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People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers)
Interview With Expert
The scientific world isn’t just about inventing new gadgets and discovering new planets and species. Pushing the boundaries of human knowledge can be… very uncomfortable at times. Some of the things that researchers discover can be quite disturbing. Like the fact that human brain organoids can be used to create bioprocessors, which is something almost straight out of a dystopian movie.
The members of the r/AskReddit online community revealed some of the scariest science facts they know. We’ve collected some of the most intriguing ones that you might not have been aware of, Pandas. Scroll down to read up on some things that might make you reevaluate how you see the world. But a word of warning: these might keep you up at night!
We wanted to learn more about pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge, so we got in touch with N. Otre Le Vant, the author of 'On Progress in Physics and Subjectivity Theory’ and the founder of Inisev. Read on for Bored Panda's full interview with him.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Trauma can cause structural changes to your brain. PTSD is literally an injury.
Bored Panda asked N. Otre Le Vant, who researches progress in science and uses a pseudonym on purpose, about his thoughts on scientific boundaries that should potentially not be pushed.
"Since the dawn of humanity, discoveries in science and technology have always had two sides: the good and the bad. Nuclear energy can be used to build an atomic bomb, but it can also solve our energy problems. Dynamite can be used in war, but it can also help us access valuable resources by breaking through rock in mining. Even a stone can be used in two ways: to crack open a coconut or to hit someone’s head," he was kind enough to explain to us in an email.
According to the expert, the way to tackle this challenge is to learn to handle our knowledge responsibly.
RELATED:
#2
I only recently learned that when you get sunburned, the burn isn’t because of skin cell damage. The UV radiation damages the DNA. Then the skin cells decide to commit s***ide and fall off so that the damaged DNA doesn’t produce cancer. I’ll never be mad at my skin peeling again.
#3
I don't think this is scary, but some tin-foil-hat types might.
The frequency range that 5G utilizes is the shared with the C-Band frequency range, which commercial satellites have been utilizing for the past 50+ years. If 5G frequencies do anything to humans (They do not) then they have been doing it on a global scale for decades.
Source: I'm a senior engineer at a global satcom company.
"Stopping science is equivalent to stopping to think. It’s also impossible: if we decide to halt certain scientific pursuits, who determines what type of science is permissible and what is not? This is similar to free speech. While some free speech can cause harm, restricting it raises the question: who decides what can be said, and what cannot? Such restrictions are always prone to misuse," he said.
N. Otre Le Vant added that there's no other path forward other than to continue to push science and technology. After all, it's them that we have to thank for the high living standards we can enjoy in this day and age. "We just have to learn how to handle these advancements responsibly."
#4
Homeopathy does not work and it's only proven effects derive from the so-called placebo effect.
Cathy Hinz 1 year ago
Why, as an advanced society, do we still believe snake oil medicine that is NOT supported by science based proof?
#5
Reverting global warming does not unmelt the south pole.
Antarctica is a giant ice mountain (size of US+Canada, average 1km thick) on top of land that is studded by plates of ice in the sea. Think of a very slow moving pudding held in place by a little edge.
All the modeling suggests that once you lose those plates, eventually all the ice will slide into the water.
To refreeze the plates once they are gone, you need an ice age of about -2C to preindustrial, or -3C to current.
There is a 70m of sea level rise of ice on the south pole. The models swing widely on how long it takes to melt on a bunch of factors, but it could be less than 2 centuries for the first 10m.
So either we geoengineer to cool at least the south pole by a tremendous amount, or to hold the ice in place, or in time all coastal regions are lost.
The plates are still in place, but the warmest one is showing signs of stress and thinning. It is linked to 7m of sea level rise if it fails.
To me this is more threatening than any other climate change catastrophe.
Sexual Harassment Panda 1 year ago
I just read that a heat wave in Antarctica put temperatures 50 degrees above normal.
#6
If you're exposed to rabies and start to show symptoms, your chance of survival is virtually zero percent.
Lyone Fein 1 year ago
This is why we always go to the ER for a rabies shot after being bitten by a random dog.
Meanwhile, some facts about the world can make people a bit uncomfortable. We asked the scientific progress researcher for his thoughts on how they can deal with this anxiety. He shared a few possible strategies to help with this.
