The Ceramic Chef Knives
15 Deep Space Photos That Will Make You Feel Small...Earth Is So Tiny It's human nature to think that we are the center of the universe. While it would be great if that were true, it's sadly not the case. In the grand scheme of things, we humans barely even register. From any great distance, it would be impossible to pick out our sun from among the billions upon billions of stars in our galaxy and the universe at large.
Many folks find humanity's cosmic insignificance to be pretty terrifying, but contemplating that insignificance every once in a while is actually beneficial to one's worldview. Try it out as you look at these photos of the wonderful, vast, and terrifying universe above you.
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1. The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field photograph. Every point of light you see here is a galaxy as massive and diverse as our own Milky Way.
2. This is a cluster of five galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet, or the Hickson Compact Group 92.
3. The great clouds of the Carina Nebula.
4. The extremely hot remains of a supernova from 20,000 years ago. That ring is about a light-year across.
5. The purple area here highlights the distribution of dark energy in this galaxy cluster.
6. Inside this breathtaking nebula 7,500 light-years away, dozens of new stars are being born.
7. Meet galaxy NGC 2841.
8. You're viewing one of the oldest galaxies in the universe. Its stars formed about 200 million years after the Big Bang.
9. These two neighboring galaxies look a bit like a rose because of the gravitational forces acting on them.
10. Our own sun throwing off a powerful flare.
11. 11.5 million light-years away are these beautiful remnants of a supernova in the M82 galaxy.
12. This supernova was a little closer to home, only 150,000 light-years away. One day our sun will suffer a similar fate.
13. See that bright spot? That's the beginning of what will eventually become a massive galaxy. The light it's giving off is as bright as a million stars.
14. This massive black hole is located in the center of one of the smallest galaxies ever discovered.
15. This picture shows a giant cluster of 3,000 young stars named Westerlund 2.
The way I see it, contemplating our insignificance in the universe isn't about realizing how much we don't matter. Instead, it's a study in understanding that life and its meaning are what you make it.
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22 Animals Who Can't Hide Their Cuteness, No Matter How Grumpy They May Be
Sure, there's that one cat who's famous for being pretty darn grumpy, but she's not the only adorable animal in the world with a tendency to have a 'tude.
These cats, dogs, birds, and more might think they're real tough, but they don't realize just how cute their moody faces make them look. Sorry, guys, but we still just want to cuddle up with ya!
2. "How did you find my secret hiding place??"
3. "I demand a dinner with dignity."
4. "I can learn new tricks, but that doesn't mean I will."
5. "Didn't think I'd notice the new diet food, did you?"
6. "I was having such a great dream. You weren't in it."
7. I wouldn't mind bumping into this tough gang on the street.
8. "Are you kidding me? A rainbow? Yuck."
9. "Only one carrot? ONE?"
10. "Walk? I'd rather not."
11. "This was the biggest crown you could find?"
12. "Stop calling me 'chick,' buddy."
13. "Every second you make me wear this is another day of me using your bed as a litter box."
14. "HAH -- some other cat thinks they're grumpier than me?"
15. "I can't help but notice this isn't catnip."
16. "No, go ahead, I can't wait to hear the rest of this amazing story."
17. "Just wait 'til you see where I left a spike for you."
18. "Turkey bacon? Really?"
19. "I saw you looking at PetFinder last night."
20. "Stop calling me a good boy!"
21. "Please don't bother me while I'm plotting my world domination."
22. "...I am NOT a panda."
Poor things. They just want to be left alone, but they're too cute to resist snuggling up to.
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THE CERAMIC CHEF KNIVES Presents
When This Woman Plays Her Pup Like A Guitar...Something Incredibly Cute Happens
Everyone's heard of (or tried) air guitar before. Even if you're not a fan of the original move, we should all be thankful that it exists. If it wasn't for air guitar, we wouldn't have this genius version of it...puppy guitar!
This mini pooch definitely doesn't mind taking the place of his mom's instrument, since he also gets some super-fun belly rubs in the process.
