Danger! 9780756667399, 9780756676391, 0756676398

Table of contents :
4 Contents
8 Wanted: the wild bunch Killer animals
10 Shark attack How and why sharks attack humans
12 Shark and awe! Comic strip about surviving a shark attack
14 Fight or flight? How to survive animal encounters
16 Cute outfit, nasty surprise Cuddly animals with a nasty streak
18 Night stalkers Nocturnal animals
20 Bloodsuckers! Animals that feed on blood
22 Stingers Animals that sting
24 Poison perils Poisonous animals
26 Swarm! Animals that hunt in groups
28 Monsters of the deep Deep-sea creatures
30 How about a dip? Animals lurking in the shallows.

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DANGER!

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! R E G AN

LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE, MUNICH, AND DELHI Senior editor Niki Foreman Senior art editor Philip Letsu Project editors Fran Jones, Ashwin Khurana Designers Mik Gates, Katie Knutton, Hoa Luc, Jacqui Swan Editors Jenny Finch, Andrea Mills Additional design Daniela Boraschi, Spencer Holbrook Managing editor Linda Esposito Managing art editors Jim Green, Diane Thistlethwaite Category publisher Laura Buller Jacket designer Yumiko Tahata Jacket editor Matilda Gollon Design development manager Sophia M. Tampakopoulos Turner Creative retouching Steve Willis Picture research Jenny Faithfull DK picture librarian Lucy Claxton Production editor Clare McLean Senior production controller Angela Graef First published in the United States in 2010 by DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Copyright © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited A Penguin Company 10 11 12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 176262 – 28/07 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fundraising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 [email protected] A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN: 978-0-7566-6739-9 Color reproduction by MDP, United Kingdom Printed and bound by Toppan, China Discover more at www.dk.com

DANGER! lker a : y W b d r n a e h t Writ Jim Pipe, Ric dy, e n n e K n Susa , r e l l u B Laura ts: arker n P a t p l i l i u h s P n Co hes, g u H d i v e, Da k r u B a s i n, L a y r B m i K

Chapter 1:

TS N E T CON

8 Wante d: Killer an the wild bunch imals 10 Shark a How and ttack w attack hu hy sharks mans 12 Shark a Comic st nd awe! rip abou t survivin a shark a g ttack 14 Fight or flight? How to su rvive anim al encou 16 Cute nters ou Cuddly a tfit, nasty surpri se nimals w ith a nast 18 Night y streak st Nocturna alkers l animals

NATURE’S

NASTIES

20 Blood suckers! Animals that feed on blood 22 Sting ers Animals that stin g 24 Poiso n Poisonou perils s animals 26 Swarm ! Animals that hun t in grou 28 Monst ps e Deep-sea rs of the deep creature s 30 How about a dip Animals lurking in ? the shallo 32 Poiso ws nous pla nts Plants to stay awa y from

LANET P S U IO R A REC o! 52 Volcan Chapter 2: P lcanoes Volatile vo , and roll

! 36 Ice race vironments Frozen en seas 38 Savagezards Ocean ha a Triangle infamous triangle e 40 Bermud perils in th Potential salon t er es D 42 ngers Desert da perils! 44 Jungles in the jungle? What lurk / the jungle 46 Lost infor amateurs e ac t survival No pl strips abou Two comic le in the jung 48 Caves nd perils Undergrou madness camp ain 50 Mount dangers, from base Mountain mit to the sum

, rattle 54 Quake s Earthquake blazes? e 56 What th e e fir Destructiv ival wind carn 58 Mighty rms to Wild winds rs lo 60 Waterco s Fatal flood weather 62 Freaky er th llutants ea w rd ei W table of po tally toxic to e Th 64 perils Pollution l warming ba lo 66 G its effects ange and ch e at Clim ! w no lypse 68 Apoca the world The end of

Chapter 3

72 Rock e The dan ts and parachu g te reenteri ers of liftoff an s d ng Earth ’s atmo 74 Spac sphere e The effe surgery cts of sp ace on 76 The the bod first dog y monaut Mission / m Two com eltdown ic strips Earthlin gs in sp about ace 78 Spac e Dangers alert in orbit