First of all, he pointed out that our brains have evolved to focus on risks and negatives. It's a survival mechanism that's hard-wired into us. If we understand and recognize this, we can then reduce our anxiety.
The expert also urged everyone to try to focus on the positives. "Scientific discoveries often lead to beneficial advancements," he said that focusing on these can help us develop a more optimistic perspective on science and life.
In the meantime, we should all strive to limit how long we dwell on any unsettling facts that we learn about. To put it bluntly, it's unproductive. "Instead, focus on areas where we can make a positive impact and engage with topics that inspire and uplift us."
#7
Blue whale fart bubbles are big enough to hold a racehorse.
#8
All onions (all veggies in the Allium family) are toxic to dogs. Worst senario then can develop is AIHA, Auto immune hemolytic annemia, whereas the body destroys its own red blood cells. This disease is about 80% fatal. My dog caught it (we are not sure from where) but is was a primary disease (not a result of a cancer). We think he was eating leeks out of the garden. Took a week in the hospital, 2 blood transfusions, and about 6 months of meds to get him back. He started at 45lbs and was down to 19lbs at the worst part of it.
#9
50% of insects have disappeared since 1970. Insect population is down 27% in the last 30 years. Declining between 1 and 4% each year depending on the genus.
Learning more about people, nature, our planet, and the cosmos might be exhilarating, sure. But it can also be downright frightening at times. The more you learn, the more questions you have about how everything works. It’s a humbling experience to realize how little we actually know despite being well-educated.
On top of that, you can uncover a lot of terrifying stuff about how things actually work when your curiosity makes you leave your comfort zone. Whether that’s learning more about climate change, what black holes would do if you were to fall in one (hello, spaghettification), or how the circle of life might be less about balance and more about brutal chaos.
“Some species exclude all others in particular tracts. Where is the balance? When the locust devastates vast regions and causes the death of animals and man, what is the meaning of saying the balance is preserved… To human apprehension there is no balance but a struggle in which one often exterminates another,” wrote British naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace.
#10
There is a naturally occurring thought in many humans named “The Call of the Void” where, without reason, humans see a way they could die and they wonder whether they should kill themselves, even if they have no real intention of doing so
Edit: Yes, the true term is “L’appel du Vide”, the French term for “Call of the Void”. Also, thanks for the awards! I believe this is my first gold.
Aspiring Canuck 1 year ago
I believe this is an example of the many destructive impulses called “intrusive thoughts.”
#11
Microplastics in the food and water supplies are crossing the blood/brain barrier.
Shhh.
#12
Many antibiotics make hormonal birth control stop working. Not just a fact but a warning.
Sexual Harassment Panda 1 year ago (edited)
Good to know, especially if you're in a state where abortion is illegal.
kelsischloe1986 1 year ago
I figured this out too little too late. I was on birth control a year after I had my son and ended up with a uti. Was put on antibiotics while on birth control and continue to be sexually active. About 3 1/2 months past and I started gaining weight. It was my aunt that noticed and said are you pregnant? I was like no way I'm on birth control. A few weeks later I started cramping and in so much pain. Then profusely bleeding. I went to the bathroom, sat on the toilet and a softball size sack fell into the toilet. I had a miscarriage because of the antibiotics and continuing to take the birth control. Well, I guess you could say I got pregnant because of the antibiotics blocking the birth control. Then had a miscarriage because I continue taking the birth control.. It was a very traumatic experience to see the lease..
happyplants28 1 year ago
I was concerned for a moment since I’m on antibiotics and birth control for PCOS… and then I remembered I’m asexual. Phew!
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 1 year ago
Ok the last line made me giggle- fellow ace
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Koalafied to komment 1 year ago
Also true for pills containing St. John's Wort, a plant that is used as an natural antidepressant. Should not be used with hormonal contraceptives
Andrew Cowles 1 year ago
Yeah, St. John's Wort mixes badly with many meds, ironically with many SSI anti depressants. Also Grapefruit (juice) blocks (or consumes) a liver enzyme which can have a dramatic effect on prescription d***s... it'll probably boost blood levels as the liver is busy, but could make it ineffective or dangerous.
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Ritchat 1 year ago
Whenever I had to take antibiotics, my doctors always told me about this sideeffect. So, not a big surprise, not even kinder surprise in this case. Same thing when having diarrhea.
