All modern means of communication rely on glass. From the Gorilla glass on our phones to the infotainment screens on our cars. But when I think of the internet I think of 5G, Starlink satellites, and WiFi, and I never think about the 750,000 miles of fiber optic cables currently running under our oceans: the tiny strands of glass that carry all of our photos, emails, and video chats. It is through these hair-thin strands of fiber that we are able to instantly communicate to almost anyone, anywhere, and it all relies on a 5,000-year-old technology: glass.
Learn more:
The Verge’s sponsors play an important role in funding our journalism, but do not influence editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit
Subscribe:
Like The Verge on :
on :
on :
The Vergecast Podcast:
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
More about our podcasts:
Read More:
Community guidelines:
Wallpapers from The Verge:
Subscribe to Verge Science on YouTube, a new home base for our explorations into the future of science:
Credit: YouTube/The Verge