These Everyday Objects Are So Much Cooler When They’re Cut In Half
Kids are told that appearance isn't everything and that it's what on the inside that counts. While our parents might have just said that to boost our confidence in middle school, that saying is applicable to more than just our personalities. Something can look much different on the inside than the outside, you just have to have the curiosity to cut it in half and find out.
From bowling balls to wasp nests, check out how much cooler these everyday objects look once you cut them in half.
Banana Tree Trunks Look More Like Seashells
Most people have never laid sight on a banana tree, nevermind seen its trunk cut in half. The unique spiral on the inside of the trunk is because banana trees aren't even exactly trees. The banana plant is actually known as a herbaceous plant, which means the 'trunk' is just leaves rolled up over each other.
That means, unlike a regular tree trunk, the core is very soft and tender. People who live where the banana plants grow often eat the 'trunk' as well and consider it a vegetable.
The Fukang Meteorite Is Memorizing
This enthralling slice of a meteorite was found in a mountain range in the Fukang region of China. Scientists estimate the meteorite is 4.5 billion years old, which is actually about the same age as Earth. The unique appearance of the inside of the meteorite is thanks to it being made of a mix of iron and olivine crystals.
The meteorite is famous around the world, but it took a while for scientists to get their hands on it. For years it was in a private dealer's collection.
The Bloodwood Tree Is Not As Dangerous As It Seems
The bloodwood tree might seem intimidating, but the bright red sap has enthralled humans for centuries. Also known as the Pterocarpus angolensis or African teak tree, the bloodwood tree offers a surprise when it's cut down and reveals bright red sap.
The red sap had been used by humans for centuries for medicinal purposes. It has been reportedly used to treat everything from ringworm to malaria and even to increase the supply of breast milk.
The Inside Of A Rattlesnake Rattle Shows How It Works
Hopefully, you've never been close enough to a rattlesnake to figure out how their rattle sound works. For those of us who prefer to keep our distance from dangerous wildlife, this half cut of a rattlesnake's rattle shows how the sound is made.
The rattle is hollow and made of the same thing our fingernails are made of. The snake will vibrate its muscles which makes each layer of the rattle shake and hit the other layer, which creates the dangerous sound.
You Can See The Golden Gate Cable If You Visit The Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge features two main cables that run the span of the bridge. This half cut of a cable is as thick as a tree trunk and looks like thick, dense metal. In reality, one cable is actually made up of thousands of other cables. Each cable is made of 61 smaller cables that are bundled from 27,572 strands of wire.
For context, if you took every wire out on their own and put them end to end, they would circle the earth more than three times.
These Half-Cut Pearls Look More Like Gobstoppers
Pearls have long been recognized as one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry. While we're usually obsessed with making sure the outside is round, smooth, and shiny, the inside is just as mesmerizing.
Pearls are made when a parasite enters an oyster's inside. The oyster coats the parasite with a fluid that hardens into calcium carbonate. The oyster will continue to apply layer after layer which is why the inside of a pearl looks like an everlasting gobstopper.
We'll Take Five Pints, Please
We're more used to seeing the bottom of the container (oops, should have saved some for later) rather than it cut in half vertically. These half-pints were advertised to show the core of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, but one thing you might notice is how evenly dispersed the items in their ice cream is.
That's because Ben & Jerry's ice cream is flipped multiple times during the production process and is stored in their freezers upside down. They do that to make sure all the good stuff doesn't sink to the bottom.
NASCAR Tires Feature A Safety Rim On The Inside
The tires used for racing cars such as NASCAR vehicles aren't like the tires on your 2007 Toyota Corolla. The tires are exclusively made by Goodyear and are tested to make sure they can survive speeds of 200 mph and dozens of laps. While the thick yellow band makes the tires recognizable, many people don't realize there is an inner safety liner on the tire.
The liner makes it so if a tire pops, the car doesn't spiral out of control. The driver can actually still race on the inner liner for a short time.
Now You Know That Bowling Balls Actually Have A Core
Unless you're a professional bowler, you probably never put much thought into how a bowling ball works. It's easier to just find the heaviest one and throw it down the lane. Bowling balls are much fancier than that and in order to have enough momentum to go down the lane, it has a specialized core.
