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In a world that’s in a constant state of change, you can never stop learning. That’s why many of us are always hungry for tasty knowledge bites and nibbles of information to help us better navigate our surroundings. However, as much as it is easy to be amazed by what humanity and nature are capable of, there’s also a darker side we often overlook.
So quite recently, Redditor RefrigeratorDry495 decided to learn more about it and reached out to AskReddit to start up a thread about simple yet incredibly disturbing and scary facts. People from far and wide rolled up their sleeves and started typing out responses that really are not for the faint of heart.
From creepy stuff about our past to alarmingly unsettling statistics, we at Bored Panda handpicked some of the most popular answers from the thread. So if you’re ready to witness how real life can be far more terrifying than fiction, continue scrolling and share your thoughts with us in the comments! A small note of warning, though, some of these facts can seem a bit overwhelming, so if you’re in great need of something lighter, take a look at our recent post full of wholesome stories right here.
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#1
Sharks have been around for at least 420 million years, meaning they have survived four of the “big five” mass extinctions. That makes them older than humanity, older than Mount Everest, older than dinosaurs, older even than trees. Yet we could potentially see them extinct in our lifetime
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#2
If a biological trait is common in almost every human, then it evolved for a reason. Almost everybody has the same response to the "uncanny valley," or in other words we are made uncomfortable by things that look almost human but not quite. This implies humans once had a reason to fear something that looks human but isn't.
#3
Egyptian mummies wouldn’t be so rare today if the Victorian British hadn’t eaten most of them.
If there’s one thing that never ceases to amaze us, it's the amount of knowledge in the world. We can spend a lifetime trying to make sense of our surroundings by gathering new information every chance we get. One additional perk is that we get to spice up dull conversations and come up with new brilliant ideas to make this planet just a tad better.
More often than not, however, we applaud and celebrate the technological breakthroughs that we humans manage to create and also the mesmerizing beauty of the natural world. Let’s be honest, the disturbing and scary facts about real life may catch our attention, but they’re bound to send shivers down our spines. Sure, it’s better to be safe than sorry, but who really wants to know about massive super volcanos or missing nuclear weapons that have never been recovered? That's nightmare material right there.
#4
You have no way of really knowing if everyone experiences reality and consciousness the same way you do.
#5
Statistically speaking, if you are a woman and get murdered, it was most likely by a family member, partner or ex-partner, in your own home.
If you are a man and get murdered, it was most likely by an acquaintance or stranger, in a public place.
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
I watch a lot of true crime, and when a woman gets murdered it's actually surprising when it turns out NOT to be the boyfriend/husband.
#6
Maximum part of oxygen came from sea/oceans. But people always talks about protecting trees not sea/oceans.
And i was like WTF!! 2 years ago
If i am not mistaken (correct me if i am) algae and corrals do most of the work converting Carbon dioxide to oxygen
But it looks like turning a blind eye to the uneasy side of life is not that easy. You see, there’s one thing we humans are wired to do — seek out the gloom. As daunting as that may sound, we have this tendency to give more significance to negative thoughts than positive or neutral ones, something the experts call the negativity bias.
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Hardwiring Happiness, explained that humans evolved to be fearful, and it helped keep us alive. "This vulnerability to feeling threatened has effects at many levels, ranging from individuals, couples, and families, to schoolyards, organizations and nations," he wrote and stressed how important it is to be aware of how our brains become wary if we want to regain some amount control in the way we perceive the world.
#7
the world invests more money in viagra and botox than in the study of Alzheimer
#8
Moving back the start time for school in an area resulted in 70% less car accidents.
Similarly at each daylight saving, heart attacks and accidents decrease with an hour of extra sleep and increase with an hour less of sleep.
Sleep is crazy important.
Jenny Michelle 2 years ago
Moving back the start time would mean less sleep though right? ..I'm just confused on that part because it resulted in less accidents when school was earlier but similarly the extra hours sleep meant less heart attacks and accidents..sleep is important but wouldn't you be losing sleep if the school run was earlier ?
#9
Cotard's syndrome, also called "walking corpse syndrome," is a condition wherein the patient believes they are dead, dying, missing parts of their bodies, or don't exist.
Some people with Cotard's syndrome may stop speaking or eating since they believe they're dead.
