The Universe Has Zero Chill (And Science Can Prove It)
Somewhere between “I just googled my headache and now I think I’m dying” and “why is the moon just… there,” the universe quietly decided to be the weirdest thing ever created. You’re living in a reality where space smells like a barbecue, your body runs on star dust, and a shrimp can see colors your brain can’t even imagine. No one told you this in school because they were too busy making you memorize the mitochondria.
Let’s fix that.
Below are five certified “send this to the group chat immediately” facts about our universe and existence. Yes, they’re real. No, you’re not prepared.
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Space Smells Like a Cosmic Barbecue (Kind Of)
Astronauts have reported that space has a smell. Not like “fresh mountain air” or “new car,” but more like “who left the grill on in a metal factory?”
When astronauts come back into the airlock from a spacewalk, the smell clings to their suits. According to multiple reports, it’s often described as seared steak, hot metal, or burnt toast. Not exactly the peaceful cosmic aroma you’d expect from those calming galaxy wallpapers on your phone.
The smell comes from “polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons” (PAHs) created in high-energy events like dying stars. These molecules float around space, and when they interact with oxygen in spaceship air, boom: interstellar barbecue vibes.
So the next time you see a serene picture of a nebula, just remember: it probably smells like someone just overcooked a burger in a welding shop. Space is less “zen spa” and more “industrial cookout.”
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Your Body Is Literally Built From Dead Stars (Romantic, Right?)
Every time someone tells you, “You’re special,” they’re accidentally being scientifically accurate.
The hydrogen in your body? Old. Like, “original Big Bang starter pack” old. But most of the heavier elements you’re made of—carbon in your cells, iron in your blood, calcium in your bones—were forged inside massive stars that exploded in dramatic supernovas.
Stars basically lived, bulk-produced elements, exploded messily, and dumped their contents into space like the universe’s most unhinged glitter cannon. That dust eventually clumped into planets, air, water, and you—currently reading this while lying in a weird position that would confuse any chiropractor.
You are walking star shrapnel with a Wi‑Fi connection. Every time you’re stressed about your to‑do list, remember: the iron in your blood survived a supernova. It can probably handle replying to that email.
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There’s a Planet Where It Rains Glass — Sideways
If you ever think Earth is dramatic, just know the universe looked at “weather” and said, “Hold my black hole.”
Meet HD 189733b, a real exoplanet that orbits a star about 64 light-years away. It’s a deep-blue world that looks bizarrely peaceful in artistic renderings. Reality check: this planet has scorching temperatures over 900°C (that’s hotter than your oven on its worst day), and winds that can reach around 5,400 miles per hour.
And then there’s the fun part: it likely rains glass. Sideways.
Atmospheric models suggest that its blue color is caused by silicate particles in the atmosphere. Under those fierce conditions, tiny bits of glass get whipped around in those insane winds, turning the whole sky into a high-speed glitter blender of pain.
So if you’re annoyed by regular Earth rain because it’s “cold” and “inconvenient,” just remember: at least our weather doesn’t exfoliate your face off at Mach speeds.
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A Shrimp Can See More Colors Than You, And It’s Not Even Impressed
Humans: “Wow, look at this beautiful rainbow.”
Mantis shrimp: “Cute. You guys only get *seven*?”
The mantis shrimp is a small, aggressive sea creature that looks like someone gave a crayfish a color upgrade and anger issues. Your eyes have three types of color receptors (red, green, blue). Mantis shrimp? They can have up to sixteen different types.
In theory, this means they can see colors you literally cannot even imagine. Your brain has no slot for them. If you tried to picture it, you’d still be wrong. On top of that, they can detect ultraviolet and polarized light, giving them a very complicated, extra-HD reality.
Meanwhile, this creature uses its god-tier vision not to paint masterpieces or design color palettes, but mostly to punch things. With one of the fastest strikes in the animal kingdom, it can smash prey, aquarium glass, and occasionally, the ego of anyone who thought humans were the visual kings of Earth.
While you’re out here arguing over whether a dress is blue/black or white/gold, the mantis shrimp is perceiving an entire rave of colors and choosing violence.
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Somewhere in the Universe, There Might Be a Planet Made of Diamond
If you ever feel poor, just know there might be an entire planet out there that is literally flexing on you.
Astronomers have found objects that *might* be partially made of diamond. One famous candidate is a dense exoplanet nicknamed a “diamond planet,” orbiting a pulsar about 4,000 light-years away. Its mass and composition suggest it could be a crystallized carbon world—basically a mega‑diamond in space.
There are also theories that some planets with high carbon content and the right pressures could form vast layers of diamond deep below the surface. Picture an entire world where “mining diamonds” isn’t a luxury quest; it’s just “dig slightly down.”
Before you start planning your interstellar heist movie: we currently don’t have the tech, the travel time, or the budget. Also, the planet is probably wildly uninhabitable, and you’d immediately die. So the universe did make a bling planet—then locked it behind 4,000 light-years of “nope.”
But still, somewhere out there, a rock is living your wildest jewelry dreams.
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Conclusion
You live in a universe where:
- Space smells like burnt steak.
- Your atoms are recycled star parts.
- A distant planet is stuck in an endless sideways glass storm.
- A shrimp can see more colors than your entire camera roll.
- There might be worlds made of diamond just casually existing.
And you thought *you* were chaotic.
So the next time life feels boring, remember: you are a tiny star-being standing on a rock that orbits a fireball, floating in a galaxy that smells like cosmic barbecue, in a universe that has absolutely no chill and refuses to act normal.
Now go send this to the friend who thinks science is “kinda boring” and ruin their sense of normal forever.
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Sources
- [NASA – What Do Astronauts Say Space Smells Like?](https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2283/what-does-space-smell-like/) – Discusses astronauts’ reports about the scent of space and the chemistry behind it
- [NASA – Star Dust in Your Bones](https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve/) – Explains how elements formed in stars end up in our bodies and on Earth
- [ESA – Exoplanet HD 189733b](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Cheops/HD_189733b) – Details about the extreme weather and atmospheric conditions on the exoplanet HD 189733b
- [Smithsonian Magazine – The Mantis Shrimp Sees Like No Other Animal](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-mantis-shrimp-sees-like-no-other-animal-177354/) – Overview of mantis shrimp vision and its unique color receptors
- [BBC – ‘Diamond Planet’ Discovered by Astronomers](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-14767650) – Article on the discovery of a dense exoplanet thought to be largely composed of crystallized carbon (diamond-like)