The core can change from ball to ball. Cheap ones at the ally are usually just an off-center round core, while this ball is a combination of elliptical and bulb-shaped.
This Massive Wasp Nest Isn't As Dangerous As It Looks
While it's commonly believed that wasps are aggressive and dangerous, they're actually quite harmless and prefer to keep to themselves. Wasps would rather spend their day making an impressive nest instead of attacking you.
Their nests are made out of tree bark. The wasp will eat the bark of certain trees, chew is up, break it down, and then regurgitate it in a softer form. The new 'bark' form allows them to create papery nests.
A Halved Firework Shell Shows Just How Dangerous It Can Be
This photo shows what an aerial firework looks like from the inside. It's all about the pattern that the various explosives are set in. Fireworks date back to 9th century China during the Tang dynasty. They remained in China until Europeans began producing them in the 14th century.
Fancy fireworks like the colored aerial ones we love today weren't invented until the 1830s. It was Italian pyrotechnicians who began to change the inner anatomy of a firework to improve on the original design.
This Mammoth Tusk Is Just Like Its Modern Relatives
Tusks are a common sight for animals like warthogs, elephants, walruses, and back in the day, wooly mammoths. A tusk is simply a super-elongated front tooth. In the case of the mammoth, it is an elongated incisor tooth. The tusks are used to make ivory, which for modern-day animals, makes them a target for hunters.
While mammoths don't have to worry about being hunted for their ivory (since they're all dead) the tusks and cross-sections like this one are still a hot commodity on the black market.
This Half-Rock Was Formed Naturally
It looks like only Thor's hammer could split a rock of this size. Tokangawhā, or Split Apple Rock, is located off the coast of New Zealand. The rock is naturally formed so, sorry, no proof of Thor's hammer exists here. The native Maori do describe a godlike formation of the rocks though in their mythology.
The split is a result of a naturally occurring "joint" in the granite rock. The joints are weak spots in the granite that, over thousands of years, the waves and wind can erode.
This Peculiar Fruit Is Interesting On The Outside And Inside
Cutting a fruit in half usually isn't that mindblowing, but this particular fruit is likely a new sight to many. The fruit is called the kiwano, but is known by many different names such as the horned melon, jelly melon, African horned cucumber, melano, and blowfish fruit.
It might look intimidating, but its flavors are celebrated by foodies worldwide. The slimy green insides are described as a cross between kiwis, zucchinis, and cucumbers. Apparently, it tastes more like a banana as it ripens.
The Inside Of An Adding Machine Is Mesmerizing
Kids today probably don't even know what the outside of an adding machine looks like. For those people who worked in an office environment during the 1970s and 1980s, you might be very familiar with an adding machine. The old-school mechanical calculator used an insane amount of functions just to add something as simple as 29 + 34.
Eventually, computers took over and adding machines were phased out of offices, but it's still fascinating to see how they worked.
Did Anyone Ever Make It To The Middle Of One Of These?
Willy Wonka's Everlasting Gobstoppers are a favorite for children. While a special few have the patience and grit to lick it all the way to the center, most kids give up or forget before they ever see this sight.
For those of us who never made it to the middle of an Everlasting Gobstopper, now we finally know what those beautiful multi-colored layers look like. Fun fact: each layer is actually a distinct flavor and differs between the outer and the inner layers.
This Canon Camera Shows How Intricate Photography Is
Today, the tiny camera in our cell phones can take a better photo than the first ever Canon camera from 1937. Canon cameras, like the one seen here cut in half, use multiple different curved optical lenses to filter light and produce an image on film. The speed of the shutters for each lens will change the exposure and quality of the image.
The first ever Canon camera company was named the Kwanon after the Buddhist goddess of mercy.
The Zippo Lighter Is More Simple Than It Seems
Zippo lighters are a fan favorite over matches and other lighters because they're windproof. The design hails back to lighters used in Austria in the 1930s. An American inventor, George Blaisdell, saw an Austrian man using a lighter of a similar style. Blaisdell decided to return to America and recreate the lighter. He coined the term Zippo because he liked the word 'zipper.'
The Zippo's windproof design is thanks to its constant rate of fuel delivery and the windscreen beside the flame.
