The world is full of strange and sometimes bizarre phenomena and reading about them can be both entertaining and informative. At the very least, it is a great way to pass the time, especially when facts get crazier and crazier. So, are you interested in reading some crazy facts?
If the answer is yes, then you are in for a treat, for we have compiled a list of 10 crazy facts that will blow your mind. These facts will not only entertaining, but can also be a great conversation piece, for when you want to drop some general knowledge on your friends. So, without further ado, here are some crazy facts for you.
1. There’s a Jellyfish That Can Live Forever
To live forever is something that most of us have wished from time to time. But, alas, immortality remains out of our grasp. But if you are Turritopsis dohrnii, also known as the “immortal jellyfish,” immortality is very real for you. This is because these jellyfish can revert to their juvenile stage after reaching adulthood, and this process can be repeated indefinitely.
2. A Cloud Can Weigh Over a Million Pounds
We think of clouds as being very light and fluffy; after all, they are floating up above the sky. This is not the case at all, as clouds can be incredibly heavy, so much so that an average cumulus cloud weighs around 1.1 million pounds (500,000 kg).
3. The Human Body Glows in the Dark
You might not believe this crazy fact, but the human body does glow in the dark. Sadly, the emission is so weak that we can’t see it with our eyes. But don’t worry, technology as solved that problem as well as we can observe the glow using ultra-sensitive cameras.
4. You Can Fit All the Planets in Our Solar System Between Earth and the Moon
Understanding the vastness of the universe can truly be mindboggling and often should be left to the experts. For us ordinary forks, a simple way to understand how vast our universe is is to see how we can fit every planet in our solar system between Earth and the moon, as the distance between the two is a whopping 238,855 miles (384,400 km).
5. A Day on Mercury Lasts Almost Two Earth Years
Days on planet Earth can often be very long and boring, but on planet Mercury, they can be a nightmare as on Mercury, you experience only two sunrises per year, as it takes Mercury 59 earth days to complete one rotation, which means a full day and night cycle there lasts approximately 176 days.
6. The Shortest War in History Lasted 38 to 45 Minutes
To quote General Sherman, “War is hell”. No sane person likes war, but if a war is going to happen, one would prefer it to be as short as possible. So, what is the shortest war in history? It was the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, which lasted less than an hour, as the Sultanate of Zanzibar capitulated shortly after British forces began their bombardment.
7. An Octopus Can Edit Its Own Genes
Gene editing science is still in its infancy and holds a lot of promise. But octopuses can rewrite their genetic code anytime they want. This process is called RNA editing, and it allows them to change things like body temperature etc., and the best part is, they can do it in real time.
8. There’s a Lake That Can Kill You in Minutes
Lakes are a great place for vacationing, especially if you can go camping. But there is a lake in Tanzania called Lake Natron that can kill you in minutes. The water temperature in the lake can reach 140°F (60°C) and an alkaline pH as high as 10.5, which will burn your skin, and as a result, almost no lifeform can survive in this lake. But if that wasn’t ominous enough, the water condition can preserve the dead bodies and as a result carcass of dead animals can be seen in the lake.
9. The Earth Used to Be Purple
If you were to ask anyone what the color of Earth is, the overwhelming response would be blue, and they would be correct. But there was a time when it was believed that Earth was covered in purple organisms who used purple pigment to harvest energy. So, if we were to look at pictures of Earth from that time, it would look completely alien to us.
10. A Single Lightning Bolt Is Hotter Than the Sun
The sun is known for being hot and producing light, and calling it hot would be an understatement. However, there are things that are even hotter than the sun, and one of them is lightning, which can reach temperatures of 53,540°F (30,000°C), which is about five times hotter than the surface of the Sun.