Hanson stated that the nervous system has been evolving for 600 million years. "Our ancestors had to make a critical decision many times a day: approach a reward or avoid a hazard,” he wrote. People had to find food, have children, and hide from predators to survive and avoid threats.
However, if our ancestors missed out on food one day, they could easily find some more the next. But if they failed to dodge potential dangers, they didn't get the chance to pass on their genes to future generations. "Consequently, your body generally reacts more intensely to negative stimuli than to equally strong positive ones," Hanson explained.
#10
You can condition someone with zero personal/family history of mental illness into having some very severe mental illnesses within about a week.
#11
The entire planet could be immediately destroyed by any one of a number of cosmic events that we have no way of seeing or stopping like rogue black holes.
Worse...there are some events we can very much see coming, but do absolutely nothing about.
Karri Berkowitz 2 years ago
Like killing Earth. Last I knew of we can't just move to another planet.
#12
I read somewhere ( don’t remember where) that you are more likely to be bitten by someone in New York than to be bitten by a shark.
"The alarm bell of your brain — the amygdala (you’ve got two of these little almond-shaped regions, one on either side of your head) — uses many of its neurons to look for bad news: it’s primed to go negative in most people," the psychologist continued. "Once it sounds the alarm, negative events and experiences get quickly stored in memory — in contrast to positive events and experiences, which are not prioritized in the same way."
But while this is a great way to pass on gene copies, our quality of life has been improving significantly and proving we don’t actually need to feel afraid or anxious all of the time. To lead a healthy and fulfilling life, we need to better grasp this tendency to focus on the negativities and understand that things are usually not as bad. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the discomforting things around you, try to pay attention to what’s in front of you.
#13
Yellowstone is a giant super volcano. If it blows, things on this planet will go really bad really fast.
Libby Tailor 2 years ago
Is there any geologist here? How many super volcanoes do exist on the Earth?
#14
Every time you move your eyes from one spot to another, you go blind for the instant your eyes are moving. It’s called “Saccadic masking”, it’s an evolutionary trait to stop us from getting motion sick.
Your brain fills in the blank spot with whatever you end up looking at and context clues. It’s why when you first look at a clock, the second hand seems to take longer to click the first time
#15
Chimps don't attack to kill. Instead they aim for the genitals, face, and fingers and will leave the opponent alive.
There have been many people who have owned chimps who have turned on their owners and left them incredibly disfigured. One case, the chimp ripped a man's junk off. In all cases, faces were mutilated and fingers were chewed off. It's pretty much how they instinctively fight in the wild.
So if you think that chimp is going to be a cute pet, better think twice. Even if you raised it since it was born, they'll turn on you at any second. A disfigurement roulette waiting to happen.
Vile creatures.
Ann Pattinson 2 years ago
I think anyone who keeps a chimp as a pet is rather asking for problems. They aren't meant to be pets!
"Focusing on the things we can control alleviates some of the fear. Change is a part of life. It is in acknowledging this fact that we can live a healthier, less stressful life from day to day," Shari Botwin, LCSW and author of Thriving After Trauma, explained to Bored Panda in an earlier interview.
"It is natural for us to go into flight or fight mode when we feel scared or in danger," she said and added that it’s best to take a minute and assess the situation you are facing. "Ask yourselves, 'Is the fear I am experiencing in my mind and body matching the current situation, or am I also reacting to other events that left me feeling traumatized or stranded in the past?'"
#16
If given access to it, butterflies will happily drink blood.
#17
Despite literally all war propaganda from every country saying otherwise, you are not going to make an individual impact in glorious battle and die valiantly in a hail of bullets. Statistically, you are overwhelmingly more likely to be killed by an explosive device launched miles away by a vehicle you will never see, long before you ever get a chance to pull the trigger.
El Dee 2 years ago
And literally EVERY country runs its own propaganda in all wars. That includes OUR side in the Ukraine war. Some things are not reported, some things that are reported are not true and some is exaggeration. Some of it isn't even news but is designed to make you support the war itself. Keep your eyes peeled for it. Harder to do when the propaganda involves limiting the outlets for news to their own side only. You have nothing to compare it to..
#18
idk why this freaks some ppl out, but gelatin is made out of bones. That's right - your melted marshmallow in your hot chocolate is melted animal bone. It's good stuff.