Rayne OfSalt 1 year ago
Activated charcoal in food/drinks also significantly impacts on hormonal birth control. actually, it significantly impacts any medication you take orally.
Fire Singer 1 year ago
Every doctor who prescribes antibiotics should tell you this. I'm 40 now, used birth control starting at 17 until I had my tubes tied in my 30's. I was in my late 20's, so easily 10 years on birth control, when I finally learned this. Had been on antibiotics several times in those 10 years for various reasons. Not one doctor told me this. I was incredibly lucky to not get pregnant. I had to learn this from my sister.
DramaDoc 1 year ago
I want to say it's just oral hormonal contraceptives. I'm on Mounjaro for my T2D and I saw that semiglutides can interfere with birth control as well. My GYN said that since I have an implant, the Mounjaro doesn't impact the bc efficacy. BUT!! As always, check with your PCP about this!!
Happyhappyhappy 1 year ago
Me and my father disagree with each other on this bc, I say almost all cases of an abortion a to protect something, quality of life, the mother, or the child. My dad says that 90% of the time it is for funsies. I can’t get over it
The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
Hormonal BC won’t completely stop when on antibiotics but it will become less effective. If you’re on hormonal BC and antibiotics, use condoms for at least a week after the last dose.
Storm Rise 1 year ago
Also any more than 1000mg of Vit C a day can stop you from absorbing enough of the pill for it to still be effective.
Alison Hobbs 1 year ago
Still can't believe that abortion is illegal in some States (I'm from the UK). My body, my rules!
Martinna Jaap 1 year ago
For the most part pharmacists are supposed to let the patients know about the effects of antibiotics and hormonal birth control. This is why it is very important to be honest with your doctor and pharmacist and to stick with one doctor and one pharmacy that can have all of your records. We can see if you are taking a hormonal birth control and can warn of the side effects of antibiotics.
Julia Mckinney 1 year ago
That's how I got pregnant, 3 months early, with my younger daughter back in '97. (I'd had a miscarriage and the OB-GYN said we couldn't try for 6 months. Welp, 3 months in, I got an upper respiratory/sinus infection over Christmas and got pregnant 3 weeks later.)
UKGrandad 1 year ago
And this is why you should always read the information leaflet that comes with your medication.
Bec 1 year ago
The doctor and pharmacist should be telling every female patient just in case they don't know
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catastrophegirl 1 year ago
when i used to take it my doctor also warned me against taking vitamin c with hormonal birth control
Brenda White 1 year ago
Abortion is the most important issue? Plan B is available to just about anyone except those who are entirely helpless, in that case they'd be so inept they'd carry the child anyway. There are far more important problems than abortion. IDK why Lindsey Graham ever said anything about outlawing it, he's a crook, just like nearly every one of them. Roe V. Wade was largely known to be unconstitutional back in 1984 when I worked at Mass Choice on Beacon Hill in Boston, we were shocked it lasted this long. This issue should be so far down on your list. The commie Marxist m**o's will eat your lunch and spit you out and you're all crying about bodily autonomy. What a bunch of rubes, and I haven't even had an after dinner drink! What I'm trying to tell you is those who are running the show want you all dead, they are the elites who think you cannot think for yourselves, will take away privacy and REAL choice. Good luck with your freedom if you can keep it
JB 1 year ago
The constitution was ratified in 1789. There is nothing in there about cars, speed limits etc but you’re saying abortion is unconstitutional and surprised it lasted so long. Based on your logic, the US should get rid of all technology that has been developed since 1789. To be blunt, if gun technology hadn’t progressed you’d be better off. Nearly one school shooting incident a day during 2023. How does that not make you sick? As to your comment against communism… The USA has never been threatened with communism within your borders, but y’all started more than one war on foreign land “just in case”.
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It’s easy to start getting anxious about all the ways the world could end or how a small accident could lead us to get hurt or worse. Some people develop phobias about certain things in part due to their genetics, and partly due to the environment in which they were raised. For example, if you had a particularly traumatic experience or your parents were scared of something, you might end up developing a phobia related to spiders, deep water, dogs, heights, eating in public, etc.
Dealing with anxiety and moving on from your phobias is a lot of hard work. Often, it’s worth getting in touch with a licensed counselor or psychologist who specializes in handling fears. They might suggest that you try something like exposure therapy and mindfulness techniques to react differently than you usually do when you feel distressed.
