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Indrė Lukošiūtė

115 Photos And Facts That Showcase Just How Incredible Our World Really Is

Brain Dacher Keltner Earth Fish

When we think of the wonders our universe has to offer, our minds instantly drift to the heavy hitters: the Grand Canyon, the Northern Lights, or ancient cathedrals. These spectacles easily leave us speechless, and that’s the profound power of nature and architecture.

But true wonder also includes the goosebump-inducing awe we feel when we witness human ingenuity — like the Wright brothers defying gravity, or an ancient cave painting of a handprint.

To remind you that we are part of a massive, living ecosystem, we’ve shortlisted the most mind-blowing posts from r/DiscoverEarth, a community tracking the spectacles of space, nature, and history.

Prepare to see the world, and your place in it, in a completely new light.

#1 There Are Only About 1,500 Andean Cats Left In The Wild

#2 A Bush Pig Cooling Off In A Mud Puddle

Ever stood at the edge of an active volcano, or watched a massive pod of orcas cut through the dark surface of an icy ocean? Or simply spent the night under a vast canopy of stars, waiting for a meteor shower to light up the sky?

You must've felt your chest tighten, and your jaw drop — this mental pause is called awe.

For centuries, science ignored it. If you couldn’t weigh it or put it in a test tube, it belonged to poets and philosophers.

But about twenty years ago, UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner decided to actually measure what happens when reality blows our minds.

His research led him to discover that awe physically rewires our brain on the spot.

#3 A Short-Eared Owl Battles A Northern Harrier. Photo By Kathy Mcculloch Wade In Skagit County, Washington

#4 The First Flower Ever Grown Entirely In Space

#5 Imam Mosque, Isfahan, Iran

When you experience something so vast it breaks your mental scale, your brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN) — the chatter center responsible for your ego, anxieties, and internal monologue — instantly shuts up.

Experts call this the “small self” phenomenon. Your brain stops obsessing over text messages and bills because it realizes it’s part of a massive and interconnected system.

“That was this big surprise in this research, is how ordinary awe can be. It’s everywhere, right? So it’s the flowers blooming and the moral beauty of people, and some pattern of light on the sidewalk,” said Keltner, who carried out the research.

“I think one of the broader lessons that awe provides for us is, you know, these ideas of separate self. Like, ‘oh, I’m different from other people.’ Which is true, but we’re also synced up with other people. ‘I’m different from nature.’ That’s true. But we’re also part of an ecosystem,” he added.

#6 Lace Bugs Looks Like Their Wings Are Made Of Stained Glass

#7 The Glasswing Butterfly. One Of The Most Delicately Beautiful Creatures To Exist

#8 There’s A Moth Bigger Than Your Hand, With A Wingspan Of 1 Foot. A Few Have Been Sighted In The UK

The physical perks of being amazed are just as real.

Research shows that awe actively calms your nervous system. It dramatically lowers interleukin-6 (IL-6), a biomarker of inflammation. High levels of IL-6 are linked to depression and heart disease, meaning a heavy dose of wonder is quite literally medicine for your body.

Your heart rate slows, breathing deepens, and the body enters a state of deep repair when you experience awe. At the same time, you might feel chills run down your spine or arms, but in a good way.

Experts tracked this down to a specific nerve pathway. Awe triggers a massive spike in vagal tone, which is the activity of your vagus nerve. This nerve acts as the body’s primary brake button for stress.

#9 🔥close Up Of A Dragonfly🔥

#10 The Great Eared Nightjar, Looks Like A Little Dragon

#11 Pink-Necked Green Pigeons Are Common In Southeast Asia

A brief look at stunning nature photography or a short walk through a park alters your nervous system for the rest of the day.

“Even small moments of awe and calm accumulate and can be comparable to longer periods of sustained relaxation,” neuroscientist Virginia Sturm at the University of California told National Geographic.

In 2021, her study tracking older adults found that those who took weekly “awe walks” reported a massive boost in daily happiness. Compared to regular walkers, their stress and anxiety levels came down dramatically.

#12 This Interesting Plant Is Native To Australia

#13 Trimeresurus Insularis, A Venomous Viper Native To Indonesia

#14 The Sweet Track Is A 5830-Year-Old Neolithic Timber Walkway, Located In The Somerset Levels In England And Discovered In 1970. It Was Originally Part Of A Network Of Tracks Built To Provide A Dry Path Across The Marshy Ground

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that experiencing awe can actually turn you into a better human.

In the experiments, researchers showed participants different kinds of videos. Some watched intense footage of active volcanoes and natural disasters. Others watched beautiful and slow-motion close-ups of colored water drops bouncing and splashing.

Even though the videos were totally different, the result was the exact same. After watching them, people became measurably kinder, more empathetic, and much more willing to help out a complete stranger.

#15 A Jellyfish Called The ‘Psychedelic Medusa’

#16 The Spotted Eagle Ray Looks Like Some Kind Of Ancient Ocean Spirit

#17 Bioluminescent Ghost Mushrooms In Australia

Scientists believe you don’t need to hike Patagonia to unlock these feelings.

