the iconic white sand of the Caribbean has a unique origin: it is often the excreted, undigested coral skeletons from parrotfish, which can produce hundreds of pounds of new sand each year.

Want to learn more? Head over to my website www.funfactsdailypod.com and be sure to listen to my other podcasts Who ARTed: Weekly Art History for All Ages or Art Smart. For family fun, check out my son's podcast Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

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