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 This Interesting Plant Is Native To Australia
Image source: subcompvac
#2 Trimeresurus Insularis, A Venomous Viper Native To Indonesia
Image source: dioconttal
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 Jellyfish Called The ‘Psychedelic Medusa’
Image source: discover_earth
#4 There Are Only About 1,500 Andean Cats Left In The Wild
Image source: Highest_ENTity
#5 Closeup Of A Wolf Spider’s Face
Image source: ApocalypseThou
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 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
Image source: the_karma_llama
#7 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
Image source: Front-Coconut-8196
#8 The Fractal Growth Pattern Of An Ammonite Septum
Image source: the_karma_llama
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 A Hermit Crab With A Glass Shell
Image source: discover_earth
#10 Spectators At The Fagradalsfjall Eruption, Getting As Close As They Can To Lava Without Getting Singed 🔥
Image source: the_karma_llama
#11 Meet The Skeleton Panda Sea Squirts, Also Known As Ascidians 💀🐼
Image source: discover_earth
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 Blue Sea Dragons Are Basically Real-Life Pokémon
Image source: discover_bot
#13 Newly Discovered Species Found In Madagascar In 2021! Nano Chameleon (Brookesia Nana)
Image source: Highest_ENTity
#14 A Short-Eared Owl Battles A Northern Harrier. Photo By Kathy Mcculloch Wade In Skagit County, Washington
Image source: the_karma_llama
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 The First Flower Ever Grown Entirely In Space
Image source: discover_earth
#16 A New Species Of Bioluminescent Earthworm Has Been Discovered In Japan
Image source: discover_earth
#17 Diamond Squid Rarely Disappoint When Encountered. Blackwater Off Kona, Hawaii. Size About 1.5+ Inches
Image source: discover_earth
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 This Ascidian Is Not From Avatar Or Outer Space. This Is A Real-Life Creature From The Ocean Floor In Tulamben, Bali
Image source: discover_earth
#19 Hummingbirds Are So Tiny That This One Built A Nest And Laid Its Eggs On Top Of A Peach
Image source: discover_earth
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 The Spotted Eagle Ray Looks Like Some Kind Of Ancient Ocean Spirit
Image source: discover_earth
#21 Ribbon Eel
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#22 If Our Eyes Were Able To See Magnetic Fields, This Is More Or Less How Jupiter’s Magnetosphere Would Appear In The Night Sky
Image source: discover_earth
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 You Share A Planet With This Alien Creature! The Hammerhead Flatworm
Image source: discover_earth
#24 You’ve Seen A Hammerhead Shark Before. But Have You Seen A Winghead Shark?
Image source: discover_earth
#25 Bioluminescent Ghost Mushrooms In Australia
Image source: discover_earth
#26 This Is A Tree That Got Hit By Lightning And It Exposed It’s Vascular System. Nature Is So Complex
Image source: discover_earth
#27 Curiosity Has Send A Breathtakingly Beautiful Panorama Back To Earth
Image source: discover_earth
#28 If The Earth Was Roughly The Size Of Pluto
Image source: discover_earth
#29 An Otherworldly Photo Of A Bush
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#30 The Ultimate Blackwater Find. Deep Water Cusk Eel Species. Palm Beach, Florida
Image source: discover_earth
#31 New Crab Species Recently Discovered Off The Coast Of Australia Called “Lamarckdromia Beagle”, The Ylook Like Little Underwater Fuzzballs
Image source: iim2
#32 A Photo Of Pluto – 24 Years Apart (1994-2018)
Image source: discover_earth
#33 The Water Beading Off The Waterproof Feathers On A Loon
Image source: iim2
#34 🔥 A Bush Pig Cooling Off In A Mud Puddle
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#35 Sailfish Have Been Clocked At Speeds In Excess Of 68mph/112km, Some Experts Consider The Sailfish The Fastest Fish In The World’s Oceans
Image source: iim2
#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
Image source: Front-Coconut-8196
#37 Fossil Trees As Tall As Modern-Day Redwoods Have Been Found In Northern Thailand
Image source: discover_earth
#38 Have You Ever Seen A Dragon Moray Eel
Image source: coconut_truck
#39 Longhorn Cowfish
Image source: discover_earth
#40 The Golden Chrysalises Of The Tithorea Tarricina Butterfly
Image source: coconut_truck
#41 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
Image source: discover_earth
#42 Muscle Tissue Through An Electron Microscope
Image source: discover_earth
#43 At 661 Pounds, This Giant Freshwater Stingray (Urogymnus Polyepis) Just Dethroned The Mekong Giant Catfish To Become The World’s Largest Freshwater Fish!
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#44 🦭
Image source: cibefi
#45 Look At This Moth From The Genus Phalera
Image source: discover_earth
#46 I Hope To See A Swimming Feather Star In Person One Day
Image source: discover_earth
#47 I’m Not Sure What I Expected A Puffer Fish Skeleton To Look Like But I Don’t Think This Was It
Image source: discover_earth
#48 A High Resolution Composite Image Of Solar Eclipse
Image source: discover_earth
#49 This Incredible Variety Of Sea Slugs Found Around Misaki, Japan
Image source: discover_bot
#50 Earth At Night Viewed From Space
Image source: discover_bot
#51 Imam Mosque, Isfahan, Iran
Image source: discover_earth
#52 Whale Sharks Look Like Submerged Galaxies
Image source: discover_bot
#53 Sample From A Small Forrest Pond
Image source: coconut_truck
#54 Sometimes Nature Is So Cool It Takes Your Breath Away. I Feel That Way About Octopus. This Really Is Such An Amazing Animal
Image source: discover_earth
#55 Very Cool Pic Of Myxomycetes Slime Mould In A Water Droplet
Image source: discover_earth
#56 ‘Nudibranch’ Means ‘Naked Gills’ And Refers To The Branchial Plumes On Their Backs
Image source: discover_earth
#57 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
Image source: discover_earth
#58 That’s Not A Bad Pixel. That’s Mercury
Image source: discover_earth
#59 This Beautiful Creature Is A Wooly Monkey, And There Only About 1000 Of Them
Image source: iim2
#60 Sea Of Japan Where Snow And Beach And Sea Meet
Image source: iim2
#61 Comparison Between Hubble And James Webb’s Look At The Cartwheel Galaxy
Image source: the_karma_llama
#62 Beautiful Markings On This White Sturgeon (Acipenser Transmontanus)
Image source: the_karma_llama
#63 Lime Cross-Section
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#64 A Spectacular Wide Shot Of Saturn Captured By NASA’s Groundbreaking Cassini Spacecraft!
