Last Updated on April 16, 2025 by Matt Staff
Let’s be honest, reality is often way weirder than fiction. When you think you’ve got a handle on how the world works, along comes a planet made of diamonds, or a vending machine that’s statistically deadlier than a shark. Suddenly, all the rules go out the window, and you’re left wondering what other strange truths are hiding in plain sight. It turns out the universe has a pretty wild sense of humor and a flair for the unexpected.
In this list, we’re diving into 30 of the strangest, funniest, and most unbelievable facts that actually happen to be true. From space smells to radioactive bananas, these tidbits will make you question everything you thought you knew about nature, science, and even your own body. I hope you’re ready to have your mind blown, because here are 30 facts that sound totally made up but aren’t.
1. Space has an aroma like welding fumes
Obviously, you can’t smell in space because it’s a vacuum, but astronauts aboard the ISS have reported smelling a metallic aroma like welding fumes after being in space.
2. There are more plastic flamingos in the world than real ones
It is scientifically accepted that there are more plastic flamingos in the world than real wild ones.
3. Clouds can weigh over a million pounds
Those fluffy clouds in the sky may look like they weigh nothing, but it’s exactly the contrary. They can weigh over a million pounds.
4. Cats can’t taste sweetness
Our poor feline friends cannot taste sweetness due to a genetic mutation that disables their sweet taste receptors.
5. The heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car
These massive creatures have the biggest heart on the planet, and it can be heard from over 2 miles away!
6. There is a planet made of diamonds
55 Cancri e is a super-Earth with a carbon-rich composition. Due to the extreme temperature and pressure, scientists believe the carbon has transformed into diamond.
7. There’s a lake that turns animals into statues
Lake Natron is a hypersaline and alkaline lake in Tanzania. It is known for its unique petrifying effect on animals that enter its water.
8. Vending machines are more dangerous than sharks
Vending machines crush more people per year than shark attacks.
9. Some fish can walk on land
Some species of fish, like the mud skipper, can scoot along the ground using their fins.
10. Goats have rectangular pupils
This allows them to see 320 degrees around, which is perfect for sporting predators.
11. A bolt of lightning is hotter than the sun
The surface of the sun is around 10,000 degrees, while a lightning bolt can reach a temperature of 50,000 degrees.
12. The smell of rain has a name
The name for the smell of rain is petrichor. It’s caused by oils released from the ground and bacteria called actinomycetes.
13. Koalas and humans have nearly identical fingerprints
Koala fingerprints are so similar to humans that they can even fool forensic experts.
14. Tomatoes used to be considered poisonous
In 18th-century Europe, the people mistakenly believed that tomatoes were poisonous. They even gave them the name “poison apples”.
15. There’s a town where it’s illegal to die
In Longyearbyen, a town in Norway, it’s illegal to die. This is due to the permafrost conditions where bodies don’t decompose properly and pose risk for disease.
16. Humans share about 50% of their DNA with bananas
Life’s building blocks are weirdly universal, so you can tell your family you’re 50% banana.
17. The majority of your brain is water
The brain is about 73-80% water, making dehydration a legitimate brain fog cause.
18. Bananas are radioactive
Bananas contain potassium-40, a naturally radioactive isotope. Totally safe though, unless you eat 10 million.
19. Humans glow in the dark
Though it’s very faint and not visible to the naked eye, we emit a faint glow from bioluminescence.
20. You’re taller in the morning
Your spine elongates during sleep while you lay down, but gravity compresses your spine throughout the day, making you slightly shorter by bedtime.
21. The moon has moonquakes
The moon experiences seismic activity known as moonquakes. They’re just like earthquakes, but lunar and are caused by tidal forces and meteorite impacts.
22. Butterflies remember being caterpillars
Research suggests that butterflies can retain memories from their lifetime as a caterpillar, specifically learned associations like avoiding predators or certain foods.
23. You technically shed your entire skin every month
Your skin cells are constantly being shed at a rate of about 30,000 skin cells per hour. This means it takes roughly one month for new cells to replace all of the old ones.
24. Some herd animals have best friends
Animals like cows and elephants have a best friend, and they become extremely stressed when they’re separated.
25. There’s a planet that rains molten glass sideways
HD 189733b is an exoplanet about 63 light-years from Earth. It is known to rain glass sideways due to its extremely hot and turbulent atmosphere.
26. Octopuses have nine brains
There is one central brain and one more for each of its eight arms. These smaller “brains” are called ganglia and are collections of neurons that allow each arm to operate on its own.
27. Bananas are berries, and strawberries aren’t
Botanically speaking, bananas qualify as berries because they develop from a single flower with multiple ovaries. Strawberries, on the other hand, are considered “aggregate fruits” because they form from a flower with multiple ovaries.
28. Honey never spoils
Archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly edible due to honey’s natural preservatives.
29. The Eiffel Tower can grow taller during the summer
Due to thermal expansion, the metal can expand in the heat, causing the tower to grow by up to 6 inches during hot weather.
30. The shortest commercial flight in the world lasts just 90 seconds.
The flight between Westray and Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands of Scotland covers a distance of 1.7 miles and is the world’s shortest scheduled airline flight.