That's why the traditional marshmallows aren't vegan or halal...
The trauma specialist suggested that it is best to respond to your fear with words of reassurance and compassion. "Try and put the fear in perspective. Don't go through these feelings alone. Call a friend or talk to a family member. Process what you are feeling so you can sort through where the fear is coming from. Remind yourselves it is perfectly normal to feel afraid at times. It is an emotion that comes and goes, especially if you have experienced anything that left you feeling afraid," Botwin advised.
#19
If it's sufficiently dark, you will hallucinate your reflection as a different entity and it will appear to start moving on it's own.
#20
A male honey bee's ejaculation is so strong it makes his d**k explode, killing him.
#21
I’m friends with a professor of soil ecology here in the Midwest. She says that if we don’t change our current farming practices, much of the Midwest’s soil will be infertile with one to two generations.
#22
Capgras Syndrome is a mental delusion where you believe that the people closest to you have been replaced by impostors
#23
Squirrels carry all the same diseases as rats but humans don’t mind because their cute.
Mia Roberts 2 years ago
I had pet rats. They were the best things in the world. I still miss them.
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Daniel Marsh 2 years ago (edited)
NOT TRUE. Squirrels generally live outside, in trees. Rats live in wet environments near the ground, including homes. (Yes, squirrels can get into your attic and live there.) Squirrels eat fruit, nuts, fungus, insects, etc., Rats eat anything, including trash like rotten meat. Squirrels are typically native to the environment they're found in; House rats (also known as Norwegian rats or Brown rats), what you think of when you think of rats, are invaders who came infesting ships. This is why rats have completely decimated human populations over and over again, and squirrels not so much.
Bored Retsuko 2 years ago
Daniel Marsh, actually the grey variety of squirrels (the one that's common in North America) invading Europe and slowly replacing the native red variety is also a problem. As is overpopulation and invasion by ANY species.
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foofoofloofy 2 years ago (edited)
I don't care if they're the greatest person on Earth, I will never befriend a rat hater. Like, don't believe the stereotypes! EDUCATE YOURSELF ON CUTE PUFFS!
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Vicky Z 2 years ago
Or as Carrie Bradshaw said: squirrels are rats with a fancier outfit
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Darko Mihoković 2 years ago
Squirrels don't breed at the same rate as rats. A single pair of rats can produce almost 500 million decendants in three years.
Teresa Taylor 2 years ago
Squirrels are tree rats. Rats with fuzzy tails. Evil little monsters that will cause extreme damage to your home. They also tease my dogs. I hate those little MFs
David Brown 2 years ago
Most animals and such that move with quick jerky motions freak me out a bit.
The Starsong Princess 2 years ago
Squirrels are rats with better tails. Fortunately, a hawk recently moved into the ravine behind my house and my squirrel problem has abated.
Stoopham McFernybabes 2 years ago
Really? Cos this Australian’s ONLY experience with squirrels was watching that scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and everyone seemed s**t scared of the thing, there.
Vorknkx 2 years ago (edited)
For starters, squirrels don't infest your home and try to chew stuff...
APL 2 years ago (edited)
Yes they do. Ate their way through some electrical wiring in my grandparents' gaff.
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DuchessDegu 2 years ago
They're both rodents so could carry the same diseases, which diseases depends where in the world you live. With decent hygiene and common sense (as in don't touch any wild animal, alive or dead, without ppe) the chances of catching anything are really low
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Phoebe Stein 2 years ago
Rats are cuter, and actually smarter and probably cleaner. And nicer. (google "squirrel war crimes")
Keley Babs 2 years ago
Yeah this whole article REALLY needs some better editing and fact checking
Sean Stimson 2 years ago (edited)
I think people don't mind cuz squirrels are mostly outdoors whereas rats tend to come inside. Interesting fact, squirrels spend more time on the ground than in trees. They retreat to trees for safety but they mostly live on the ground. They're also very territorial, chasing other squirrels off their patch EXCEPT when food is plentiful, then they'll tolerate interlopers. I learned all this first hand while selling t-shirts from a pushcart in Boston Common in my early 20s. It was a boring job and to keep myself occupied I'd feed and observe the squirrels.