While some people are just naturally wired to feel wonder more deeply, anyone can train themselves to find it. It is entirely possible to build daily micro-habits that trigger awe right where you are.

Even better, you don’t have to go at it alone — awe actually peaks when we share it.

#18 Whale Sharks Look Like Submerged Galaxies

#19 Meet The “Bagworm Caterpillar”. It Collects And Saws Little Sticks To Construct Elaborate Spiral Log Cabins To Live In. They Build Their Homes Out Of Silk, Sand, Soil, And Plant Materials

A 2019 study at the University of Amsterdam put people through fMRI brain scanners and had them watch simple videos of awe-inspiring nature.

Even on a flat digital screen, watching footage of the vast cosmos or deep oceans caused the brain’s ego-driven Default Mode Network to instantly drop its activity.

“When people experience awe, they really want to share that experience with other people, suggesting that it has this particularly viral component to it,” said Paul Piff, an assistant professor of psychology and social behavior at UC Irvine.

#20 Closeup Of A Wolf Spider's Face

#21 Lithops Are South African Plants That Have Evolved To Look Like Stones

#22 Orchid Mantis

We need this perspective now more than ever. In this highly digitized, fast-paced world, leaning into things that feel beautifully overwhelming can instantly ground you.

So, consider this your sign to step away from the noise. Go outside, look up, capture the most awe-inspiring thing you can find today, and share it with the world. Your brain will thank you.

#23 The Water Beading Off The Waterproof Feathers On A Loon

#24 The Comet Moth (Madagascar Moon Moth)

#25 Have You Ever Seen A Dragon Moray Eel

#26 Newly Discovered Species Found In Madagascar In 2021! Nano Chameleon (Brookesia Nana)

#27 Hummingbirds Are So Tiny That This One Built A Nest And Laid Its Eggs On Top Of A Peach

#28 You Share A Planet With This Alien Creature! The Hammerhead Flatworm

#29 Sometimes Nature Is So Cool It Takes Your Breath Away. I Feel That Way About Octopus. This Really Is Such An Amazing Animal

#30 This Beautiful Creature Is A Wooly Monkey, And There Only About 1000 Of Them

#31 The Common Seadragon. This Guy Was Found In Waikiki, Hawaii

#32 This Is Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog Or Amazon Milk Frog. It Was First Discovered Along The Maracanã River In Brazil

#33 🔥 Mandarin Fish

#34 🔥 Blue Jay Feathers Close Up

#35 Ancient Kraken - Weighing Over A Tonne With A Shell Up To 3.5m In Diameter, Parapuzosia Seppenradensis Is The Largest Invertebrate To Have Ever Lived

#36 The Veiled Virgin By Giovanni Strazza (Created In 1850s). The Veil Gives The Appearance Of Being Translucent, But In Fact, It Is Carved Of Marble

#37 Blue Sea Dragons Are Basically Real-Life Pokémon

#38 This Ascidian Is Not From Avatar Or Outer Space. This Is A Real-Life Creature From The Ocean Floor In Tulamben, Bali

#39 🦭

#40 Ribbon Eel

#41 Look At This Moth From The Genus Phalera

#42 I Hope To See A Swimming Feather Star In Person One Day

#43 If Our Eyes Were Able To See Magnetic Fields, This Is More Or Less How Jupiter’s Magnetosphere Would Appear In The Night Sky

#44 I’m Not Sure What I Expected A Puffer Fish Skeleton To Look Like But I Don’t Think This Was It

#45 This Incredible Variety Of Sea Slugs Found Around Misaki, Japan

#46 Very Cool Pic Of Myxomycetes Slime Mould In A Water Droplet

#47 The Ultimate Blackwater Find. Deep Water Cusk Eel Species. Palm Beach, Florida

#48 New Crab Species Recently Discovered Off The Coast Of Australia Called "Lamarckdromia Beagle", The Ylook Like Little Underwater Fuzzballs

#49 Lime Cross-Section

#50 A Spectacular Wide Shot Of Saturn Captured By NASA’s Groundbreaking Cassini Spacecraft!

#51 🔥 The Blue Dragon River In Portugal 🐉

#52 Nice To Meet You, I'm Octopus

#53 Found A Bunch Of Tiny Grasshoppers While I Was Surveying A Corn Field. They're So Cute!

#54 A Coconut Octopus Peeking Out From His Shell Home

#55 Endangered Mexican Alligator Lizard. They’re Arboreal 🌳, And Look A Bit Like A Baby Dragon 🐉

#56 One Of The Most Oddball Animals In History. Diplocaulus, An Amphibian From The Carboniferous-Permian

#57 Baby Sloth!!