Chapter 4: SC ARY SCIENCE

92 Mad scie ntists Scientists wh o experimen ted on themselve s 94 Top secret Secret laborat ories 96 In the na me of scienc e Strange expe riments 98 Kabooooo m! The history of explosives 100 Biohazar d gallery Biological ha zards that ca use disease 102 Frankens te Animals mod in’s pet store ified by scien tific interven tion

104 Radioact ive! Radioactivity and its uses 106 The mos t dangerous equation Einstein’s fam ou and what it led s e=mc²… to 108 Dangerou s journeys The forces th at keep plan es in the air and bo ats afloat 110 Crash co urse The science behind a cras h 112 Captain John Paul St app Comic strip ab out a human crash-test du mmy

: SPOOKY

SPACE

80 Hom e The sola , sweet home r system 82 Pim p Long-ha my spaceship! ul space travel 84 Dee p Dangero space us spac e matte 86 Time r tr Is it poss avel ible? 88 Are w Alien en e alone? counters

HORRORS Y D O B N A M U u? ugh are yo Chapter 5: H 126 How to pushed s who have

limits Individual to extreme their bodies ss ne si bu are 128 Risky in food that Ingredients bad for you ER 130 Bizarre nts cide Strange ac ert! 132 Trip al th hazards al d Mary Vacation he le of Typhoi uesome ta r ie gr rr e ca Th d 4 oi 13 about a typh Comic strip

e e handscap 116 Horribl nds ha Unhygienic an ation: hum 118 Destin s te si ra pa y Pesk attack 120 Under itself dy defends How the bo s en og th pa against ncy service 122 Emerge ht-or-flight fig The body’s danger response to k! ea br ut O ics 124 and pandem Epidemics

Chapter 6: PE

TRIFYING PL

138 Wish yo u Killer enviro were here? nments 140 Deadl y diner Dangerous foods 142 Toolsh ed terrors DIY disaster s 144 Death by idiocy Silly ways to die 146 Killer careers Risky jobs 148 Feel th e Extreme sp burn orts 150 Danci ng with de ath Crazy stun ts

ACES AND K IL

LER CULTUR

152 Philip pe Petit / Evel Kniev el Two comic strips abou t two stunt st ars 154 Endura nce Human feat s of achiev ement 156 Frenzi ed festival s Dangerous festivals 158 How to survive a ho Rules of a horror mov rror movie ie 160 Come di The undead ne with… 162 All in the Nightmares mind and phobia s

E

T PERILS

S Chapter 7: PA e on the loos 166 Killers rs of the past lle ki ss le th Ru of pain 168 World hods from Torture met oks bo y or st the hi r most foul 170 Murde derers ur Infamous m ns of war po ea W 2 17 e ages through th Weaponry s onarch 174 Mad m rs le Ruthless ru / Rasputin in Sarajevo 176 Death detailing s rip st ures ic Two com historical fig inations of the assass

al horrors 178 Medic surgical procedures le ab Unspeak cures 180 Killer ine Bad medic ous ost danger m e Th 2 18 y or st hi in jobs ! jobs… ever e? The worst ngerous ag da t os m e 184 Th history was in d rio pe Which rilous? the most pe st from the pa 186 Blasts rrors te Prehistoric

188 Index 192 Acknowled gments

5

6

S E I T S A N NATURE’S

t f unpleasan o ll fu o ls a vely, but it’s k and stay on your lo k o lo y a c Nature m ch your ba r side. From pretty t a w o s … e surprises ls its sinist dly creatures that a e v e r e r u t ud toes as na ecrets to c y sting in its tail. s y k a e n s plants with ave a nast h n a c e r u s kill, nature caution! ith Proceed w

7

8

WATCH YOUR STEP!

ALMOST 90,000 FATALITIES A YEAR FROM DEADLY SNAKEBITES HIS HISSING MIGHT GIVE THE GAME AWAY, BUT THIS SLIPPERY CUSTOMER IS ADEPT AT HIDING AND MIGHT CATCH YOU UNAWARES. NOT ALL SNAKES ARE DANGEROUS, BUT YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO MESS WITH A KING COBRA—ONE SINGLE BITE CAN KILL A FULLY GROWN ELEPHANT. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF INAWOODEDAREA IN HIS NATIVE SOUTHEASTASIA, YOU WOULD BE ADVISED TO WATCH YOUR STEP.