Image source: discover_earth
#65 Last Pic Of Earth Taken By NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Before It Went On A Death Dive Into Saturn
Image source: discover_earth
#66 🔥 The Blue Dragon River In Portugal 🐉
Image source: the_karma_llama
#67 Saturn’s Rings And One Of Its Moons, Dione (Cassini)
Image source: discover_earth
#68 Never Seen A Red Velvet Mite? Well Now You Have
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#69 Nice To Meet You, I’m Octopus
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#70 Lithops Are South African Plants That Have Evolved To Look Like Stones
Image source: iim2
#71 Cuttlefish
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#72 The Common Seadragon. This Guy Was Found In Waikiki, Hawaii
Image source: discover_bot
#73 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
Image source: Suspicious-Slip248
#74 Lace Bugs Looks Like Their Wings Are Made Of Stained Glass
Image source: iim2
#75 Orchid Mantis
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#76 An Incredible Shot Showing The Raw Power Of Lightning Striking A Tree At The Exact Moment The Picture Is Taken
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#77 Elm Scribblings: Carved By Creatures Who Live Beneath The Bark, Revealed Only When Storm Eunice Brought Their World Crashing Down. 🌳😊
Image source: discover_earth
#78 A Never Before Seen Species Of Cusk Eel
Image source: discover_earth
#79 The Zebra Shark (Stegostoma Tigrinum) Is The Closest Living Relative To The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus)
Image source: discover_earth
#80 The Glasswing Butterfly. One Of The Most Delicately Beautiful Creatures To Exist
Image source: the_karma_llama
#81 There’s A Moth Bigger Than Your Hand, With A Wingspan Of 1 Foot. A Few Have Been Sighted In The UK
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#82 This Is Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog Or Amazon Milk Frog. It Was First Discovered Along The Maracanã River In Brazil
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#83 Found A Bunch Of Tiny Grasshoppers While I Was Surveying A Corn Field. They’re So Cute!
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#84 Ercolania Caerulea, A Nudibranch Who Carries Galaxies On Its Back
Image source: discover_earth
#85 Art In Nature
Image source: discover_earth
#86 This Gigantic Deep Sea Sponge Is The Size Of A Small Bus
Image source: discover_bot
#87 🔥 Mandarin Fish
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#88 A Coconut Octopus Peeking Out From His Shell Home
Image source: discover_earth
#89 The Brilliantly Colored Purple Firefish. Bali, Indonesia
Image source: discover_earth
#90 The Comet Moth (Madagascar Moon Moth)
Image source: Highest_ENTity
#91 Glowing Blue Spider Is Among The Dozens Of New Discoveries Uncovered During An Expedition To Angola’s Lisma Plateau
Image source: davalkatro
#92 Curves Of A Giant Clam #coralmorphologic
Image source: discover_earth
#93 A Magnificent Moment Captured Between A Freediver And A Southern Right Whale And Calf, In Skeleton Bay, Tasmania
Image source: discover_earth
#94 Endangered Mexican Alligator Lizard. They’re Arboreal 🌳, And Look A Bit Like A Baby Dragon 🐉
Image source: Highest_ENTity
#95 A Wildlife Photographer Captured A Super Rare White Risso’s Dolphin Off The Coast Of California
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#96 The Biggest Volcano In Our Solar System, Olympus Mons On Mars (H27km, W648km)
Image source: discover_earth
#97 Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain) In Peru
Image source: Highest_ENTity
#98 One Of The Most Oddball Animals In History. Diplocaulus, An Amphibian From The Carboniferous-Permian
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#99 A Long Arm Octopus, Photographed In Hawaii
Image source: discover_bot
#100 Baby Sloth!!
Image source: the_karma_llama
#101 Sleeping Squirrels In Their Nest On Someone’s Window Ledge
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#102 Under The Plant
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#103 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!
Image source: Highest_ENTity
#104 🔥 Blue Jay Feathers Close Up
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#105 An Incredible Shot Of A Sharpear Enope Squid 🦑
Image source: discover_bot
#106 🔥close Up Of A Dragonfly🔥
Image source: ApocalypseThou
#107 The Great Eared Nightjar, Looks Like A Little Dragon
Image source: iim2
#108 Parasitic Fungus (Akanthomyces Sp) Which Has Infected A Moth
Image source: the_karma_llama
#109 Pink-Necked Green Pigeons Are Common In Southeast Asia
Image source: iim2
#110 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
Image source: discover_earth
#111 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
Image source: discover_earth
#112 Beautiful Colours Of Galathea Pilosa, A Species Of Squat Lobster
Image source: discover_earth
#113 An Emperor Angelfish, With No Filter
Image source: discover_earth
#114 🔥 A Rare Pink Manta Ray
Image source: the_karma_llama
#115 A Tunnel In Brazil Dug By The Extinct Giant Sloth
Image source: the_karma_llama
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