The truth is that Earth still harbors many fascinating facts that not everyone knows.
Some Interesting Secrets of Earth
- 1. The weight of the entire Internet is only as heavy as… a strawberry
- 2. The total biomass of all ants on Earth is equivalent to the total biomass of humans
- 3. The driest place on Earth is in Antarctica
- 4. Birds can see the Earth’s magnetic field
- 5. The largest living organism on Earth is… a fungus
- 6. The world’s gold comes from outer space
- 7. Earth once had two moons
- 8. Earth is not a perfect sphere; it is an oblate spheroid
- 9. 99% of the livable space on Earth is ocean
- 10. All the water on Earth is 4.3 billion years old
- 11. There is a place in the world that still believes the Earth is flat
- 12. The Great Lakes hold 21% of Earth’s fresh water
- 13. A small spoonful of material on a neutron star weighs more than 1 billion tons on Earth
Earth is vast and always conceals countless mysteries of life. Through years of research, experts have compiled fascinating facts about Earth that will leave many people astonished.
1. The weight of the entire Internet is only as heavy as… a strawberry
Through calculations, researchers have determined that the weight of our limitless Internet is a mere… 50 grams. This weight is equivalent to a large strawberry.
Moreover, if we only consider the data and exclude the electricity needed to maintain Internet operations, you would be surprised to find that the measured weight would be even lower.
2. The total biomass of all ants on Earth is equivalent to the total biomass of humans
It may sound unbelievable, but this is the truth. We are completely outnumbered. The current global population is around 7-8 billion people, while the number of over 12,000 species of ants worldwide (excluding Antarctica) is approximately… 10 trillion.
Thus, in terms of “force ratio,” each of us must compare to about 1.5 million ants. An average adult weighs 70 kg, while 150 ants weigh about 7 grams. Just think about that!
It is known that biomass is the total weight of living organisms in the biosphere or the number of living organisms per unit area or volume.
3. The driest place on Earth is in Antarctica
Interestingly, 98% of the land in Antarctica is covered by ice, with the remainder being rock. However, there is a place in Antarctica known as the “dry valley” where no rain has fallen for the past 2 million years.
4. Birds can see the Earth’s magnetic field
The Earth’s magnetic field is invisible to our eyes; however, it is “visible” to migratory birds.
Scientists have proven that the molecules in migratory birds’ eyes are connected to a region in their brains responsible for navigation, allowing them to easily “see” the Earth’s magnetic field and fly to warmer areas.
5. The largest living organism on Earth is… a fungus
This fungus, known as honey fungus, belongs to the Armillaria genus. The honey fungus is currently considered the largest living organism on Earth, found in the Malheur National Forest (Oregon) with a surface area of… 8.9 km².
Honey fungus is harmful because it invades and destroys many trees. In 1998, many large trees in Malheur National Forest, Oregon, died, primarily due to this fungus.
6. The world’s gold comes from outer space
Believe it or not, nearly all the gold on Earth originates from outer space. Gold rains down on Earth from 4 billion years ago, enriching our planet with precious metals.
This gold rain lasted for 200 million years due to meteorite impacts on the Earth’s surface. Experts estimate that gold on Earth could have once covered the entire land with a thickness of about 0.5 – 3.6 meters.
7. Earth once had two moons
A professor at the University of California hypothesized that there once existed a ‘twin’ moon millions of years ago, which disappeared after colliding with our current moon.
He stated: “The second moon was smaller and only existed for a few million years, orbiting Earth at similar speed and distance until it collided with a larger moon.”
8. Earth is not a perfect sphere; it is an oblate spheroid
While Earth is spherical, due to gravitational forces, our planet is not a perfect sphere. In fact, it bulges around the equator, creating an oblate spheroid.
According to scientists’ calculations, the Earth’s polar radius is 6,320 km, while the equatorial radius is 6,341 km.
9. 99% of the livable space on Earth is ocean
The vast oceans are much larger than we imagine. They are home to thousands of diverse marine species on Earth.
10. All the water on Earth is 4.3 billion years old
Even the water we drink daily is quite “ancient.”
All the water on Earth today has been continuously cycled through the water cycle for 4.3 billion years. Even the water in our bodies comes from this “ancient” source.
11. There is a place in the world that still believes the Earth is flat
There is an organization called the Flat Earth Society that still insists today that the Earth is flat, rather than being an oblate spheroid as we commonly understand.
12. The Great Lakes contain 21% of the Earth’s fresh water
One of the Great Lakes in the United States
The Great Lakes are five large lakes located near the United States-Canada border. They serve as the largest reserve of fresh water on Earth. However, this title could easily be jeopardized as the polar ice caps continue to melt at an alarming rate.
13. A tiny spoonful of material from a neutron star weighs over 1 billion tons on Earth
Supernova explosion forming a neutron star
Neutron stars are formed from the gravitational collapse of a massive star following a supernova explosion. After this process, a neutron star is created with a relatively small radius of about 12 kilometers, but it possesses an immense gravitational force, approximately 1.4 times that of the Sun. Scientists compare this to squeezing the entire Pyramids of Egypt into a single grain of sand.
With such an extraordinary density of material, a teaspoon of matter from a neutron star would weigh billions of tons.
