Sometimes, you don’t just want to be entertained . You want to see something that’s informative ; pictures that can teach you something new, or get you to really think.
And guess what? These pictures are going to do exactly that. For all of my intellectuals out there, this one’s for you. Check out some photos that will get the gears in your brain turning.
“Tank cross-section.”
Ever wondered what the inside of a tank looks like? Well, now you don’t need to!
I know that this is effectively half of the tank, but it looks really small and cramped in there. They suddenly seem a lot less fun than they ever have before.
“Red eyed crocodile skinks look like baby dragons.”
Those aren’t baby skinks. They’re actual dragons. You can’t convince me otherwise (well, not really).
This really makes you think about how dragons are just giant mythical lizards. I mean, they could be real, but they could also just be giant mythical lizards.
“I took an absurdly detailed pic of the sun yesterday using a special telescope in my backyard.”
It feels so weird, looking at this picture. Especially since we’re actively not supposed to look directly at the sun (unless you want to ruin your eyesight). Even In a picture, this is kind of bright.
But look at all that detail. So many weird flares and stuff happening on the surface.
“Armored gloves owned by Maximilian I (1459-1519) who was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death.”
So much history in such a simple picture. These gloves were worn hundreds of years ago by an actual historical figure. How cool is that?
And they don’t even look like they’re falling apart after all this time.
“Crabeater seals actually eat Antarctic krill, their jaws evolved to filter the water in order to eat it.”
Evolution is weird, man. Like, how did these seals know to grow teeth that would filter water so that they’re only getting krill? As cool as it is, it’s also kind of spooky. I wouldn’t want to go near those teeth at all.
“A nuclear explosion photographed less than one millisecond after detonation.”
Now that’s one cool photograph. You have to have some pretty precise camerawork in order to get that perfect shot. Good thing technology has evolved as much as it has.
And yes, the fact that this is a nuclear explosion is pretty terrifying, too.
“A tungsten filled counterfiet [*sic*] American Gold Eagle. The coin weighs the correct amount, because gold and tungsten have a similar density.”
Tungsten and gold: two similar elements that are also actually really different from one another. This would probably fool most of us, to be honest. But there are a few people out there who’d be able to tell the real deal from the fake.
“Power washing a building in New York City, during the era the city ran on coal plants.”
One part satisfying, one part concerning. Even if that buildup occurred over the span of years, it’s a lot. And if that gunk got stuck on buildings, just imagine how much would stick to your lungs. Maybe we should just stop thinking about this one…
“Sky pool at Embassy Gardens, London.”
Would you take a dip in a pool that’s dozens of feet in the air? What about if it had a glass bottom, letting you look at the ground way below you? Yeah, I probably wouldn’t. But it’s kind of cool knowing that it exists.
“28 years old Jennifer Joseph posing for Columbia Pictures Logo.”
Now that’s what I call history in the making. She probably knew that her likeness would be used at the beginning of countless movies, since in 1992, she was the fifth model for the logo. In any case, being able to see a behind the scenes shot of the photograph is really cool!
“Pictures of the same eagle taken a few years apart. This shows the difference between juvenile and sub-adult plumage.”
Just like people, birds grow. A lot. Humans might not moult feathers in order to grow new ones, but we do grow random body hair. That’s basically the same thing, right?
“University of Tennessee’s first Corpse Flower bloomed! The first bloom happens 7-10 years after planting. It’s called a corpse flower because of the smell.”
That flower is really pretty and fun to look at. But I imagine it would be a lot less fun to stand in front of. I can only imagine the smell something called a corpse flower would give off.
“Godzilla cloud.”
Cloud watching can require a bit of imagination. This cloud, though, is pretty straightforward. You don’t have to squint, tilt your head, or stare for too long to see the Godzilla shape. It’s right there.
It’s honestly really awesome, too. My eyes and brain are getting a kick out of it.
“In the 1930s you could buy fake snow made of 100% asbestos.”
Once upon a time, asbestos was actually used in a bunch of different things. Nowadays, we know better than to stick that stuff in our attics (though a bunch of older houses around North America still have asbestos in them). It’s so weird, though, how its use was so widespread.
“Mountain goats are exceptional mountain climbers.”
I mean, they aren’t called mountain goats for nothing. But you don’t really get how good they are at climbing until you actually see it in action. They’re the real professionals. We should be asking mountain goats for climbing advice, since we’ll never be as good as them.
“2 cool lizards on my front deck.”
Not too much to see here, just a couple of cool lizards. Sometimes, little things like this are enough to make you think.
For instance, the fact that there are two lizards is really making me think. Are they related? Are they mates? Who knows?
“I created a photorealistic image of George Washington if he lived in the present day.”
This photo is kind of freaking me out, I’m not gonna lie. It just feels so unnatural. Like, George Washington isn’t supposed to be alive in this era, so it just feels wrong. On the plus side, it’s a really well-made picture.
“The world’s first photograph of lightning, 1882.”
Nowadays, it seems like everyone is trying to snap the perfect shot of a lightning strike. And while it’s so much more common these days, imagine seeing this photo in the 1880s. Something that almost seems normal today would barely even be believed back then.
“1000g spheres of Magnesium, Aluminum, Titanium, Copper and Tungsten.”
Magnesium may be heavier than tungsten, but a kilogram is a kilogram (or 2.2 pounds). This just goes to show how different metals and elements can have drastically different densities. I think that’s part of what makes them useful for different things.
“$1 billion unfinished and abandoned mall complex in China. Approximately 20% of it is shown with a person for scale.”
That’s a huge building to just up and stop working on. But alas, there are tons of abandoned building projects around the world. The only thing they’re good for now is urban legends and dystopian photoshoots.
