50 Pictures That Will Completely Change The Way You Look At The World
So that's what a zebra's stripes are for!
1. This is how you weigh a koala:
2. A bee's stinger is finer than a needle:
3. The last surviving Civil War veteran died in 1956, 91 years after the conflict ended:
4. Unused footage from Curb Your Enthusiasm helped save Juan Catalan's life — he likely would've received the death penalty if he had been found guilty of a crime he didn't commit:
5. Global warming might feel like a 21st century issue, but we've known about it for over 100 years:
6. This 300-foot-wide smiley face in Oregon only appears when the foliage changes with the seasons:
7. Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, which she accomplished despite multiple attempts to physically stop her:
Kathrine Switzer entered and completed the Boston Marathon in 1967, five years before women were officially allowed to compete in it. After realizing a woman was running, organizer Jock Semple tried to stop her. Some people provided a protective shield so she could complete it. from nextfuckinglevel
8. Crows are highly intelligent, can recognize humans they've encountered before, and can even use tools to solve problems. These particular crows may have* intentionally made these "gifts" and left them for some friendly humans:
We've been feeding a small family of four crows (mated pair and their two year old kids) for several years. Last week two days in a row they left these gifts, pull tabs threaded onto pine twigs. This isn't only generous, it's creative, it's art. My mind is blown.
*This article from the Audubon Society goes in depth about the claim made in this tweet.
9. This is what a 787 looks like without any seats in it:
10. In Nepal, an entire day is dedicated to celebrating dogs — and not just pets, either. Stray dogs are also honored during the festivities:
11. A zebra's stripes have a very specific evolutionary significance:
12. There's a mysterious and controversial monument in the state of Georgia called the Georgia Guidestones. Apparently only one man knows who built it, and he vows never to tell:
The instructions read:Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity. Unite humanity with a living new language. Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court. Avoid petty laws and useless officials. Balance personal rights with social duties. Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite. Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature.
- Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
13. Remote learning during a health crisis isn't an internet age phenomenon — we've done it before (in 1937):
14. This is what a squirrel nest in use looks like:
15. We sent jellyfish into space, and they seemed to like it there quite a bit:
16. Because of permafrost, the bodies buried in this Norway cemetery will never decompose, so burials here have been banned since the 1950s:
17. Allan Ganz holds the Guinness World Record for the longest career as an ice cream man:
18. This mirror selfie was allegedly taken a century ago:
19. This stump is still alive thanks to a little help from its friends:
Here's an example of a so-called "trees knee", that is, a living stump of a Douglas-fir that has healed over with bark and is kept alive via mycorrhizal fungal connections between its roots to the roots of living trees surrounding it, who send it nutrients to survive in this sort of zombie nub state from Damnthatsinteresting
20. This is how jeeps were shipped overseas during World War II:
21. Wolves are a lot bigger than you think — much bigger than most dog breeds:
22. This is how eggplants got their name:
23. This deep sea fish found in the Arctic looks as if it's made of ice:
24. That viral photo of a blobfish (aka a psychrolute) isn't what a healthy blobfish actually looks like:
25. William Still is an unsung hero of the Underground Railroad who selflessly risked his own freedom to free enslaved people and reunite families:
26. The tiny hats that come with bottles of tequila actually serve a purpose:
27. Someone created a massive replica of ancient Rome that took 36 years to finish and is "now considered one of the most important references for how ancient Rome looked":
28. And this bird's-eye view of Tokyo looks a lot like a replica too:
29. Here's how much the Arctic has changed in the last century:
30. The moon appears in many colors:
31. Humans aren't the only species that likes to get high:
32. Oysters are filter feeders, and adult oysters have been known to filter as much as 50 gallons per day:
33. The Choctaw Nation donated $170 (the equivalent of $5,000 in 1847) to aid the Irish during a famine when they could barely spare it themselves:
34. This is what happens when lightning strikes in the desert:
35. You don't have to pay to read scientific papers if you know what you're looking for:
That $35 that scientific journals charge you to read a paper goes 100% to the publisher, 0% to the authors. If you just email us to ask for our papers, we are allowed to send them to you for free, and we will be genuinely delighted to do so. https://t.co/NHEfiOMLfG
