While scrolling through social media, we often stumble upon fun and quirky facts that make us smile or shrug. But then, there are those facts that make you pause and wonder, “Wait…is that really true?”
So when a curious Redditor asked, "What’s a fact you learned that instantly made you question reality?" people flooded the thread with some of the most jaw-dropping facts they’ve ever encountered. Ready to have your mind blown? Keep reading, Pandas!
#21
Brain Eating Ameobas are everywhere and the only reason people don't constanly dying from them is because it's really hard for them to enter our bodies through our nose.
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56points
Most fruits take a while to grow, but pineapples are in a league of their own—they can take up to two years to ripen. So, the next time you slice into a pineapple, take a moment to appreciate the journey it took over those 24 months to become the sweet, juicy treat we love.
#23
It is literally impossible to describe, in words, what quantum superposition is. Everything you've heard about quantum superposition is, at best, "sort of right" but also "alot wrong" but we *don't have a way to describe it properly* so those half-assed (schrodinger's cat, both and neither at the same time, etc) 'explanations' just stick around because without understanding the math you just can't understand quantum superposition properly.
Quantum reality is simply that different from macroscopic reality. Our intuition cannot comprehend what is happening. I do not understand quantum superposition, and unless you're a theoretical quantum physicist neither do you. And some of them don't!
But we *know* it's real. It happens. It affects reality. We cannot convey what is happening with words. That f***s with me so hard.
Quantum reality is simply that different from macroscopic reality. Our intuition cannot comprehend what is happening. I do not understand quantum superposition, and unless you're a theoretical quantum physicist neither do you. And some of them don't!
But we *know* it's real. It happens. It affects reality. We cannot convey what is happening with words. That f***s with me so hard.
53points
#24
That about 97% of the observable universe is already out of reach for us even with light speed technology.
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51points
Ketchup is a household staple that we don’t really need to introduce. Whether you’re dipping crispy fries or savoring crunchy onion rings, it’s hard to imagine enjoying appetizers without a bowl of this sweet and tangy sauce.
But did you know that ketchup’s journey began as a medicine, not a condiment? Back in the 1830s, people thought tomatoes could cure indigestion, so ketchup was actually sold as a remedy in pill form.
#25
Saudi Arabia is a net importer of sand and camels.
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47points
#26
Who ever spends more money on their lawyer, wins in court. Truth doesn’t matter. It only matters who argues better.
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42points
#27
I learned that lobsters can theoretically live forever, and now I’m questioning why we’re not all trying to unlock the secret to lobster immortality.
41points
If you have a favorite color when it comes to bell peppers, here’s a fun fact: they’re all the same pepper, just at different stages of ripeness. Green bell peppers start off as unripe versions, and as they mature, they transition to yellow, then orange, and finally red. Interestingly, the red bell peppers are the sweetest of them all.
It’s not just food that has surprising facts; the world around us is filled with intriguing tidbits, just like the ones in this post, that can genuinely make you question reality and change your perspective. Which one of these facts caught you off guard the most?
#28
One fact that often blows people’s minds is that the universe is constantly expanding.
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41points
#29
I remember watching a video on how the universe might end. It was a 30-minute time lapse of what occurs from the Big Bang to the "end." EARTH'S entire existence from beginning to end wasn't even a minute before it formed and burnt out. Really felt insignificant just trying to comprehend the time frame of the universe.
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39points
#30
Human comprehension of reality is so far from accurate its functionally useless. Every understanding, scientific discover, whatever we make, is at BEST just us trying to make things make sense to us. But humans simply don't have the brainpower/hardware to come anywhere close to an actual understanding of reality.
It's like an ant walking on an iphone. Its brain can process things like "this surface is smooth" "there is no food here" and thats about as complex as it can get, but that's nowhere near the level of complexity of the iphone itself.
It's like an ant walking on an iphone. Its brain can process things like "this surface is smooth" "there is no food here" and thats about as complex as it can get, but that's nowhere near the level of complexity of the iphone itself.
