Who doesn’t love learning new things? Our brain floods our body with dopamine when we see, to quote the American rock band Semisonic, an F. N. T. That stands for “fascinating new thing”. And although the group was singing about a girl, the reference still stands, right? A spiky tiny mushroom or a transparent octopus can be a fascinating new thing too.
The subreddit r/fascinating then is heaven for those who want to satisfy their curiosity and get a dopamine rush. It’s a Reddit community with over 40k members where people post interesting pictures and facts. Check out our selection from the subreddit below!
Bored Panda also got some thoughts from an insider. One of the moderators from r/fascinating, WeirdPineapple, was kind enough to answer some questions. Check out our short interview with him below!
#1 The Lesser Known 1st Starry Night Painting By Vincent Van Gogh
Image credits: DoctorWhoIsCool
The r/fascinating subreddit is not the only community that Weird Pineapple is a mod on. There are 9 communities in total under his wing. r/fascinating is the third on the list in terms of member count.
Nevertheless, it still ranks in the top 5% percent of the largest communities on Reddit. And it’s not only facts and pictures we can find there. Community members don’t shy away from posting videos with interesting facts as well.
#2 Rare Octopus With Completely Transparent Head
Image credits: Primo2000
#3 This Tiny Mushroom (Possibly Mycena Subcyanocephala)
Image credits: PuzzleheadedLet8
We asked WeirdPineapple how he became one of the moderators for this community. “I originally became involved as I was working on a handful of projects, and /r/fascinating happened to be one of them.”
The mod tells Bored Panda that the subreddit wasn’t in the best state when he came on board. “It was a bit dilapidated when we originally got there, but we managed to promote some growth and better content. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s been a long process that is not done yet.”
#4 Inside The Mouth Of A Leatherback Turtle
Image credits: SnackSize_
#5 The Moon During A Total Solar Eclipse Revealing A Vast Solar Corona
Image credits: depressoham
#6 Ronald Mcnair, The Boy Who Refused To Leave The Library
Image credits: ThaProtege
The Redditor tells us why he holds this particular community dear to his heart. “This subreddit was a passion project I had alongside a tremendous team, who also helped build some of the biggest communities you still see on Reddit today. It had a solid foundation and just needed a push and some cleaning up.
#7 Mt. St Helens The 17th Of May, 1980 vs. 4 Months Later
Image credits: primaengima
#8 The Puffer Fish Skeleton And The Way It Works Is Simply A Marvel Of Nature
Image credits: reddit.com
#9 This Is How Mt. Fuji Cuts Through The Clouds
Image credits: readitonreddittho
This mod has extensive experience, yet the beginning of the subreddit was still a challenge. He says he used to spend a lot of time moderating the community. “But communities become more established and you incorporate a decent auto-mod system, you end up with a mostly autonomous community,” WeirdPineapple explains. “Manual spam-removal is still essential, however,” he adds.
#10 Big Old Snail
Image credits: William2882
#11 Baby Pacific Pomfret Hitching A Ride On A Baby Jellyfish (Three Angles)
Image credits: oceanxorg
#12 Researchers Studied The Effects Of A 20-Minute Walk On The Cognitive Performance Of A Group Of Children. This Is Fascinating
Image credits: Rollyman1
The Redditor says the most challenging part is monitoring trolls. “It’s mainly a battle of fighting paid spam and misinformation posts, as with many subreddits with any traction. I understand making a name for yourself or your community, it just needs to be done within the proper channels.”
#13 This Is What All The Nerves For Your Teeth Look Like
Image credits: Heath-Relecovo
#14 Alexander The Great, Based On His Busts And Ancient Accounts Of Him
Image credits: the_bridgeburner
#15 Chinese Explorer Zheng He’s Ship Compared To Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria. Both Lived And Sailed At The Same Time (Repost /R/Pics)
Image credits: JamesPriestley
There’s a somewhat fascinating fact about WeirdPineapple himself. He says working as a Reddit mod led to him starting a career as a professional racer. In fact, one of the communities he oversees, r/capps, is a place where he can document his achievements.
#16 What Lightning Does To Sand
Image credits: Snotmeister
#17 A 3300 Year Old Wig
Yes you read that right! This is the wig of Merit, wife of Kha, found in the tomb of the couple (TT8) in Thebes, present-day Luxor, Egypt. The wig was beautifully constructed of human hair. The wig can now be seen in the Museo Egizio, Torino, Italy.
Image credits: BloodhoundLightBob52
#18 This Couple Met In Wwii, Then Got Married In Germany. The Wife Traded A Soldier Two Cartons Of Cigarettes For A Parachute To Make Her Wedding Dress
Image credits: thejesster61
“I never expected where I’d end up when I started working with/on Reddit over a decade ago,” the mod confesses. “But professional racing was not in the top five that I saw coming if I even had a top-five back then.”
#19 What A Wonderful Time To Be Alive!
Image credits: Unusual-Yam-4837
#20 Full Contact National Lightsaber League And Tournament
Image credits: SlamSlayer1
#21 Oldest Living Thing On Earth. Methuselah, A Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, Is 4,853 Years Old
Image credits: heybrehhhh
The Reddit user also feels a lot of gratitude towards the platform and its other users. “I’m extremely thankful for what Reddit has been able to do for both me and the communities I oversee,” WeirdPineapple says.