#58 An Incredible Shot Of A Sharpear Enope Squid 🦑

#59 The Fractal Growth Pattern Of An Ammonite Septum

#60 Spectators At The Fagradalsfjall Eruption, Getting As Close As They Can To Lava Without Getting Singed 🔥

#61 The Golden Chrysalises Of The Tithorea Tarricina Butterfly

#62 A Comparison Showing The Jaws Of An Ancient Megalodon Shark (That Lived Approximately 23 To 3.6 Million Years Ago), Compared To A Modern Day Reef Shark

#63 A New Species Of Bioluminescent Earthworm Has Been Discovered In Japan

#64 Diamond Squid Rarely Disappoint When Encountered. Blackwater Off Kona, Hawaii. Size About 1.5+ Inches

#65 This Is A Tree That Got Hit By Lightning And It Exposed It’s Vascular System. Nature Is So Complex

#66 Earth At Night Viewed From Space

#67 An Otherworldly Photo Of A Bush

#68 Sample From A Small Forrest Pond

#69 Sea Of Japan Where Snow And Beach And Sea Meet

#70 A Photo Of Pluto – 24 Years Apart (1994-2018)

#71 Last Pic Of Earth Taken By NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Before It Went On A Death Dive Into Saturn

#72 A Never Before Seen Species Of Cusk Eel

#73 Ercolania Caerulea, A Nudibranch Who Carries Galaxies On Its Back

#74 Art In Nature

#75 A Wildlife Photographer Captured A Super Rare White Risso's Dolphin Off The Coast Of California

#76 🔥 A Rare Pink Manta Ray

#77 Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain) In Peru

#78 A Long Arm Octopus, Photographed In Hawaii

#79 Sleeping Squirrels In Their Nest On Someone's Window Ledge

#80 A Hermit Crab With A Glass Shell

#81 Meet The Skeleton Panda Sea Squirts, Also Known As Ascidians 💀🐼

#82 Fossil Trees As Tall As Modern-Day Redwoods Have Been Found In Northern Thailand

#83 Longhorn Cowfish

#84 Curiosity Has Send A Breathtakingly Beautiful Panorama Back To Earth

#85 ‘Nudibranch’ Means ‘Naked Gills’ And Refers To The Branchial Plumes On Their Backs

#86 Beautiful Markings On This White Sturgeon (Acipenser Transmontanus)

#87 Saturn’s Rings And One Of Its Moons, Dione (Cassini)

#88 Never Seen A Red Velvet Mite? Well Now You Have

#89 Cuttlefish

#90 The Zebra Shark (Stegostoma Tigrinum) Is The Closest Living Relative To The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus)

#91 Beautiful Colours Of Galathea Pilosa, A Species Of Squat Lobster

#92 This Gigantic Deep Sea Sponge Is The Size Of A Small Bus

#93 The Brilliantly Colored Purple Firefish. Bali, Indonesia

#94 Glowing Blue Spider Is Among The Dozens Of New Discoveries Uncovered During An Expedition To Angola's Lisma Plateau

#95 An Emperor Angelfish, With No Filter

#96 Curves Of A Giant Clam #coralmorphologic

#97 A Magnificent Moment Captured Between A Freediver And A Southern Right Whale And Calf, In Skeleton Bay, Tasmania

#98 The Biggest Volcano In Our Solar System, Olympus Mons On Mars (H27km, W648km)

#99 Under The Plant

#100 Tapir Frog (Synapturanus Danta). A New Species Of Tapir Frog Found In The Putumayo Basin In Peru. They’ve Become Known As The Real Life Chocolate Frog From Harry Potter!

#101 These Are Neurons Trying To Connect. Your Memories, Your Dreams, Everything You Know About The Universe Is Thanks To These Little Guys And How They Interact

#102 Muscle Tissue Through An Electron Microscope

#103 At 661 Pounds, This Giant Freshwater Stingray (Urogymnus Polyepis) Just Dethroned The Mekong Giant Catfish To Become The World's Largest Freshwater Fish!

#104 You’ve Seen A Hammerhead Shark Before. But Have You Seen A Winghead Shark?

#105 A High Resolution Composite Image Of Solar Eclipse

#106 Starfish Walk Using Hundreds Of Tiny Tube Feet On The Underside Of Their Arms, As Seen In This Fascinating Timelapse By Juliette Horn At The Frost Museum Of Science

#107 If The Earth Was Roughly The Size Of Pluto

#108 That’s Not A Bad Pixel. That’s Mercury

#109 Comparison Between Hubble And James Webb's Look At The Cartwheel Galaxy

#110 On May 18, 1980, Richard Lasher Shot This Epic Photo Of The Eruption Of Mount St. Helens. Lasher Was Forced To Abandon His Pinto And Flee The Giant Plume Of Ash On His Motorcycle. Lasher Survived, His Pinto Did Not

#111 An Incredible Shot Showing The Raw Power Of Lightning Striking A Tree At The Exact Moment The Picture Is Taken

#112 Elm Scribblings: Carved By Creatures Who Live Beneath The Bark, Revealed Only When Storm Eunice Brought Their World Crashing Down. 🌳😊

#113 Sailfish Have Been Clocked At Speeds In Excess Of 68mph/112km, Some Experts Consider The Sailfish The Fastest Fish In The World's Oceans

#114 A Tunnel In Brazil Dug By The Extinct Giant Sloth

#115 Parasitic Fungus (Akanthomyces Sp) Which Has Infected A Moth

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