The world harbors many terrifying realities, some of which remain hidden from our consciousness. While we are not obligated to know every lurking threat, understanding those that directly impact our lives can place us on a safer footing.
A user asked the forum, “What is a genuinely terrifying fact?”. Here is what people have to say.
TERRORISM
“The CIA’s Operation Northwoods proposed that CIA operatives should commit acts of terrorism upon the US to blame Fidel Castro for justifying a war against Cuba. This was rejected by JFK. We know about this because this got declassified.”
CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE
“Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (mad cow) can lie dormant for more than 50 years, is universally fatal, and is inheritable. There is no cure.”
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
“One genuinely terrifying fact is the concept of “antibiotic resistance.” Bacteria can evolve to become resistant to antibiotics, the drugs we use to treat bacterial infections. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics can speed up this process, making previously treatable diseases difficult or even impossible to cure.
According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today, potentially leading to a future where simple infections could once again become deadly.”
DEMENTIA
“Dementia has no age limit.”
CHAINSAW PROTOTYPE FOR CHILDBIRTH
“That two Scottish doctors originally invented the first chainsaw prototype for childbirth.”
BRAIN ANEURYSMS
“That brain aneurysms usually do not have symptoms, and it can kill you if it ruptures.”
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
“The US military has lost several nuclear weapons, and not all of them have been recovered.”
CONSTIPATION
“It is physically possible to be so constipated that your stool will back all the way up your digestive tract, and you can vomit feces. You’re welcome.”
POWER GRID
“It would take months to years for the power grid to recover from a sufficiently strong solar storm.”
PEOPLE WITH ZERO SUPPORT
“That there are people in this world who have absolutely zero support and absolutely zero people to count on.”
SUN ERUPTIONS
“Sun eruptions happened before and led to blackouts across several continents. All fun and games in the 19th century. Today, it could easily kill millions and it could happen any hour.”
SNAKES
“If you cut off a snake’s head, it can live independently from the body for up to 7 minutes.”
THE EARTH IS INDIFFERENT TO OUR SURVIVAL
“The earth was around billions of years before we were and is indifferent to our survival. There have been multiple mass extinctions in the past, and we shouldn’t feel any safer. The only difference is we’ve advanced far enough to the point that we’ll probably know in advance when our species is going to go extinct.”
TIME IS PASSING AS WE SPEAK
“That time is passing as we speak and in the blink of an eye, the day has passed, the week, the month, a year has passed. There’s nothing you can do about it, only what you do with it.”
FLIES, THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL ANIMALS
“Some scientists consider the flies the most dangerous of all animals because of how easily they spread illnesses.”
HEARING IS THE LAST SENSE
“Your hearing is probably the last sense that you lose when you die. Imagine hearing all the people around you.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.