That's Why They Have So Much Room To Hide
The tortoise and its cousin, the turtle, are the only two reptiles in nature that have a hard outer shell made of bone. Their outer shells are called the carapace. It is used by the tortoise as both a protective armor from the environment and a safe place to hide from predators.
All that empty space in the shell is to fit the tortoise's rib cage. It curls up into the top to allow space for the head and neck to fit.
The Mark Twain Tree Is A Reminder Of Nature's Power
Nicknamed the Mark Twain Tree, this cutaway of a stump is from a giant sequoia from the Kings Canyon park in California. The tree was cut down in 1891 and the stump was sectioned off and sent around the world simply to prove that trees that big actually exist.
The slice seen here was sent to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. On the stump, dates corresponding to the tree rings showcase how the tree began growing in 550 AD.
This Cruise Ship Was Sliced In Half
The Titanic famously split in half as it sank, but this cruise ship was split in half intentionally. Silversea Cruise Line took their ship and cut it in half with precision, in a project that cost $100 million and took nearly half a million working hours to complete.
This was all done to add an extra 50 feet to the ship's length. While it seems like a weird thing to do, it's a way to expand a ship's capacity without committing to a new ship — and it's relatively common in shipbuilding.
Just Before This Cake Is Served
It's difficult to tell what this is at first glance — its glossy exterior looks like it's made of glass, while the interior is tough to figure out. But as it turns out, this is just an exquisite donut cake that's been cut in half.
Considering the fact that cakes are one of the most logical things to cut into to view the inside, it makes a lot of sense for bakers to put a little bit of extra effort into the presentation.
This Is How Elephants Support Their Massive Weight
This side view of an elephant's foot shows that these beasts need to have a solid footing in order to carry around their massive frames. While the overall shape is much different from a human foot, the bone structure is almost identical.
This is a biological concept known as homology, in which divergent animals will display similar structures that date back to a common ancestor. That's right: We not only had a common ancestor with elephants, but this ancestor influenced both human and elephant bone structure.
This Dessert Is Tough To Make, But It's Worth It
You're looking at a canelé — a type of French pastry that consists of a dense, cakey custard center with a crust that's been caramelized. Yes, they taste just as good as they look and sound.
One diner described canelés as tasting like crème brûlée mixed with a donut. The two-day baking process is fairly involved, as it entails making the custard and then caramelizing it. It might not be for amateurs, but the results speak for themselves.
This Sheep Needed The Haircut
Okay, this sheep isn't technically cut in half — but we don't really want to see that, do we? Instead, we see the midway point of this sheep's shearing process. It's clear that the animal has grown a thick coat of wool and is in need of this haircut.
When viewed from this angle, it's no surprise that sheep shearing can be such a time-consuming process. It changes the sheep's appearance so much that sheep sometimes have trouble recognizing each other after shearing.
Thinkpads Are Indestructible
We have no idea why someone would cut a laptop in half, let alone in a weird wavy pattern — but here are the results. This is a vintage IBM Thinkpad, which is essentially an indestructible computer, so it isn't inconceivable that it could be made to work again.
The Thinkpad name is now owned by Lenovo, but the design language — including the durability and the signature red nub in the middle of the keyboard — remains to this day.
Limes Are Like An Alternate Universe
This isn't a photo, it's an oil painting by Dennis Wojtkiewicz done in a realistic style. It depicts a lime slice in great detail with backlighting to show the inner workings of this green citrus fruit.
For readers of a certain age, it might be reminiscent of the old Limewire file sharing icon. For others, it'll just look like a lime. In either case, it's downright mesmerizing to look at.
What's Inside Your Shaving Cream
Shaving cream cans tend to be aluminum, so you can't easily look inside to see what's going on in there. Well, if you've ever been curious, here's what's going on in there.
The bottom section (the one that looks empty) is pressurized, which enables the shaving cream to be pushed out the top when the valve is opened. It's also interesting to see what the gel looks like before it turns into proper shaving cream.
One Year Of Stirring
It would probably be impossible to guess what this is unless you've done a lot of painting. This is a painter's stir stick (the giveaway is the fact that you can see the stir stick itself directly in the middle) that's been used for a year.
Everything surrounding the original rectangular stick is paint — layers and layers of paint. Most painters probably replace their stir sticks much more often, but it's still interesting to see what a year's worth of paint looks like.