#13
Antimicrobial Resistance
The bacteria are getting resistant to the medicine much faster than the rate at which we are producing new medicine.
Soon we will reach a scenario when antibiotics cannot treat simple yet lethal infections.
EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇩🇿🇵🇸 1 year ago
It seems like gp's throw antibiotics at everything. My last doctor was like that. Didn't matter that they all gave me thrush and then he'd try to throw more antibiotics at that. I've a new doctor now who's completely the opposite.
#14
Brain aneurisms can be completely unpredictable and can happen at anytime in your life no matter how healthy you are. A kid who I went to high school with at the age of 16 just did not wake up one morning and his cause of death was a brain aneurism.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
I lost a friend to this as well. She had a 4 year old kid at the time. :(
#15
If your dog swims in a lake after receiving a spot on flea treatment - it absolutely decimates the invertebrate population.
A large dog swimming in 8 Olympic swimming pools worth of water soon after treatment will leech enough neurotoxin to kill 50% of the lake's invertebrate population within 48 hours. I say "after" I mean relatively soon after, within say a day, to have an effect quite this devistating. The leeching does reduce over the month, but it's still there and the effect of multiple dogs still allows for a terrible buildup of chemicals.
For example, someone might be scared of deep bodies of water (they develop thalassophobia) because they might have learned something disturbing about them or they nearly drowned in the past. Exposure therapy in this particular case could include looking at photos of the sea and listening to the sound of the waves while the therapist guides the person and reminds them that they’re not at risk.
What is the scariest science fact that you personally know, dear Pandas? Which of the facts in this list creeped you out the most? How do you deal with the anxiety that comes from knowing too much about how scary the world can be? If you have a moment, share your thoughts in the comments section. For science!
#16
That you should never use bleach to clean cat pee.
The combination creates Chlorine gas that is very toxic.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Technically it's a gas called Chloramine. It's worse than chlorine. Chlorine irritates your eyes and mucus membranes and tells you to GTFO. Chloramine can reach deadly levels when you can barely smell it.
#17
There's many unknown and forgotten diseases trapped in the permafrost and it's slowly but surely melting away. There's been a few cases in Russia (while exploring for oil/gas I believe) of people dying of strange diseases that we have no idea how to treat, because they've basically been hidden there since before medicine even existed. Some could be contagious, we just know very little about it.
reuben kift 1 year ago
This is just one of the things I worry about in regards to climate change. If just one of these long-lost diseases is contagious, regardless of how it's passed (direct contact or airborne), then there could be a pandemic on such a scale that modern medicine may not be able to cope. And with the world as populated as it is and with travel between countries and across seas being much faster, it would spread quickly. Ebola, y'know, that disease that was on the news that everyone seems to have forgotten about, is still here. There is a likelihood that it may become airborne and if it does (not likely, but not impossible), it has a 90% fatality rate. And we already know about that one. What if the ones lying dormant under permafrost are higher or are already airborne diseases? That's just one of the reasons why we must slow climate change down.
#18
Magnolia plants are so old that they predate the evolution of pollination by bees. They were pollinated by beetles :).
#19
The plague is still out there. The Bubonic Plague is endemic in many parts of the world, but cases are very rare because we've got it pretty well handled.
If there's a general breakdown in society like a nuclear war, super volcano eruption or asteroid impact?
It's out there waiting to come back.
Sara Frazer 1 year ago
I don't wanna be *that person*, but the difference in this model's nails bothers me 😮💨
#20
The youngest persons who developed Alzheimer's were around 25 years old. One lady got diagnosed with it at 31 while pregnant.
Btw, when you get the disease at like 65, it didn't suddenly begin. It has been creeping up and ravaging your brain for at least 20 years if not more. You just didn't realise it because our brain is very good at compensating damages until it cannot. Basically, the day you lose yourself in the supermarket, it's too late, your brain is mostly mush and there is so far nothing you can do.
That mean that if you are 40-60 years old and reading this, chances are that some of you already started to experience the onset of alzheimer's brain degeneration, it's just not advanced enough for you to realise it.
Have a nice day !
Nils Skirnir 1 year ago
And even better, it might often be triggered by viruses and the shingles vaccine reduces chances of getting it (correlated with lower incidents). Also it is especially high in WW2 and Silent generations compared to later ones at same points in life.
