It’s all fine and good to just enjoy the scenery from time to time, but there’s usually something going on below the surface that’s even more interesting. It might take a second glance or even a third to realize that something worth noticing is even there, however.
And sometimes something plainly amazing is happening, and it’s just not clear exactly what is happening, or why. Here’s hoping we can get a few answers.
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This might go down as one of the most famous rejection letters of all time.
That’s because the work the journal Nature decided to reject on this occasion ended up winning the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine . It’s entirely possible that the rejection led to reviews that improved the work, but even if it didn’t, it just goes to show that perseverance pays off.
Rejection can even prove to be good motivation.
This Ph.D. candidate made a skirt out of rejection letters she had accumulated during the process and wore it to her dissertation defense, like wearing armor made from vanquished foes into battle.
Flooding from Typhoon Hagibis exposed something about Japan.
The water filling the streets is remarkably clear and free of debris, underscoring just how clean and trash-free the streets are kept there.
These fans aren’t just any fans.
For the first time in 40 years, Iranian women are allowed inside football stadiums to watch games live. Iran still has a long way to go in granting rights to women, but every step in the right direction is welcome.
That’s not blood in the water.
However, much like with blood, the iron content in the water gives it a reddish hue when sunlight shines through.
Proof of recycling.
Just in case you ever doubted that beer bottles get washed and re-used after you return them, someone carved their name into this bottle and it got re-used and re-sold with the name still on it.
Shorter grass is more prone to frosting.
The neighbor’s frost-less grass is an inch longer. As one Redditor explained , “The grass works like the hairs on your body… The longer it is, the more warm air trapped.” Just warm enough to keep the frost at bay, obviously.
This tree was split by a storm.
And now, in the autumn, the two halves are changing color at a different rate. Most likely, the changed half is getting less nutrients and water, and will soon die.
This cactus had even less luck in a storm.
In case you were wondering what the aftermath of a cactus being struck by lightning looks like, here you go. It’s pretty dramatic.
Something profoundly bizarre happened underneath this tree’s bark.
What could possibly leave the wood looking like spaghetti in tomato sauce? Wood burls , which typically form after a tree endures some kind of stress like a viral or fungal infection.
An egg-shaped cloud appeared over Reyjavik, Iceland recently.
It’s odd to see one weird cloud hovering overhead like that, but it’s an example of a lenticular cloud , which have been known to be mistaken for UFOs.
That typhoon that struck Japan and flooded the streets also turned the sky purple in some areas.
A heavy storm like a typhoon can cause the air to become super-saturated, and light passing through it at sunset will be scattered in a way that makes violet the dominant color.
It’s subtle, but this snake’s scales have a rainbow effect.
The aptly-named Brazilian rainbow boa’s scales contain microscopic ridges that reflect and scatter light, causing that cool little rainbow to appear.
There is a variety of sea creature called squirts that appear to show off skeletons.
They are called, of course, skeleton sea squirts. They don’t actually have skeletons.
These trees have a icy cummerbunds.
The area around here flooded before the surface froze, and when the waters below receded, ice rings were left around the tree trunks.
Although some people may recognize the chip on the left, there’s a powerful story behind this one.
Not only did the man in this photo post it to celebrate nine years of sobriety, but also in gaining custody of his son.
The photo on the right was taken a year later and both his sobriety and his son remain important parts of his life.
Obviously, a lion on the street is already pretty interesting, but this one has an even more interesting purpose.
Apparently, Iraqi protesters are using lions as countermeasures in case police release dogs on them.
In some ways, this is a normal coffee maker, but there’s one big clue to how resilient it is.
As you might see under the brand name, this model was old enough to have been manufactured in West Germany.
Although it’s unclear when exactly it was made, it was sturdy enough to last at least 30 years.
Sorry if this seems a little gross, but it shows a surprising way that our bodies work.
When this person was burned by oil, the scab that later formed ended up taking part of their tattoo away.
As we can see, it’s still there, but it looks as though someone tried to erase part of it.
This yard full of leaves might not seem like much, but their color should serve as an unusual sign.
These leaves came from a ginkgo tree, which is known to shed its leaves quickly in the event of a sudden drop in temperature.
In extreme cases like many experienced within this month, the leaves don’t even have time to change color before falling.
The finishes may seem thin when they’re sprayed on a table top, but they can build up to a surprising extent.
For instance, here we see a piece that experienced years resprays before somebody finally replaced the top itself.
This is likely not a scenario most people want to experience, but we have proof that it’s possible.
In case it’s hard to make out, a spider crawled into the headphone port of somebody’s phone.
I’m sorry to give you something else to obsessively check.
It’s not the most iconic trucks, but a super intense film buff might be able to recognize it.
Apparently, this truck was featured in Ghostbusters and for whatever reason, this lot in Missouri has been known to acquire some old movie vehicles from time to time.
Here we see the world’s tallest man meet the world’s shortest woman in Egypt.