The Change In Pennies
These two Canadian pennies show the difference between the pure copper coins minted before 1996, and the zinc alloy coins with copper plating that were minted after 1996.
Of course, since these are Canadian pennies, the zinc alloy coins didn't last all that long either. That's because Canada got rid of pennies completely in 2013. A continuation of this image would show a copper penny, a zinc penny, then a complete absence of pennies.
How (Landline) Calls Get Made
This is a 100 pair telephone cable, which is a fairly standard cable — despite the intricacy of the little cables within. For a bit of context, some cables contain more than 20 times as much inside.
Twisted pair cables like this were originally used for voice calls, and the lack of computer processing power necessitated more cables. Modern technology makes it possible for cables to be much smaller while carrying as much or more data.
Here's What A Whale's Rib Looks Like
This whale's bone looks kind of like freshly baked bread, doesn't it? In a living whale, things would look quite a bit different because those little pockets would be filled with marrow, where red blood cells are made.
While this might look alien to us, it's actually very similar to human bones, which also contain these small pockets. The difference is that whales are much larger, so the pockets are going to be bigger and more pronounced.
The Inside Of A Sunflower
Here's a mature sunflower head that's been cut in half to show its inner workings. Flowers in the asteraceae family — like the sunflower — actually consist of a bunch of small flowers. Only the ones along the edges actually grow petals, while the ones in the middle become seeds.
In fact, to go one step further, while these 'seeds' function like any other seed, they're technically a fruit. That's because the seed itself is contained within a larger structure.
When Cactus Looks Like Cable
Plants in the cactus family are known for their water retention, and this cross section shows what the inside of one of these behemoths looks like. This particular cactus, judging by its size, was likely around 70 years old.
While it's fascinating to see this, take note of the fact that — unless permission was received — cutting down a mature saguaro cactus is generally illegal. They take a long time to grow and their presence is integral to the desert ecosystem.
Things Move Fast In Space
You may have heard statistics about how tiny objects in orbit, moving at tremendous speed, can cause serious damage to satellites. Here's an example of what happens when a small piece of space debris makes impact with a spacecraft.
It's a fascinating look at one of the main challenges of creating safe space stations. Engineers have to keep things as lightweight as possible to facilitate the initial launch, but the spacecraft needs to be tough enough to withstand impacts like this.
A Quarter Century Of Golf Greens
Golf greens, at least the ones on a decent course, are meticulously taken care of by groundskeepers — day after day, season after season. This pic shows us what 25 years of tender loving care looks like on a golf green.
A proper golf green should have between 12 and 16 inches of rootzone. This area can be seen in the 'clean' area at the bottom. Everything that's been layered on top is simply coatings of sand that have been applied over the decades.
The Line Between East And West
The interior of the Berlin Wall isn't that interesting when you strip away the context. It's just a slab of concrete, likely with the occasional piece of rebar for added strength.
But with context, photos like this are fascinating. People fought and died to get to the other side of this wall, and now it's simply been cut in half. It's incredible how much of a difference just a few inches of concrete wall can make.
Here's How You Charge Your Phone
If you use any kind of modern electronics, you probably have a few dozen USB-C cables lying around. Here's what this current standard looks like on the inside.
Because USB is an open-source certification, and USB-C cables are designed to be widely compatible, it's necessary to have some serious tech inside these simple cables. The random speckles around the perimeter are shielding from electromagnetic interference.
Termites Are Skilled Builders
This isn't cut in half. It's cut into quarters. But let's not let that detract from the fascinating glimpse inside a termite nest. If you live somewhere without termite mounds, you might not be familiar with how destructive these critters can be.
A termite swarm can wreak havoc with structures, since they're capable of creating structures of their own — and they don't adhere to building codes, or stay away from existing human settlements.
Flying The Friendly Skies
When you're flying, it's easy enough to view the floor you're standing on as the bottom of the airplane. But when you think about it logically, airplanes are cylindrical, and the passenger cabin is just the half top of that cylinder.
This cross-section of an Airbus A300 shows that the plane is an even split between passenger sections and cargo space. It's interesting to think that passengers are sitting on what amounts to the second floor of the plane.