#22 Allegheny National Forest By Zack Frank
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
#23 Mathematical Analysis Of The Electrical Signals Fungi Seemingly Send To One Another Has Identified Patterns That Bear A Striking Structural Similarity To Human Speech
Image credits: Nourinn
#24 This Is A Human Nervous System That Took Over 4000 Hours To Dissect. There Is Only 4 In The World
Image credits: Saltcityhype
We throw the word ‘fascinating’ around quite a bit here on this post. Oxford Learner’s Dictionary describes it as being ‘very interested.’ But that doesn’t really do it justice, does it? When we say that we’re fascinated, it’s not just that we find it very interesting. There’s something stronger – it captivates our attention.
#25 Lifespan Of Animals
Image credits: JamesPriestley
#26 Gerrymandering Explained: How Elections Are Stolen By Redistricting
Image credits: Heath-Relecovo
#27 Comparison Of Actual Distances On The Mercator Projection Map
Image credits: Heath-Relecovo
Simone Redaelli Ph.D. links fascination to mystery. “Fascination occurs when our attention is involuntarily captured by a given environment. Being a potential source of unprecedented knowledge, a mysterious setting easily attracts us and it is therefore a source of fascination.”
#28 This Was The Scene When Driving Through Paradise, California During The Fires On The 8th November…. Photo; Oakland Firefighters Local 55
Image credits: Majortom80
#29 Stereoscopy – The Optical Illusion Of Seeing A Picture In 3D Without Equipment. Cross Your Eyes Until The Images Overlap To See The Effect
Image credits: ripples2288
#30 Monument Valley, Arizona By Paul B. Moore
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
We can say something similar about the entries on this list from /fascinating. The creators of the subreddit chose the name very aptly. Let us know which pictures captured your attention involuntarily. Upvote your favorites and let us know what you liked in the comments!
#31 The Way You Can See The Truck Through These Pipes
Image credits: BattleNo6108
#32 Perspective
Image credits: ShivaniKr
#33 Donut Graph Visualizing Composition Of Earth’s Surface
Image credits: Heath-Relecovo
#34 Andrew Jackson (1844) – First Photograph Of Any Us President
Image credits: Chibs24K
#35 A Different Facial Reconstruction That Shocked Me A Couple Of Years Back..king Tutankhamun
Image credits: s0me0ne_else
#36 A Man Standing In The Lumberyard Of Seattle Cedar Lumber Manufacturing. 1939
Image credits: fourtaco
#37 Crystal River – The Most Beautiful River On Earth
Image credits: harveydana
#38 Age Of Bands!
Image credits: Flamingembargo
#39 Taughannock Falls In Upstate New York By Paul Massie Photography
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
#40 Theodore Roosevelt National Park In North Dakota By Zak Zeinert
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
#41 Old Bottle Caps From Tailgates Past At Miller Park
Image credits: sunflower53069
#42 Detailed Color Theory Infographic
Image credits: Heath-Relecovo
#43 Counties Where A Language Other Than English Is The Most Spoken, According To The Us Census
Image credits: StrawWordXbox
#44 Uss Bennington Sailing By The Wreck Of Uss Arizona, Honolulu, Us Territory Of Hawaii, 30 May 1958
Image credits: 5MikesOut
#45 Herbivore Megafauna Of Modern Europe
Image credits: zek_997
#46 Chart Of “Big Five” Psychological Traits Broken Down Into Sub-Facets
Image credits: Heath-Relecovo
#47 Chart Showing Mouth Locations Used For Phonetics In The International Phonetic Alphabet (Ipa) Along With English Examples
Image credits: Heath-Relecovo
#48 A Stack Of Wasps. Not Sure If They’re Fightin’ Or Fornicatin’
Image credits: taintmyrealname
#49 Glacier National Park, Montana By Galyna Andrushko
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
#50 This Is My Left Hand, I Was Born With It And I Can Still Do Plenty Of Stuff
Image credits: OneHqnded
#51 Apostle Islands National Lakeshore In Wisconsin By Bryan Neuswanger
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
#52 Two Baby Geese Touching Beaks
Image credits: Birdsandbirdyss
#53 Worlds Largest Jellyfish? What Can It Be?
19°23’06.7″N 37°19’49.5″E found on Google Maps at these coordinates
Image credits: icadeer
#54 Picture Of Comet 67p/Churyumov–gerasimenko With A City For Scale
Image credits: pHorniCaiTe
#55 Fairy Pools, The Isle Of Sky, Scotland By Nikola Niki
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
#56 Wendy The Whippet With Myostatin Gene Mutation
Image credits: Primo2000
#57 Only Straight Lines
Image credits: rephan
#58 Fascinating Facts
Image credits: Zuzzuc
#59 The Canadian Rockies By Dan Schyk
Image credits: TheWalkingBob
#60 I Teared Off A Sticker And What Appears Was A Pretty Accurate Map Of The World
Image credits: ceaserbrown