I think this mom should consider putting a band together of other animal instruments -- a cat bass, perhaps? Though, I'm not sure whether or not a cat would be as cooperative as this pup...
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THE CERAMIC CHEF KNIVES Presents
When It Comes To Mealtime, This Bird Believes That Sharing Is Caring
Most pets find their food waiting for them in a bowl, but this dog and cat have their very own delivery system...whether they want it or not.
Their adorable bird buddy, Cha Cha, loves sharing her own food pellets with her patient four-legged friends. An Australian white-winged chough, she dotes on Kitten and Skye respectively like a loving mom, but something tells me they were already pretty stuffed by the time the camera started rolling.
It's just like when your grandma forces seconds on you at Thanksgiving...but just a bit more adorable. (Sorry, Grandma.)
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THE CERAMIC CHEF KNIVES Presents
I Could Hardly Believe What This Amazing Dog Did To Inspire Thousands Of Lives
Faith is an incredibly inspirational dog with a heart of gold. The cute canine was born with only three legs — two fully developed hind legs and a deformed front leg, which had to be amputated when she was seven months old.
Faith was found by Jude Stringfellow, a kind woman who happened upon her when the mother dog was trying to smother Faith. Jude adopted Faith, and though veterinarians told her she needed to be euthanized, Jude decided to give the little dog a chance. Over time, Faith began to walk on her back legs, helped by Jude's use of a spoon with peanut butter as an incentive.
Watch as the happy dog surprises returning vets at St. Louis International Airport.
(source Post-Dispatch Photography)
Faith used to greet returning vets at airports all over the country, so much so that the U.S. Army made her an honorary sergeant for inspiring disabled war veterans. Her story is one of strength and perseverance, an easily relatable tale for our military heroes.
After a lifetime of inspiring others with disabilities, Faith died on September 23, 2014. She passed away peacefully with Jude and a platter of cheese at her side. Her tale will live on and inspire many for years to come.
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THE CERAMIC CHEF KNIVES Presents
18 Weirdly Incredible Animal Facts That Will Leave You Completely Amazed
There is an incredible amount of information yet to be gathered about our tiny blue dot in our vast universe. There are nooks and crannies right under our noses that have yet to be discovered — but there's also an abundance of facts already out there that most of us haven't heard before. A lot of this information is also super weird.
Here are 18 of the most amazing animal facts. We should warn you, though...nature can be terrifyingly wonderful (emphasis on the terrifying part).
1. China has salamanders as long as your dad is tall. They also smell like pepper...
Yep, these giant amphibians grow to six feet long and excrete a white substance that smells like pepper. They also have a good amount of extra skin, which allows for more efficient oxygen absorption...because they absorb oxygen through their skin!
2. A man found this strange creature while fishing with his sons...but it's not uncommon at all.
It's called a salp, and they can be found in almost any ocean.
However, they're most abundant around Antarctica. They stay close to the surface, filtering small plankton and bacteria through their bodies as sustenance. They link together in these amazing, corkscrew-shaped colonies. Amazingly, they also help filter carbon dioxide out of the environment, quelling the effects of global warming!
3. Remember that saber-toothed squirrel from Ice Age that paleontologists thought was completely ridiculous and based on nothing?
He apparently actually existed! A fossil discovered in 2011 (that took three years to be carefully separated from the surrounding rock by a certified technician) proves that a squirrel-like, saber-toothed creature did exist in prehistoric times.
4. In 1979, a legend was born.
A bull named Starbuck, weighing 2,580 pounds, was such a handsome, prime specimen of a bull, that his sperm sold for a total of $25 million over the years. Between 1986 and 1995, he took home the title of "Premier Sire" 27 times at five Holstein shows throughout Canada and the U.S. While the legend passed in 1998, he's sired more that 200,000 daughters and his genes have been cloned more than once.
5. There's a spider in Madagascar whose web is stronger than any other biological material known to man.
Their webs are ten times more resistant than kevlar. The spiders have also been documented weaving their webs to be as large as two city buses. Darwin's bark spider will sometimes wrap multiple insects into one cocoon, so as to create a nice big snack. I would not want to get caught in this web. Nope, no way.