#21
I learned about Ton 618 the other day. My facts here may be mildly incorrect, feel free to google.
It’s a black hole about 10.3 billion light years away, but we can still detect the massive amount of light bending around it. It’s so large, they had to make a new category of black hole for it called “Ultramassive Black Holes”. It’s believed to be the largest “thing” in the universe. It’s diameter is **14 times** the diameter of Neptunes orbit. So it could fit our entire solar system in it 14 times across, side to side. If the black hole replaced our sun, we would be deleted. If it replaced the black hole that is currently at the centre of the Milky Way, within 120 years the Milky Way would be deleted. This black hole doesn’t swallow planets, it swallows entire *Galaxies*.
The idea of this thing freaks me the f**k out.
Edit: Woah I went for a nap and this blew Tf up. Most upvoted comment of all time, les gooo
So yeah I was mistaken a few times here; like if the black hole replaced ours it would take 120 years to destroy *us*, not the entire galaxy. The black hole is larger than I originally said, and true black holes don’t technically give off light, but they are pretty much “surrounded by light”.
I typed this out from memory and sadly my memory is pure garbage, but still I’m glad this encouraged you folks to look more into it and stuff. Space is cool and terrifying, huh?
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Hopefully, if the black hole taps the sun on its shoulder and says "I'm here to cover your break," the sun will say it's already eaten.
#22
Airplanes are dynamically stable, but helicopters are dynamically unstable. That means, if an airplane pilot lets go of the controls of a small plane with no autopilot, if it's correctly trimmed and balanced it will keep flying level until it runs out of fuel. If a helicopter pilot lets go of the controls, in about 2.4 seconds, it will tip over to such a degree that it is unrecoverable. We can let go of one control (the collective) for a little while by frictioning it in place to change the radio, adjust something, scratch our nose or whatever - but it's friction on, do the thing with the left hand, friction off and hand back on the collective. We fly three seconds away from falling out of the sky all the time.
(But then that's also kinda the same for bicycles, although they can only tip left and right, not every direction. Subconsciously, you are always adusting your weight and controlling the steering to stay upright - same thing in a heli. You balance on a column of air, and you keep balancing the whole time, just like on a bike. You don't even notice, you just do it.).
#23
Activated charcoal in foods and drinks can decrease the effectiveness of any medications you take. Those "instagrammable" black foods can end up killing you if you're not careful.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
Activated charcoal isn't something you should take to "detox your liver" at home, or before you go out for a night of heavy drinking to "absorb the alcohol" to "prevent a hangover". It is used medically for SERIOUS conditions where they can't give you an antidote/magical cure for whatever you are poisoned with and need to absorb the bad junk ASAP. Leave activated charcoal to the medical professionals and not to your ice-cream shop or toothpaste brand.
#24
Microplastics are revealed in the placentas of unborn babies.
EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇩🇿🇵🇸 1 year ago
God that's another scary fact. This whole post is very unnerving
#25
So many people will struggle with infertility. It's not talked about or really discussed in middle school or highschool in health class. When it happens, it's such a shock to the families and they are completely unprepared. The numbers are going up as well. Statistical 1/4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. Which is pretty high but again, miscarriage isn't discussed.
#26
A lot of people in rural towns with an elevated cemetery around (this happens in Ireland a lot)….there is formaldehyde leaking into the drinking water. But it won’t kill you, but the thought of drinking dead people juice is probably equally bad. Sorry not sorry.
#27
When doing an autopsy they don’t put the organs back where they belong, they are all stored in the belly.
#28
Limnic eruptions.
There are pockets of Co2 trapped under lakes all around the world that can be released at anytime creating an invisible tidal wave that kills everything in its path. Since it's heavier than air you will just suddenly start choking and die.
#29
Politics plays a huge part in scientific research.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
::sad facepalming is heard from the general direction of America::
#30
An electric current of only 20mA is enough to stop your heart and kill you. Under the right conditions, even a nine volt battery can be lethal
Tldr: we humans are incredibly easy to kill.
#31
Approximately 30% (in some reports) of the world's population have the parasite toxoplasma gondii in their brain. For a long time it's through to have been a benign presence, but recent statistical research shows that it may have an impact on things like levels of anger and rates of accidents and suicide.
When gondii is on rats it changes their behaviour so that they find the smell of cat urine sexually appealing. So they find cats and get eaten. In the gut of the cat the parasite can reproduce.