The man on the left is Sultan Kosen of Turkey, who stands at 8’3′. Jyoti Amge of India, however, stands at 2’1”.
You could argue that a laser show is happening here, but it’s not for anyone’s entertainment.
Instead, we’re seeing protesters shine a battery of laser pointers at a police drone to make it harder to control.
Once the pilot can’t see where they’re directing it, it’s likely to crash as this one did.
You may not believe me, but I’m not just showing you a big stick here.
Even if you look closely, it’s hard to detect the lizard camouflaging itself among the wood here.
If you’re stumped, it should help to find out that you can see its eye if you look above and slightly to the left of that black mark near the bottom.
This McDonald’s menu certainly seems stripped-down compared to what we’re used to.
However, if you were to time travel from the 1960s, both the options and the prices wouldn’t seem out of place at all.
I guess the question is whether we’d rather pay these prices or be able to buy McNuggets.
These pictures depict the exact same reef.
The difference is in the technology used to show it as a scientist has developed an algorithm that expands on the traditional muted blues of underwater cameras and shows how colorful this scene really is.
Unfortunately, there’s a much sadder story behind these crocheted items than it may seem.
These were made in chronological order, which means that it’s possible to track the progression of their creator’s Alzheimer’s disease with them.
It’s surprisingly hard to notice the hand unless you’re looking for it.
However, police in Birmingham, Alabama noticed it and were able to rescue the man inside the trunk, who was left in there for 14 hours after being stabbed and beaten.
Those old enough to remember the release of *Star Wars Episode I* may recall how aggressively Pepsi featured the movie in its marketing.
What was a little harder to predict, however, is that this vending machine would not only stand in place for 20 years, but look as just as crisp as it did when it was first installed.
Although this man didn’t just find Waldo, he still has a lot to be proud of here.
That’s because he actually built this Waldo display intended to soothe sick children when they need to go to the hospital.
This picture manages to be even more adorable when you understand what’s happening here.
What we’re seeing is a doctor showing off every picture his young patients drew of him over the years.
When this apple traveled from France to the U.K., it came with a bizarre stowaway.
Apparently, that black ball lodged inside of it is a shotgun pellet.
This might be the future of life-saving.
A Dutch university student came up with the idea of building defibrillator drones, which can reach a medical emergency up to four times faster than a traditional ambulance.
This absolute chonker of a cat taking up a countertop isn’t a wild animal.
It’s a Savannah cat , the largest domestic cat breed in America, which actually began as a crossbreed between a domestic cat and a serval.
It’s not every day you see a bright purple roly-poly bug.
However, as attractive as it is, that purple hue is also bad news for the bug. It’s caused by a virus that forms crystals beneath the bug’s exoskeleton. So, yeah.
This is a tasty snack under ultra violet light. Can you guess which snack it is?
If you guessed pickle, you’re correct! Personally, I think it looks more like one of my dog’s chewed-up chew toys but apparently it’s the beloved salty, briny snack.
This is far more than a simple miniature version of a giant church.
It’s actually for blind people to come feel out the shape and structure of the actual church that’s just behind it. Notice the plaque at the bottom there with the braille.
Now they can also appreciate the beauty and incredible architecture of the real thing without being able to physically see it for themselves.
This peculiar sight begs one question: why would anyone be driving around town in a covered car like this?
As it just so happens, this is a brand new 2020 car that hasn’t been publicly released yet. So, to keep the mystery alive, it’s being professionally driven through town completely hidden from the public’s eye.
Notice how this notebook suddenly becomes significantly neater?
The poster took pictures of their study notes before and after being prescribed Adderall, and to say the effect is obvious is a total understatement.
There’s definitely something missing from this picture, isn’t there?
It was originally part of a display featuring an actual tree (notice the stump behind the boy). But after the tree was removed, all that remained was the stone children, frozen in time with their play cut short. It almost becomes a sort of haunting memorial for that lost tree.
No, this isn’t a simple nighttime short of some city’s downtown core.
This is an entire indoor town built inside a nursing home so residents can roam around and enjoy “city life” without feeling like they’re contained to their home. There’s a move theater, a pub, shops, and more!
While certainly a beautiful necklace, there’s actually more going on here than meets the eye.
Those beads are spaced out like that for a reason, and quite an interesting one at that. The necklace actually spells out the wearer’s name, “Sarah”, in Morse code.
This is actually a remarkably rare sight in the grocery world.
What you’re looking at here is a brand new store on the day of its grand opening, and those shelves that are perfectly stocked are totally untouched by customers. Tell me the last time you ever visited the refrigeration aisle and saw it this pristine and orderly. You can’t.
The pole out at the edge of this property has a remarkable purpose.
It marks an international border — Canada is to the right, and the good ol’ U.S. of A. is on the left.
This human and cat share an uncommon bond.
They both have a mole in the same — or at least equivalent — spot. I don’t even want to begin to calculate the odds of that happening.