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38points
#31
Quantum entanglement. There are particles light years apart that react instantaneously when the other is touched. We live in a world of magic and wonder.
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31points
#32
How big the universe is. Conversely, how small the smallest building blocks of the universe are.
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30points
#33
"The Birthday Paradox" is a fun one. I wouldn't say I "questioned reality" as I am math nerd, but it's fun to share with people who aren't so inclined.
For those unaware, it deals with the probability of two randomly chosen people out of a larger group of people having the same birthday, and that you only need a room of 23 people for that probability to be greater than 50%. 50 people and it becomes 97%.
To explain a little further on why this ends up seeming so surprising/impossible for most people when they first hear this, it's because people often confuse the premise of "probability that 2 randomly chosen people share a birthday" with "probability that 1 other randomly chosen person shares MY birthday", which is not the same calculation.
For those unaware, it deals with the probability of two randomly chosen people out of a larger group of people having the same birthday, and that you only need a room of 23 people for that probability to be greater than 50%. 50 people and it becomes 97%.
To explain a little further on why this ends up seeming so surprising/impossible for most people when they first hear this, it's because people often confuse the premise of "probability that 2 randomly chosen people share a birthday" with "probability that 1 other randomly chosen person shares MY birthday", which is not the same calculation.
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29points
#34
If you had a really long stick that connected to the Moon, and you pulled the stick, the other end of the stick wouldn’t move instantly. It would take as long as it takes for the speed of sound travelling through wood to reach the Moon from Earth for the other end to move as a result of your pulling the stick
I think the thing that gets me about this is I knew everything I needed to know to reach this conclusion on my own but I’d literally just never thought about this specific hypothetical before, and when you actually write it out like that it feels so counterintuitive even though I intellectually understand all the component pieces that make it true.
I think the thing that gets me about this is I knew everything I needed to know to reach this conclusion on my own but I’d literally just never thought about this specific hypothetical before, and when you actually write it out like that it feels so counterintuitive even though I intellectually understand all the component pieces that make it true.
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28points
#35
Light doesn't experience time. From its departure from a quasar on the far end of the universe to a sensor on a space telescope that was built a decade ago, the journey took almost the entire lifespan of existence.
And yet, as far as the photon is concerned, the trip was instantaneous.
If that wasn't wild enough, here's the real mindf***: There's no such thing as a free photon. They only exist as a carrier for energy exchange between electrons. For a photon to exist it has to have a sender and a recipient. Two electrons separated by the entirety of space and time somehow agreed to exchange a photon.
And yet, as far as the photon is concerned, the trip was instantaneous.
If that wasn't wild enough, here's the real mindf***: There's no such thing as a free photon. They only exist as a carrier for energy exchange between electrons. For a photon to exist it has to have a sender and a recipient. Two electrons separated by the entirety of space and time somehow agreed to exchange a photon.
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20points
#36
When measuring a coastline, the smaller the unit of measurement, the longer it is.
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18points
#37
Chicagos parking meters are paid out to a non USA nation for the next like 50! Years!
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16points
#38
I read once that the arrangements of molecules or cells or atoms (i really can recall what precisely) looks eerie similar to the way galaxies and clusters look.
This made me think that perhaps our universe is just a sumatomic thing within something larger, like a fly in a cats a*s.
Image that!
This made me think that perhaps our universe is just a sumatomic thing within something larger, like a fly in a cats a*s.
Image that!
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15points
#39
Just learned today that if a photon enters a cloud of atoms that are cold it can leave that cloud before it enters.
negative time.
[https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448067-light-has-been-seen-leaving-an-atom-cloud-before-it-entered/](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448067-light-has-been-seen-leaving-an-atom-cloud-before-it-entered/).
negative time.
[https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448067-light-has-been-seen-leaving-an-atom-cloud-before-it-entered/](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448067-light-has-been-seen-leaving-an-atom-cloud-before-it-entered/).
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10points