ABOUT 1 MILLION DEATHS A YEAR FROM MOSQUITO-BORNE MALARIA

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS TINY CRITTER IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL ON THE PLANET. DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY ITS LACK OF SHARP TEETH OR KILLER CLAWS—THIS PARASITE FEEDS ON HUMAN BLOOD, SPREADING DEADLY DISEASES SUCH AS MALARIA FROM PERSON TO PERSON. THE MERCILESS MOSQUITO IS BELIEVED TO BE AT LARGE IN TROPICAL REGIONS AROUND THE WORLD.

SNAKE

“THE HISSER”

HARRY

DO NOT APPROACH

MONTY “BUZZER” MOSQUITO

KILLER ANIMALS

9

“TOXIC” JELLYFISH

VENOMOUS STING KILLS MORE THAN 100 SWIMMERS EVERY YEAR THIS FASCINATING CREATURE MAY LOOK DELICATE, BUT LOOKS CAN BE VERY DECEIVING. THE DEADLY BOX JELLYFISH HAS AN EXTREMELY FAST-WORKING TOXIN AND KILLS MORE PEOPLE EACH YEAR THAN ANY OTHER MARINE ANIMAL. A SINGLE BOX JELLYFISH CAN HAVE AS MANY AS 16 TENTACLES, EACH ABOUT 10 FT (3 M) LONG AND COVERED IN STINGERS. THESE TOXIC CREATURES ARE TRANSPARENT AND DIFFICULT TO SPOT, BUT THEY HANG OUT MOSTLY IN AUSTRALIA.

“SNAPPER” CROCODILE

LIKELY TO SNAP UP ABOUT 2,000 PEOPLE EVERY YEAR CUNNINGLY DISGUISED AS A LOG, THE CROCODILE CAN LAY STILL IN THE WATER FOR HOURS ON END. THEN IT WILL LUNGE, PULLING ITS VICTIM UNDER THE WATER WITH ITS POWERFUL JAWS AND DROWNING IT. A HUNGRY CROC WILL EAT MONKEYS, SNAKES, CATTLE, OR HUMANS—WHATEVER COMES ITS WAY. MOST OF THESE KILLING MACHINES LURK IN RIVERS AND LAKES, SO BEST CHECK WHERE YOU SWIM. THE MOST AGGRESSIVE CROCS ARE LOCATED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, AFRICA, AND AUSTRALIA.

“STINGER” SCORPION

DEADLY STING IS RESPONSIBLE FOR UP TO 5,000 FATALITIES A YEAR MOST SCORPION STINGS ARE NO WORSE THAN A BEE’S, BUT BEWARE THE NORTH AFRICAN DEATHSTALKER SCORPION; ITS STINGERS CONTAIN A POWERFUL VENOM THAT CAUSES INTENSE PAIN, FEVER, PARALYSIS, AND, IN THE WORST CASES, DEATH. A STING FROM A DEATHSTALKER IS USUALY NOT ENOUGH TO KILL SOMEONE, BUT UNLESS YOU WANT A NASTY NIP, IT’S STILL WORTH CHECKING INSIDE YOUR SHOES!

“SLASHER” SHARK

RESPONSIBLE FOR UP TO 100 ATTACKS A YEAR THIS GANG MEMBER MAY NOT BE THE BRAINS OF THE OPERATION, BUT A SHARK’S SENSES ARE SECOND TO NONE; SPECIAL SENSORY CELLS ALLOW IT TO DETECT ELECTRICAL SIGNALS EMITTED BY THE SMALLEST OF MOVEMENTS. SO, IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A SHARK’S TERRITORY, DON’T MOVE A MUSCLE! THE MOST FEARED OF THIS SPECIES, THE GREAT WHITE SHARK, IS A FORMIDABLE PREDATOR AND CAN SNIFF OUT ONE PART OF BLOOD IN ONE MILLION PARTS OF WATER.

