Join the Fun!

TheJWeed , Rachel Claire / Pexels Report

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.

#2

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

232points

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TribbleThinking 1 month ago

*gratitude to gallant skin cells*

85points

#3

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Ocksu2 , Robin Kearney / Flickr Report

Final score:

186points

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Peter Parker 1 month ago

This is actually reassuring.

57points

FormalExplanation412 , Nataliya Vaitkevich / Pexels Report

"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

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) Homeopathy does not work and it's only proven effects derive from the so-called placebo effect.

Final score:

182points

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Cathy Hinz 1 month ago

Why, as an advanced society, do we still believe snake oil medicine that is NOT supported by science based proof?

103points

#5

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

sanderjk , Pixabay / Pexels Report

Final score:

178points

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Sexual Harassment Panda 1 month ago

I just read that a heat wave in Antarctica put temperatures 50 degrees above normal.

45points

DonkeyTron42 , Polina Tankilevitch / Pexels Report

#6

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) If you're exposed to rabies and start to show symptoms, your chance of survival is virtually zero percent.

Final score:

168points

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Lyone Fein 1 month ago

This is why we always go to the ER for a rabies shot after being bitten by a random dog.

79points

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

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) Blue whale fart bubbles are big enough to hold a racehorse.

soldinio , Elianne Dipp / Pexels Report

Final score:

164points

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I-like-dogs 1 month ago

Ok this one is kinda funny

87points

crusttysack , Michael Burrows / Pexels Report

#8

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

153points

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Lorraine Woollands 1 month ago

Anyone who has a dog should know this anyway

70points

Magoogooo , Quang Nguyen Vinh / Pexels Report

#9

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

149points

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Nils Skirnir 1 month ago

Except mosquitos

119points

Pixelpeoplewarrior Report

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.

Final score:

145points

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Aspiring Canuck 1 month ago

I believe this is an example of the many destructive impulses called “intrusive thoughts.”

83points

MonsieurReynard , Helena Lopes / Pexels Report

#11

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) Microplastics in the food and water supplies are crossing the blood/brain barrier.

Shhh.

Final score:

132points

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lwolf1952 1 month ago

We're toast.

56points

#12

Many antibiotics make hormonal birth control stop working. Not just a fact but a warning.

stopnoyoustop Report

Final score:

127points

POST

Sexual Harassment Panda 1 month ago (edited)

Good to know, especially if you're in a state where abortion is illegal.

87points

Earthquake903 1 month ago

True that! Vote in November folks.

40points

Pandemonium 1 month ago

Don't be crazy. Ever since Roe v. Wade a woman has control over her own body. There's no way s bunch of old men in robes would mess with that and take the US back to the days when women were 2nd-class citizens.

14points

Robert T 1 month ago

The US gets more an more like Egypt every day - total state of denial!

10points

Rabbit Of ill Portent(she/her) 1 month ago

Liberty and Justice for all my left tiddy! MY body MY rules!!!

4points

Nikolaj Christensen 1 month ago

Like Iran or Afghanistan... oh wait...

3points

Jude Laskowski 1 month ago

If men used commonly-available birth control all the time, women wouldn't have to be as concerned about this. It's always up to the woman.

2points

Leesa DeAndrea 1 month ago

If the christo-fascists gain control of national government, they will outlaw birth control too. They are fanatics, completely nuts.

1point

Ann Turner-Drevalas 1 month ago

that's how my stepbrothers 4th child was born. antibiotics were prescribed by his wife's OB/Gyn. never mentioned that side effect.

0points

kelsischloe1986 1 month 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..

15points

BarfyCat 1 month ago

I'm so sorry that happened to you, that's just awful

5points

PattyK 1 month ago

… experience, to say the least.

-2points

UKGrandad 1 month ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

happyplants28 1 month 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!

14points

Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 1 month ago

Ok the last line made me giggle- fellow ace

4points

Koalafied to komment 1 month 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

10points

Andrew Cowles 1 month 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.

1point

Ritchat 1 month 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.

7points

WindySwede 1 month ago

Not even "Überraschungskinder" then 👍

5points

Rayne OfSalt 1 month ago

Activated charcoal in food/drinks also significantly impacts on hormonal birth control. actually, it significantly impacts any medication you take orally.

5points

Fire Singer 1 month 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.

4points

DramaDoc 1 month 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!!

4points

Happyhappyhappy 1 month 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

2points

The Darkest Timeline 1 month 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.

2points

Red Hair Blue Soul 1 month ago

Aaaaand this is how I got pregnant with my daughter

1point

Brandy Bryan 1 month ago

Yeah I learned that 30 years ago.... through experience. Lol

1point

Jan 1 month ago

Yes and I learned that on my own. The doctor never said a word about it. Fortunately I never experienced an accidental pregnancy from this.

1point

Heather Menard 1 month ago

This has been known for years

1point

Sparky M 1 month ago

Calm down! rifampicin and rifabutin can affect birth control pills, not others. Check with your doctor if concerned, of course, (not me) https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/antibiotics/interactions/

1point

Kellie Flores 1 month ago

I thought this was disproven in recent years.

0points

Gracie Mae 1 month ago

yep, found that out the hard way!

0points

Albert Pike 1 month ago

Who's getting jiggy when they're ill?

0points

Storm Rise 1 month 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.

0points

Alison Hobbs 1 month ago

Still can't believe that abortion is illegal in some States (I'm from the UK). My body, my rules!

0points

Martinna Jaap 1 month 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.

0points

Julia Mckinney 1 month 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.)

0points

UKGrandad 1 month ago

And this is why you should always read the information leaflet that comes with your medication.

