Here are 7 mildly disturbing facts you wish weren’t true but actually are

What is a mildly disturbing fact? It may seem like a perfectly safe thing to ask, but it’s a question that’s guaranteed to raise some disturbing revelations, some less mild than others.

And there’s really no shortage of such revelations when that exact question becomes a mega-thread on Reddit (with over 37,000 responses and counting).

But which of those mildly disturbing facts are in fact the most mildly disturbing? We thought we’d take a sneak peek and gathered some of our favourite facts below – with evidence to boot.

1. “The farthest point on the planet you can be from civilisation in any direction is a blip in the Pacific Ocean called Point Nemo.”

point nemo(Google Earth/Business Insider)

This is true – although it’s more about distance from ‘land’, as opposed to ‘civilisation’. But that fact doesn’t stop things living there, either.

See also: the longest ocean voyage you could ever sail in a straight line, if your rudder was broken (or something equally mildly disturbing).

2. “In toddlers, their adult teeth are right underneath their eyes.”

Pretty much so. Yikes.

3. “There are over 200 corpses on Mount Everest and they are used as way points for climbers.”

Scarily true. There’s a lot of stuff on Mount Everest that really shouldn’t be there; in fact, this dangerous problem is as bad as it’s ever been right now.

4. “In France, a pig was dressed in human clothes, tried in court and was sentence[d] to death.”

This is totally true. Once upon a time, animal trials were a thing. This included not just common pests, but also insects. We’re basically in stitches imagining a weevil trial as they’ve decimated someone’s pantry! (They were actually tried for decimating crops.)

pig trial“Trial of a sow and pigs at Lavegny” by an unknown author. (Wikimedia Commons)

5. “Have you ever thought about how whales and dolphins die? When they get too old and weak to swim to the surface to breathe, they start sinking into the cold, dark depths of the ocean, and suffocate.”

This may be mildly disturbing, but it’s all a part of the cycle of life. As these large bags of nutrients sink to the ocean floor, it’s a life-giving feast for many, and a much better end than crashing ashore due to human influences.

6. “If you live to become the oldest person alive, the entire human population has been replaced in your lifetime. Except you.”

Arguably, this goes beyond mildly disturbing. Let’s just call it disturbing.

Here’s a story about the world’s oldest woman who might not have been.

7. “You’re a brain inside of a skull. You don’t have a skeleton inside of you; you are inside of a skeleton.”

Well, yeah… but are you just your brain? Seems a little reductive? In a broader sense, you are you, all of your body, even the nails and hair arguably. But in a mildly disturbing way, yes, this does make the skull seem like a prison for the brain, not just a protective helmet for your most complicated organ.

By the way, here’s what that squishiest of organs really looks like, handled by a professional in all its beautiful, fragile glory.

If you’re not mildly disturbed enough yet, there’s plenty more mildly disturbing miscellany at the original Reddit thread.

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

New model of Earth’s ancient climate is painting a worrying picture about our future
Okay, so let’s pretend climate change isn’t real
How the first woman in climate science beat one of its founders to a major finding
The biggest volcano on Io may be about to erupt, and scientists are watching closely
These 5 tips from psychologists will help you cope when climate change gets you down

Leave a Reply
