What is the most terrifying and bizarre thing you can think of? Maybe a terrifying creature? Innocent civilians dying in pointless wars? There’s no Wi-Fi signal? All of this pales in contrast to scientific breakthroughs. Or, to put it another way, nature, you’re terrifying!

Here’s a rundown of the most horrifying scientific breakthroughs thus far.

1. Climate Change

The Earth’s atmosphere allows solar energy to enter while keeping carbon dioxide and methane trapped inside. As a result, the Earth becomes hotter than a greenhouse. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are believed to be at their highest level in 14 million years, according to scientists. Droughts, floods, and salinization will be exacerbated by global warming, resulting in a food crisis and the extinction of some items. The coffee tree, for example, may be extinct by 2080. As global warming “awakens” archaic viruses in glaciers, new epidemics will be an evident result of climate change. Our only hope is to eliminate all fossil fuels and put an end to deforestation. But, since we all know that won’t happen, load up on sunscreen.

2. Yellowstone Supervolcano

You could believe Yellowstone National Park is a fantastic destination. Where else can you watch Old Faithful spouting his enormous geyser waters over hundreds of tourists 20 times a day? You’d be correct on the surface, but dig a bit deeper and you’ll be horrified! This whole region is built on top of an old supervolcano. To put things in perspective, if this behemoth bursts, as experts predict, the entire globe will be annihilated or sent back into the dark ages.

3. Invisible Germs

Did you know that humans had no knowledge germs existed until the nineteenth century? That’s correct. Every sickness was once attributed to either witchcraft or miasma. What if we informed our forefathers that there are millions of small creatures floating about in the air, water, food, and even our bodies? Imagine how difficult it would be for someone 200-300 years ago to get past TV remote controls. Even if we are aware of these germs, their invasion into our body is nevertheless unsettling. Thank goodness for research and great therapies!

4. How Big Is The Universe?

“Unfathomably large; presumably limitless and ever-expanding,” is the concise response to this question. Our little minds are incapable of comprehending the enormity of the world. That’s true; billions upon trillions of stars, solar systems, galaxies, nebulae, and everything in between are beyond human comprehension. The Earth is vast, the sun is 333,000 times bigger than our globe, and the solar system spans billions of kilometres from our perspective. This area, like 99.9% of it, is a chilly, empty nothingness, likely filled with anti-matter. So that’s only one solar system in a galaxy with nearly 100 billion additional stars. And there are billions of galaxies out there hurtling through the fabric of space at breakneck speeds. Here’s a fun one for you: There are 93 billion light-years between us and the nearest star. That is the estimated size of the visible cosmos. What lies beyond that is unknown

.5. Mass Extinctions

There have been at least five planetary-scale extinction catastrophes that we are aware of. The first two were sort of practise runs, with a slew of marine animals either developing or being struck by an unknown meteor. Then there’s the extinction of mammals 33.9 million years ago, the end of the dinosaur era 66 million years ago, the biggest mass extinction in Earth’s history approximately 250 million years ago that wiped out over 90% of all species, and the end of the dinosaur period 66 million years ago. These occurrences have a variety of sources, although they are frequently extraterrestrial or generated by large volcanic eruptions. According to some experts, the Earth is presently attempting to avoid yet another extinction, with over one million species at risk of disappearing.

6. Black Holes Suck

What could be denser than deluded Russians who believe NATO intended to attack their garbage-filled country? Black holes, you guessed it! Unlike the aforementioned Russian, scientists can now at least attempt to comprehend black holes. In reality, these monstrosities were predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity before anyone even saw them. Black holes are formed when stars erupt into supernovas and implode on themselves, causing them to become supermassive to the point where even light is sucked into them. Our sun will eventually become an all-consuming void, but there is still time.

7. Radioactive Materials

Radiation is known as the “unseen killer” since you can’t detect if you’re being blasted by billions of radioactive particles at any given time without the right technology. Do you recall Marie Curie, the great scientist? Her early work on highly radioactive materials was groundbreaking, but it also foreshadowed her death. It has been discovered that x-rays and long-term exposure to radioactive elements are harmful to your health. To top it off, even her cookbooks and newspapers from the 1890s, which were casually laying on her desk, are now considered dangerous and can only be handled while wearing special protective suits.