When I was a kid, I had this eschewed vision of what lava could do. I had weird fantasies of lining up my toys next to the base of a volcano and watching the toxic plastic, become deformed representations of what Hasbro initially sold my mom. Not for once thinking that my shoes, feet and legs would be destroyed in the process of watching my toys turn to ash. I've always wanted to get close enough to touch a "super-teensy" portion and taste it. Because when you're a kid you think lava tastes like hot orange sherbert.
Which, even in theory, is a terrible taste to imagine. When I see this eager scientist running up to the lava lake. I see an educated man tapping into that child that [momentarily] threw away logic and is dead-set on putting is toys as close to destruction as possible.
It's cool that he got the sample and can study the inner-workings of how our planet reacts to our existence. I'd still like to see what lava does to some die-cast metal though.
Enjoy