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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

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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.

Tehcitra42 , Wikipedia Report

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#3

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before Egyptian mummies wouldn’t be so rare today if the Victorian British hadn’t eaten most of them.

Heikold , Wikipedia Report

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Deborah B
Deborah B
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They also burned them as fuel, especially in Egypt. Short on firewood? Burn the lovingly-preserved bodies of ancient locals. Colonialists were crappy people.

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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.

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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

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before You have no way of really knowing if everyone experiences reality and consciousness the same way you do.

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El Dee
El Dee
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We know that tastes (food) aren't experienced in the same way..

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#5

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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.

damnshawtyruokay , Farzad Sedaghat Report

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Katie Lutesinger
Katie Lutesinger
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#6

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before Maximum part of oxygen came from sea/oceans. But people always talks about protecting trees not sea/oceans.

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And i was like WTF!!
And i was like WTF!!
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If i am not mistaken (correct me if i am) algae and corrals do most of the work converting Carbon dioxide to oxygen

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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

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before the world invests more money in viagra and botox than in the study of Alzheimer

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Scagsy
Scagsy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Are you suggesting that the world is hard and expressionless when it comes to Alzheimer's research?

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#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.

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Jenny Michelle
Jenny Michelle
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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 ?

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#9

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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.

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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.

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#10

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before You can condition someone with zero personal/family history of mental illness into having some very severe mental illnesses within about a week.

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#11

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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.

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Karri Berkowitz
Karri Berkowitz
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like killing Earth. Last I knew of we can't just move to another planet.

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#12

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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.

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"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

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before Yellowstone is a giant super volcano. If it blows, things on this planet will go really bad really fast.

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Libby Tailor
Libby Tailor
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is there any geologist here? How many super volcanoes do exist on the Earth?

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#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

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#15

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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.

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Ann Pattinson
Ann Pattinson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think anyone who keeps a chimp as a pet is rather asking for problems. They aren't meant to be pets!

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"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

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before If given access to it, butterflies will happily drink blood.

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#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.

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El Dee
El Dee
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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..

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#18

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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...

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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.

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The Deez
The Deez
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will never find out if this is true because I REFUSE to look in a mirror in a semi-dark room. I've just seen too many horror movies to fall for that! LOL!

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#20

A male honey bee's ejaculation is so strong it makes his d**k explode, killing him.

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#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.

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#22

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before Capgras Syndrome is a mental delusion where you believe that the people closest to you have been replaced by impostors

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#23

Squirrels carry all the same diseases as rats but humans don’t mind because their cute.

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#24

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before Your phone is likely spying on you right now as you're reading this

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#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.

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InfiniteZero
InfiniteZero
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good thing they only come here for the a**l probing. Speaking of which...

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#26

Alligators can climb trees

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Katie Lutesinger
Katie Lutesinger
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank goodness there are no alligators here in Australia! *crocodile the size of a van appears* D'OH!

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#27

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 6 nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered since the 1950s.

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Katie Lutesinger
Katie Lutesinger
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

By the time someone thinks to check out the mysterious object stashed under my house, it will be too late to stop me. MWAHAHAHAH!

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#28

40 Haunting Real-Life Facts You've Probably Never Heard Before 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.

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#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.

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Turt_Le
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#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.

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#31

If you live in a major city there is a nuke aimed at you

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El Dee
El Dee
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I spent much of my life living near a nuclear base. The advantage is that, if nuclear war breaks out, you will be killed instantaneously rather than the lingering death from radiation poisoning..

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#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.

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thEBOrdeSTpaNDA
thEBOrdeSTpaNDA
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a nightmare about a worm coming out of my leg when I was like 6 or 7. Still remember it

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#33

You can be seriously Injured from a sneeze

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Scagsy
Scagsy
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#34

1/3 of US murders go unsolved.

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#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.

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#36

Bored ducklings can become cannibals!

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#37

If chronic wasting disease jumps to humans, the Zombie Apocalypse may become a real thing.

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Josurf
Josurf
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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...

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#38

Hippos can't swim. (I was disturbed)

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#39

If a panda finds a fresh carcass, they'll eat it

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