Wenwood Jenkins 2 years ago
So do humans but we have evolved to take vaccine's and most of use wash are bodies with soap.
Debrina Blackmoon 2 years ago (edited)
Yeah. They're cute but I will avoid any that appear fearless. Because rabies, possibly.
Jespren Ray 2 years ago
They may be capable of carrying the same diseases but squirrels are 1) typically afraid of humans 2) are not territorial and 3) are not aggressive. Rats are 1) frequently not only unafraid of humans but have been known to actively prey on disabled/unable to protect themselves humans 2) are territorial and food aggressive and 3) can be extremely aggressive to both pets and humans. Yes, pet rats can be friendly, but people don’t disregard squirrels and hate rats because squirrels are “cute”, it’s cuz rats are dangerous, squirrels are not.
Hilary Mol 2 years ago
Humans carry diseases and they let us run around everywhere... I wonder if the squirrels have meetings about how to avoid US...
PeachPossum 2 years ago
Rats are a bushy tail away from being hand-fed in the park.... and they giggle when you tickle their backs.
Suzanne Clark 2 years ago
Aw, but there's nothing cuter than the Douglas squirrel, the native squirrel to the Pacific NW.
Atomicwoman07 2 years ago (edited)
But squirrels were never associated with the plague or black death unlike rats and the fleas they carry. PS: its Yersinia pestis, the bacteri carried by infected fleas that cause plague
Craig Reynolds 2 years ago (edited)
Until the little buggers get in your attic or your vehicle and start chewing on wires. Not so cute then...
#24
Your phone is likely spying on you right now as you're reading this
#25
The leap in technological advancement from us to a race that could *actually* traverse the galaxy/universe is astronomically ludicrous. We are absolutely nothing in comparison to any race that has created ways to reach us.
Meaning any race capable of finding us would be so advanced and so much more knowledgeable than us that they could observe us without us ever knowing. They would have technologies, weapons, etc outside our realm of understanding and would be able to annihilate us with ease, just given the fact that their ability to generate/harness power would be unparalleled.
If any alien ever came to earth with hostile tendencies, short of a miracle, we’d be doomed.
InfiniteZero 2 years ago
Good thing they only come here for the a**l probing. Speaking of which...
#26
Alligators can climb trees
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
Thank goodness there are no alligators here in Australia! *crocodile the size of a van appears* D'OH!
#27
6 nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered since the 1950s.
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
By the time someone thinks to check out the mysterious object stashed under my house, it will be too late to stop me. MWAHAHAHAH!
#28
Your eyes have a seperate immune-system from the rest of your body. Once your body's immune system discovers you have eyes, it will attack and inflame the blood vessels in the back of your eyes. This can lead to your vision decreasing or even going blind.
#29
The odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 107.
Not only that you can die in a car only going 40mph and something like 30-percent of the people driving after 10pm are driving drunk.
Driving is super dangerous and most people take it for granted.
Turt_Le 2 years ago
I recently learned of 'floppy' physics which explains the phenomena of drunk drivers escaping from fatal accidents with minimal injuries because the alcohol is a relaxant and stops them reacting and tensing during the crash. Other non-intoxicated occupants/pedestrians are not so lucky
#30
Dell computers were so bad that there was a website where you could click a button and it would show someone's random webcam without them knowing.
#31
If you live in a major city there is a nuke aimed at you
#32
If you have a parasite in your body, there's only a slim chance you'll know about it before it pops out of your skin or leaves through the back door.
Also, some parasites pop out of skin.
thEBOrdeSTpaNDA 2 years ago
I had a nightmare about a worm coming out of my leg when I was like 6 or 7. Still remember it
#33
You can be seriously Injured from a sneeze
Scagsy 2 years ago (edited)
I was washing up and had plates in both hands when a sneeze came at me. I didn't want to drop the plates so I braced myself for an uncontrolled sneeze. It put my back out. I thought I had slipped a disc and was bedridden for two weeks! The pain was tremendous and I couldn't walk. I had to crawl to my bed. Beware of sneezes, yes they spread diseases but nobody ever talks about the injuries they cause. Beware.
#34
1/3 of US murders go unsolved.
#35
We have trace amounts of iron, gold, nickel, and silver within our bloodstream which means with enough people you could drain them of their blood, dilute it down to separate it, and eventually be able to make a full ingot of iron, gold, nickel, and silver.