6. Oh, you needed more terrifying spider news?
Spiders in Australia eat snakes. Not teeny, little snakes. Snake-sized snakes. Do you realize how big that spider has to be to eat a snake? The worst part is the snake is still alive while the orb spider begins to chow down. The area where the spider's insides come into contact with the snake's venom then turns all black and bubbly. You will never in one million years find me in Australia.
7. Wolverine is real, but in a very unexpected way.
This frog, named the horror frog, purposefully breaks its own toe bones and forces the sharpened bones through the flesh when it feels it's in danger. The frog's body then heals itself. I don't know if this is a freak of nature or the epitome of how amazing nature can be...but either way, it's pretty spooky.
8. Thought a beheading was a death sentence?
Not for Mike the chicken. In 1945, Lloyd Olsen of Colorado was slaughtering some of his chickens for his family and for sale, when he swung the axe at Mike's neck, he missed most of his brain stem and the vital jugular. After Olsen realized that the chicken wasn't going to die, he stopped the bleeding and decided to care for him. Nowadays that might seem inhumane, to chop off a chicken's face and let it live through it, but Olsen took Mike around the country to sideshows and the like, and the rooster lived the rest of his life quite spoiled...aside from the fact that he HAD NO FACE.
9. What's it like to freeze solid? You die, right? That's why they call it freezing to death...
Not for the wood frog! This guy's body can do a bunch of science-y stuff (accumulate urea in their tissues, convert glycogen to glucose in the liver to reduce the amount of ice that forms and reduce the shrinkage of cells) that makes him capable of freezing through the winter months and thawing in the spring as if nothing ever happened.
10. What's the loudest animal known to man?
This teeny snapping shrimp. They stun their prey by clamping down their claws that shoot jets of water at 62 miles per hour. These jets leave behind low-pressure air bubbles that collapse and produce hot, mini explosions at 200 decibels.
11. Please, for the love of all things cute and adorable, never put a sweater on a Siberian Husky.
These guys are built to withstand Arctic temperatures of -58 to -76 degrees Fahrenheit. Their coat consists of a thick undercoat and a topcoat of longer hairs...so let them play in the snow and show off their industrial-strength natural coats while you sit off to the side all bundled in your pathetic goose down.
12. There's a sea creature that can figure out which predator to mimic...and does it with creepy accuracy.
Discovered in 1998, the mimic octopus can take the shape of up to 15 different predators as a means of defense. Scientists don't fully get it yet, but it sure is amazing to watch!
He's got the ability to neutralize any kind of poison...even those that he's never encountered before. Opossums can do this because their bodies produce a protein called lethal toxin-neutralizing factor. So be kind to him when you spot him in your garbage -- it's possible that he'll do great things for humankind someday!
4. Oysters: do they have genders?
Oysters change their genders a handful of times throughout their lives. Does this have anything to do with their aphrodisiac characteristic? Probably not, but it's something to consider...
15. Is this a Photoshop joke about what happens if a pig and a sheep had a baby?
Nope, it's a Hungarian breed of pig called Mangalitsa, and it's got a thick, hairy coat. They're the product of cross-breeding Hungarian Bakonyi and Szalontai breeds with Sumadia pigs from Serbia. Put those two together and voilà -- you've got a wooly sheep-like piggy.
16. Galloping crocodiles have lived for 100 million years...and used to hunt dinosaurs!
Fossils of these guys have been found in Morocco and Niger. I think it's safe to say that we're all glad they're no longer still around.
17. Polar bears don't actually have white fur.
Each hair is hollow, transparent, and contains no pigment. It reflects light and what's around it, which is usually snow and ice. What's more, underneath all of that transparent hair is black skin!
18. Sure, a blue whale is giant...
But you wouldn't think that their tongue can weigh as much as an adult elephant. That's some serious perspective for you.
(via Unbelievable Facts)
So what did I take away from this? Steer clear of Australia at all costs and never believe my eyes ever again. What do you think?
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