#32
You can overdose on water. Basically you dilute the normal chemical balance of your body so much you can cause serious damage, it's called hyponatremia.
In an EMT class, I heard a story of an old woman who bought distilled nutrient free water, normally used for ironing clothes or something, because it was cheaper, she had to call 911 and it took a while to figure out the problem.
#33
At any given time the Earth can be hit with a gamma ray burst. We won’t see it coming since it moves at the speed of light and all life apart from deep underground or deep in the ocean will be wiped out in minutes. Although unlikely it can happen at any time.
Spencer's slave no longer 1 year ago
We'll be fine down here in New Zealand because we don't exist on most maps of Earth...
#34
Heart muscle cells don’t reproduce much in adults (roughly 1% per year). If you have an infarction or other stressor that kills those cells, then your heart wont be able to “grow” new cells to replace the dead ones. This is why patients with diseases like heart failure end up needing a heart transplant. Trying to get this process to happen is a major goal for many cardiac researchers.
#35
The human body temperature in developed countries is actually declining, and at the same time, global warming is increasing the temperature thresholds for many fungus types.
This is leading to a whole new medical issue of fungus infecting humans and its main source of protection (body temperature) is no longer working.
That body temperature is a large reason for the success of mammals all over the world.. After the K-T extinction the sun was blocked and cold-blooded species couldn't raise their body temperature to kill off infections in their bodies. There is ample evidence that aft K-T Fungus spread all over the world in massive quantities, which leads many to believe this lead to the ascendancy of mammals on earth.
#36
Before the vaccine, the number of people who have had HPV infection, and have had at least one sexual partner, was 85% in females and 91% of males. By far the most common STI.
#37
Late to the party, but here goes:
There are weaponized strains of anthrax which can remain viable and dangerous for 40+ years after release. In 1942, the UK tested an anthrax bomb on Gruinard Island, killing a flock of sheep in days (some died in hours.) Examination showed that the spores could remain active "for decades" and decontamination proved impossible at the time. The project was scrapped.
Fast forward to 1981, an eco-terrorist group smuggled a sample off of the island and threatened the UK government with releasing it if the island wasn't decontaminated. The spores were still active and deadly. It took 4 years to plan and execute the cleanup, using 280 tons of formaldehyde in a seawater solution, and removing 7 hectares worth of soil to a depth of 3 feet (about 58,000 tons of topsoil) where the concentration was too high for the juice to do the job. The island was confirmed clean in 1990, 4 years after cleanup began.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
Fortunately, even inhalation anthrax infections are only fatal 45% of the time, thanks to modern treatment. (If you do not get treatment it and it progresses, fatality rates can jump to nearly 100%.) Cutaneous anthrax is fatal only 20% of the time. Gastrointestinal anthrax fatality rates are 25% to 60%. ALL forms can be treated. If you are traveling to somewhere where anthrax is endemic (regions in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, central and southwestern Asia, and southern and eastern Europe), take precautions. If you think you have been exposed to any form of anthrax, seek medical attention immediately.
#38
Scientists don't know exactly how Acetaminophen works to relieve pain and reduce fever. They have an idea but nothing for sure. But yet it's the most commonly used pain reliever in the world.
arthbach 1 year ago
It is still being debated whether paracetamol (acetaminophen) inhibits prostaglandin synthesis or works through an active metabolite influencing cannabinoid receptors. This is an area of study for researchers. However, the important thing is we know it works, how well it works, and the safe dose levels.
#39
Not sure if this counts but no matter what we do the final result will always be the same. We will all die, the universe will cease to exist eventually and everything will become nothing.
#41
Your microwave has several components that can kill you by touch. NEVER OPEN THE INSIDES OF A MICROWAVE!!!!!
#42
CVS is about to close most of its outlet pharmacies. Which means many small-towns across the US will be without a conventionally available pharmacy, until others replace them.
Not to mention, in most districts, there simply aren't enough pharmacists to cover shifts to keep stores open. In my district, there's an average of two stores closed every day due to staff shortage. One store was closed for four days in a row.
People are going to die. There isn't a solution in sight.
#43
Another Carrington Event.
The 'original Carrington event was in 1859, which was basically an intense geomagnetic storm that disrupted/knocked out telegrams because thats all the technology there was to disrupt back then.
