Some Of Them You've Never Heard Of Before.. Fifteen Strange Things On Earth
Planet Earth, if you didn't know, is a beautiful and strange place, from microorganisms that live in swamps and can survive the conditions of outer space, to dark objects that you can't see a thing from.
We're going to go through a bunch of things on this planet that you probably had no idea existed.
1. Vantablack, the darkest substance on Earth
Ventablack can be defined as a substance consisting of nanoparticles with nano technology, and it is the darkest substance on the planet. Developed in the UK at Surrey NanoSystems in 2015, it is an array of vertically arranged carbon nanotubes with a material as a substrate.
Vantablack absorbs 99.98% of the light that falls on it. In other words, the human eye cannot see anything reflected on the surface of the vantablack, which makes it the closest example to describing a black hole.
2. The blue sea dragon fish, which looks like it came from space
Its scientific name is “Glaucus Atlanticus”, and it is one of the types of sea slugs, and it is also called the “blue angel”. This creature is as beautiful as it is rare, as it can only be found off the coasts of South Africa and Australia.
The blue angel feeds on poisonous sea creatures, such as the Portuguese man o' war jellyfish; He collects the poison from his first victim, stores it, and later uses it to kill his future victim.
3. An airy jelly that looks like a piece of cloud
Aerogel is a lightweight material made from gel and gas. It was previously called “frozen smoke” or “solid cloud” due to its intangible appearance.
Scientists have devised a number of methods and recipes for making different types of aerated gels, but they go through a similar manufacturing process: certain chemicals are mixed, then placed on a wet gel for a certain time, and finally the liquid is sucked out of the solution. The result is a substance with a very low density, 99% of which is air.
And because airgel is mainly made of air, and air is a good heat insulator, placing a layer of airgel between a flame and a rose will protect the rose from being affected by heat.
4. Eucalyptus trees have rainbow-colored bark
There is a type of eucalyptus called “Eucalyptus deglupta” that grows in Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippines. This species is distinguished by its multi-colored bark, which includes: light blue, purple, green, and chestnut.
These unusual colors are caused by the tree's bark falling off - according to the Missouri Botanical Garden -. When the bark of a tree peels off, the inner layer of bark is revealed. This layer slowly matures into a variety of colours.
5. An underground cathedral in Colombia made entirely of salt
There is an underground Roman Catholic church in Cundinamarca, Colombia, called the “Cathedral of Zipaquirá” which is made entirely of salt. It was excavated from a salt mine in 1954, and is located at a depth of 180 meters below the surface of the earth.
The cathedral contains a large cross made of salt, and can accommodate approximately 10,000 people, although it was not completely filled before.
6. The Goblin Shark, or "Living Fossil"
The goblin shark is one of the rare species that live in the deep sea, and it is sometimes called a "living fossil". It is, as far as we know, the last species of the Mitsukurinidae shark family.
The goblin shark is known for its extended and visible jaws, which are full of spike-like teeth. This shark can detect the electrical current generated by some other organisms, which prompts it to open its jaws in an attempt to devour its prey.
It's hard to say how terrifying the goblin shark looks without getting pictures of it attacking prey. But we can say it's a living nightmare.
7. Bismuth, the chemical element with a very beautiful surface
We may remember bismuth from high school, but we probably didn't know that it has a colorful surface and looks so pretty.
The surface of bismuth has a "stair-building" way of growing; The outer edges grow faster than the inner edges, according to Live Science. This pattern of growth produces a crystalline structure that looks like interlocking rainbow squares.
8. A volcano in Indonesia spews light blue lava
The Ijen volcano in Indonesia is considered to be a special volcano, due to its ability to produce blue-violet lava.
Actually, what Eigen produces is not blue, and according to Smithsonian magazine, these colors result from the volcano containing high amounts of sulfur gas that interferes with the lava. When the gas burns, it produces a color like the one in the picture.
9. The Voynich Manuscript, a strange book written in an untranslatable language
The Voynich manuscript was written in the Middle Ages, consisting of 240 pages written in an unknown language, which baffled researchers and cryptographers for many years.
Scholars believe that the manuscript was written between 1404-1438 A.D., with incomprehensible and vague illustrations describing everything from unusual plants to women with swollen bellies bathing in green pools.
All attempts to decipher the symbols and drawings failed. Until a team of Canadian researchers announced that they could decipher some of the codes in the manuscript using artificial intelligence. Then the team announced that they needed to revise the manuscript by scholars.
10. The most inaccessible place in the world is called “Spot Nemo”
The Nemo spot is the farthest point from Earth, and it is called the “point of no-reach in the ocean.” This area is located in a triangle confined between Ducey Island, Motu Nui, and Maher Island near the continent of Antarctica.
To bring it closer to mind, the closest humans to this point are the astronauts on the International Space Station, which is about 415 km away, while the closest point on Earth to Nemo is about 1225 km away.
11. The Dankel region of Ethiopia looks like the surface of an alien planet
Called the Danakil Depression, it is the most unusual landscape on Earth. It is located in the Afar Triangle, and we can call it a surreal spot - above reality -, containing volcanic basins, neon-colored hot springs, and shiny salt flakes. The region also contains toxic gas fields and many acid basins.
12. Lakes and rivers under the oceans
Also known as salt water lakes, they are lakes that have a salinity higher than that of sea or ocean water, which makes them look like a lake within a lake. It has a higher salt density than the surrounding water, which is what causes it to separate from sea water.
These lakes are distinguished by having their own waves that run against the shore. Even submarines can float on the surface of these pools when they rise to the surface of the ocean.
Unfortunately, these lakes contain a large amount of toxic methane and hydrogen sulfide, which makes swimming in them toxic to humans.
13. The Giant Mushroom, the biggest thing that ever lived on Earth
There are huge creatures like: whales, redwoods, and elephants, but they are not the largest living organisms on earth. When we look at the largest in terms of size, Armillaria Ostoyae occupies the first place.
It is called the giant mushroom, and it extends over an area of approximately 2,385 acres in the Malhore National Forest in the state of Oregon in the United States. So that the scientists who discovered the fungus could determine if it was spreading over the entire area, they took DNA samples and examined them.
In addition to its delicious taste, scientists confirm that this giant mushroom began to grow between 2400 and 8650 years ago.
14. Tradegrids (slow-paced) are microorganisms that can survive in outer space
Its name is “Tradigrades”, which translates as slow-paced, and it is usually called “water bear” or “algae pig”, and it is a microorganism that can survive almost anywhere.
These creatures prefer moist places such as algae and mud, and according to the Smithsonian magazine, these organisms can survive in an environment with a temperature of less than 200 degrees Celsius below zero, and a temperature of more than 149 degrees Celsius.
Scientists have found that this organism can survive radiation, boiling liquids, great pressure estimated to be six times the pressure of the deepest point in the ocean, and even the pressure of the vacuum of space.
15. A cave in Mexico is full of white crystals
Known as the Crystal Cave, it contains intersecting gypsum crystal pieces that baffled explorers.
It was discovered in the year 2000 by miners in Naica, the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and they emptied it out of the water to discover the crystalline shapes shown in the picture.
Scientists were unable at first to determine its age using traditional methods, due to its high purity. Then they discovered a bacterial sample on one of them, estimated to be 50,000 years old.
Despite the beauty and scarcity of this cave, the company responsible for the cave area allowed water to be returned to it and flooded in 2017.
Source : websites