#37
If chronic wasting disease jumps to humans, the Zombie Apocalypse may become a real thing.
Josurf 2 years ago
Enough with the vampires and zombies already... can't you guys come up with something original... like a virus ... no not a virus, ... a crazy warmongering president...no, not that either...a....let's see... what didn't Hollywood or the World come up with yet...? Aliens, revolting monkeys, sharknados, tornados, tsunamis, World freezing, World burning, giant worms, giant insects, dino's, nuclear catastrophe, asteroids .. damn, not much left.... There I know: a black hole coming in close...
#39
If a panda finds a fresh carcass, they'll eat it
What do you think ?
mammaM 2 years ago
You would think they'd get their s$%t together by now..
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John Baker 2 years ago
As is the case with all of BP's "facts lists", some of these are questionable to say the least.
I like……. food 2 years ago
Honestly the New York one is pretty believable tbh
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RafCo 2 years ago
This is a 100% true fact. 97% of the time 72% of people are spending 23% of their attention on made up facts. Like this one.
Emmett O'Brian 2 years ago
I'm surprised. I didn't know four of these. I collect factoids so this is up my alley
WoodenLion 2 years ago
myself and my brother. yesterday i sneezed 13 times in a row. i never, ever sneeze less than 3 times and sometimes as much as 18. i have had to pull over while driving if they decided to come rapid fire.
Ryan Collins 2 years ago
Here's one: There are these tiny little creatures called pinworms that infect about 20% of children. Here's the process: 1) A child swallows a pinworm egg. 2) The pinworm hatches and chills out in the child's intestines. 3) The female pinworm exits the child's a*s while they sleep, and lays eggs around it. 4) This itches, so a child will likely scratch their a*s 5) Eventually after that, a child is likely to touch their mouth, getting the eggs back into their digestive tract. This cycle continues forever :D
Aisling Raye 2 years ago
I'm surprised no one posted about how the human body contains about as many microbial cells as it does actual human cells.
RafCo 2 years ago
Accurate: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2016.19136#:~:text=It's%20often%20said%20that%20the,to%2Done%2C%20they%20calculate.
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Lynne Hammar 2 years ago
Please, BP, stop with the "unalived" euphemism!!! It trivializes the trauma, plus it's way more jarring than just saying "killed"
Jill Tremblay 2 years ago
Most all of these really bothered me. Hurt my heart. Very sad things here.....
mammaM 2 years ago
You would think they'd get their s$%t together by now..
Load More Replies... John Baker 2 years ago
As is the case with all of BP's "facts lists", some of these are questionable to say the least.
I like……. food 2 years ago
Honestly the New York one is pretty believable tbh
Load More Replies... RafCo 2 years ago
This is a 100% true fact. 97% of the time 72% of people are spending 23% of their attention on made up facts. Like this one.
Emmett O'Brian 2 years ago
I'm surprised. I didn't know four of these. I collect factoids so this is up my alley
WoodenLion 2 years ago
myself and my brother. yesterday i sneezed 13 times in a row. i never, ever sneeze less than 3 times and sometimes as much as 18. i have had to pull over while driving if they decided to come rapid fire.
Ryan Collins 2 years ago
Here's one: There are these tiny little creatures called pinworms that infect about 20% of children. Here's the process: 1) A child swallows a pinworm egg. 2) The pinworm hatches and chills out in the child's intestines. 3) The female pinworm exits the child's a*s while they sleep, and lays eggs around it. 4) This itches, so a child will likely scratch their a*s 5) Eventually after that, a child is likely to touch their mouth, getting the eggs back into their digestive tract. This cycle continues forever :D
Aisling Raye 2 years ago
I'm surprised no one posted about how the human body contains about as many microbial cells as it does actual human cells.
RafCo 2 years ago
Accurate: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2016.19136#:~:text=It's%20often%20said%20that%20the,to%2Done%2C%20they%20calculate.
Load More Replies... Lynne Hammar 2 years ago
Please, BP, stop with the "unalived" euphemism!!! It trivializes the trauma, plus it's way more jarring than just saying "killed"
Jill Tremblay 2 years ago
Most all of these really bothered me. Hurt my heart. Very sad things here.....
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