0points

Bec 1 month ago

The doctor and pharmacist should be telling every female patient just in case they don't know

3points

Emma Schumann 1 month ago

My daughter is grateful for this. She wouldn't exist otherwise

0points

catastrophegirl 1 month ago

when i used to take it my doctor also warned me against taking vitamin c with hormonal birth control

0points

Laura Ashton 1 month ago

Your doctor is incompetent if he/she didn't warn you about this. Read the leaflet in the packet stup1d people.

-1point

Thom Serveaux 1 month ago

Yeah, people who need antibiotics aren't always in a state to read through the pamphlet.

2points

Kelly Boreham 1 month ago

This is not true.

-1point

Ace 1 month ago

NO. This is nothing more than an urban myth! https://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/birth-control-antibiotics

-2points

BebeR 1 month ago

''It found no proof that any antibiotics other than the rifamycins affect how well your birth control works.'' Rifamycins are bactericidal *antibiotics* so that's a bit misleading.

3points

Brenda White 1 month 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

-3points

JB 1 month 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”.

1point

anon , Chokniti Khongchum / Pexels Report

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

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

124points

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EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇩🇿🇵🇸 1 month 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.

40points

To_Fight_The_Night , Robina Weermeijer / Unsplash Report

#14

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

116points

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Upstaged75 1 month ago

I lost a friend to this as well. She had a 4 year old kid at the time. :(

34points

#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.

pbourree Report

Final score:

114points

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WindySwede 1 month ago

By this I'm glad only cats here.

22points

younaughtypossum , Nothing Ahead / Pexels Report

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

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) That you should never use bleach to clean cat pee.
The combination creates Chlorine gas that is very toxic.

Final score:

112points

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 month 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.

70points

#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.

Incorect_Speling Report

Final score:

111points

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reuben kift 1 month 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.

54points

#18

Magnolia plants are so old that they predate the evolution of pollination by bees. They were pollinated by beetles :).

aincs22 Report

Final score:

106points

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Heather W 1 month ago

Bees used to process corpses. Mmmm. Meat honey.

27points

#19

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

gogojack , Nandhu Kumar / Pexels Report

Final score:

104points

POST

Sara Frazer 1 month ago

I don't wanna be *that person*, but the difference in this model's nails bothers me 😮‍💨

95points

Matrozi , cottonbro studio / Pexels Report

#20

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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 !

Final score:

100points

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Nils Skirnir 1 month 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.

43points

#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?

TTungsteNN Report

Final score:

98points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 month 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.

32points

#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.).

WriterofWords2021 Report

Final score:

97points

POST

Owen 1 month ago

My Dad is an engineer, and worked developing helicopter blades and motors. He will not get on a helicopter, and told me to never get on one. Because if anything goes wrong... you're f*cked.

48points

avril04 , Polina Tankilevitch / Pexels Report

#23

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

94points

POST

LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month 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.

98points

SuperfluouslySlims , Leah Newhouse / Pexels Report

#24

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) Microplastics are revealed in the placentas of unborn babies.

Final score:

89points

POST

Green Tree 1 month ago

They have also been found in human hearts and brains

33points

Doromclosie , Kampus Production / Pexels Report

#25

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

87points

POST

Nils Skirnir 1 month ago

One quarter of known pregnancies. Likely much higher

73points

PurnimaTitha , Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels Report

#26

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

81points

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TribbleThinking 1 month ago

Stop embalming as a matter of course.

61points

Chariatid , Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images Report

#27

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) When doing an autopsy they don’t put the organs back where they belong, they are all stored in the belly.

Final score:

77points

POST

David 1 month ago

That isn't "scary". If you're dead you're dead. That's like saying, "Isn't it scary that after you are buried your body starts to decompose?". (actually it starts when you die but you get what I mean)

100points

#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.

MurderDoneRight Report

Final score:

77points

POST

TribbleThinking 1 month ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos_disaster. 🙂‍↕️

48points

#29

Politics plays a huge part in scientific research.

anon Report

Final score:

77points

POST

LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month ago

::sad facepalming is heard from the general direction of America::

69points

#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.

Ka0z_WARRIOR Report

Final score:

76points

POST

VikingAbroad 1 month ago

Tldr: don't lick batteries to test if they work.

49points

#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.

nervouscrying Report

Final score:

74points

POST

David 1 month ago

Cleaning my cat's litter box never made me horny so perhaps I'm okay. /J

88points

#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.

Reddennisit Report

Final score:

70points

POST

Kangaroo 1 month ago

There was a lady who did a radio contest to win a Wii for her son - contestants had to drink as much water as they could without going to the bathroom, and whoever drank the most would win. She died of hyponatremia :(

68points

#33

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

anon , NEOM / Pexels Report

Final score:

69points

POST

Spencer's slave no longer 1 month ago

We'll be fine down here in New Zealand because we don't exist on most maps of Earth...

102points

#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.

Keiterchip Report

Final score:

67points

POST

𝖊𝖜𝖔𝛋 1 month ago

The research into zebra (?) fish is fascinating because they can regenerate heart cells and have a low rate of heart disease. Or something like that, read about it years ago. I wonder if stem cell research can help with this as well?

27points

Reverend_Ooga_Booga , Pixabay / Pexels Report

#35

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

Final score:

67points

POST

Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 month ago

Three mushroom pizzas for this fun guy.

51points

#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.

carringtonagain Report

Final score:

64points

POST

Kangaroo 1 month ago

Get your HPV vaccine folks!

31points

#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.

ivanthemute Report

Final score:

60points

POST

LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 month 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.

32points

#38

People Share The Scariest Science Facts They Know (40 Answers) 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.

anon , Pixabay / Pexels Report

Final score:

58points

POST

arthbach 1 month 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.

33points