Nowadays we use electricity for virtually everything. If it hit now the effect would be like an EMP, but globally. There'd be no functional technology that involved electrics.
In essence, losing all electrics would in turn stop communications, then logistics and then fundamental infrastructure like food distribution, healthcare and utilities (other than electricity).
#45
We still have no idea what consciousness is. Worse, we have not many ideas how to think about it. Just some philosophical ideas (Dennet, Chalmers etc).
I mean we don't know how to build interstellar ship, but we could write books and make movies about it. We could speculate about different approaches and ideas. For consciousness it's not true. We don't know why it exists, what is "I", what is the role of consciousness, how it emerges, how to research it and so on.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
Can confirm from personal experience that if you start thinking about this at night, you will not sleep XD
#46
Farm salmon loses the pink color in captivity because its natural diet consist on krill and shrimp. So there are companies that offer artificial pink pellets that you can feed to the salmon in order to get the ideal Pantone.
Also the salmon is loaded with antibiotics due to farm parasites, yummy!
#47
How easy it is to create large amounts of high-explosives.
Everyone determined enough and desperate enough can create easy workable explosives.
#48
The Vacuum Decay death of the universe.
The basic eli5 premise is that it is possible that at some point in the universe , the universe itself started collapsing into a more stable version of itself, and once this started , the 'collapse' spreads outwards into all directions at the speed of light. Because it travels at the speed of light , there is no way to know it's coming.
You could literally stop existing the next second.
Peter Parker 1 year ago
This is just a theoretical scenario, so don't lose your sleep over this.
#49
Bananas could be gone within a year.
We only grow one type of banana tree. If a specific infection occurs that kills that kind of tree, it woult spread like wildfire and we have no alternative.... Appearently this already happened now so long ago.
catastrophegirl 1 year ago
it certainly used to be harder to get anything but the cavendish in grocery stores in the US. but i grew up with bananas growing in the yard, little red ones. and i can now go to my local asian or latin american grocery stores and get at least half a dozen kinds of bananas. too bad i don't actually like bananas.
#50
Governments around the world have, and are developing, weapons technologies that can easily wipe out all life on Earth.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
That, sadly, has been happening for hundreds of years :( Not just weapons tech but chemical, bacterial, viral, etc.
#51
1 in 3 people will get cancer
arthbach 1 year ago
Many, many people will have cancer at some point in their life. A former colleague has prostate cancer. His oncologist has said this will be something he will live with, rather than die from. Cancer shows up on the autopsies of lots of people, but it's not what killed them.
#52
If my college biology professor wasn't completely misinformed, most humans have some form of parasite living inside them. Some variety of worm, etc. There are just creepy crawlies in our insides and we might never notice them.
The one that came closest to giving me nightmares was hookworms. Although the thought that you could have heartworms kind of messed with me, too. Evidently, they're not just for dogs.
EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇩🇿🇵🇸 1 year ago
It's the eyebrow and eyelash bugs that freak me out. The idea of it just makes me shiver
#53
Neutrinos are a particle that has an extremely small chance of interacting with matter. Like if a rock was dropped randomly from space to the Earth, the chance it would hit a specific target is similar to the chance it would interact with any matter. They have to build huge chambers deep in the earth and wait ~~months~~ *a while* to have the possibility to detect one from the countless that constantly zoom through the Earth from the sun.
If the sun were to go supernova, it would create so many neutrinos that they would kill you assuming nothing else did.
Edit: apparently, they detect more than I expected, several hundred a year.
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 year ago
But according to Col. Jack O'Neill, "Nintendos go through everything!"
#54
If there is a nuclear attack on a city, don't expect a rescue or medical attention. The area will be so irradiated damaged that red cross will only be able to drop supplies from high altitudes and not let anyone out for risk of contaminates leaving the area.
David 1 year ago (edited)
First part likely true. Last part likely false. Wherever they chose to set the perimeter, if people can make it to the perimeter, they will likely have decon showers set up same as they do for a nuclear spill. Strip, shower, monitor. Anyone well enough to try to leave the area is unlikely to be a danger to others once decontaminated and isolated. They might still die from radiation poisoning but they won't be the glowing zombies you see in some movies or Fallout 4
#55
Anthrax spores can remain viable for decades in the soil or animal products such as dried or processed hides and wool.
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