“CRUSHER” ELEPHANT

MORE THAN 600 PEOPLE EVERY YEAR TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT NOT EVERY ELEPHANT IS A GENTLE GIANT. THEY ARE THE WORLD’S LARGEST LAND MAMMALS AND, WEIGHING UP TO 6.6 TONS (6 TONNES), ARE THE HEAVIEST OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. THEIR AMPLE BULK COULD CRUSH THE STRONGEST OPPOSITION. AS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMALS IN AFRICA AND ASIA, ELEPHANTS CAN BECOME VERY AGGRESSIVE AND ATTACK WITHOUT WARNING. IF THIS HAPPENS, A QUICK CLIMB UP THE NEAREST TREE MAY JUST SAVE YOU.

“CLAWS” BIG CAT

HIS KIND MAUL TO DEATH ABOUT 250 PEOPLE EVERY YEAR WITH THEIR GIANT, TERRIFYING FANGS, SHARP CLAWS, AND LIGHTNING SPEED, BIG CATS—LIONS, TIGERS, LEOPARDS, AND JAGUARS—ARE PERFECT HUNTERS. IF YOU COME ACROSS A LION IN AFRICA OR INDIA,YOU JUST HAVE TO HOPE HE’S NOT HUNGRY, BECAUSE ONCE YOU ARE IN HIS SIGHTS, ESCAPE IS UNLIKELY. THE BEST THING THAT YOU CAN DO IS TO STAY STILL AND TRY TO LOOK BIG AND SCARY. ABOVE ALL, SHOW NO FEAR.

GANG MEMBERS

SHARK ATTACK

Usual Suspects It’s a fact: of the 375 different species of sharks, only about 15 percent live in coastal waters or shallow depths where people might encounter them. That cuts the peril potential down quite a lot. Only four species have been responsible for the vast majority (85 percent) of attacks. They are the great white, tiger, bull, and oceanic whitetip. Other sharks just aren’t big or powerful enough to kill us, although they certainly can bite!

Do sharks deserve their status as serial killers of the sea? Or are they simply confused and misunderstood creatures that don’t even like the way we taste? Are they devastatingly deadly hunters that plan every detail of their attacks? Or do they just happen to be swimming near us with their mouths open, then, whoops, chompfest? You decide!

Hey! Stop snacking on defenselesS tourists! What do you have to say for yourselves?

SHARK SCHOOL OKay, pups, this is how we do it. Just watch and learn.

arRgh!

I say, this isn’t my usual fish dinNer. It tastes like chicken.

HELP! imagine bumping into you! Of alL the seas in the world, you had to swim into mine.

You just lie there, while I lie low… and then, bang! I atTack. Sneaky!

Just evening out the odDs: humans kilL 20–30 milLion of us a year through comMercial and sportfishing.

three types of attacks In a bump-and-bite offensive, the shark circles its victim (perhaps a survivor of a plane crash or shipwreck), bumps into them with its sandpaper-rough skin, and then takes a big bite. The shark may continue to bump and bite until it has bumped the (former) survivor off. Hit-and-run attacks are common in shallow waters near the shore. The shark, hunting for something else, zooms in and takes a chunk out of a human leg or foot. It often decides that the human has no taste and swims away. In deep waters, a shark can simply appear out of nowhere in a sneaky surprise! 10

attack stats I smelLed and tasted bloOd in the water and came over to help… honest! I’m a first aider!

There are about 30 to 50 unprovoked shark attacks a year worldwide. Even in the year with the most recorded shark attacks (2000), there were only 79 attacks, just 11 of which were fatal to their victims. WelL, I thought it was a delicious seal. Its legs dangling ofF the surfboard loOked like flipPers.

gobBle, CHOMP, BURP! Just marking my terRitory. It shouldn’t be swimMing in my hoOd.

Dude, I got alL confused by its shiny jewelry and thought I was seEing fish scales. true!

great white garbage disposal Sharks seem willing to swallow just about anything—it has even been suggested that some sharks swallow these objects for ballast. Some of the things reportedly found in sharks caught at various times and places include: an almost whole reindeer, three bottles of beer, a handbag, a wristwatch, a full-grown spaniel dog, and the headless body of a man dressed in a suit of armor.

In for the krill The bigger the shark, the badder the bite, right? Not true. Actually, you have nothing to fear from the very largest sharks—the whale shark and the basking shark. These gigantic filter feeders swim along with their mouths agape, sifting enormous amounts of krill, plankton, small fish, and squids from the water.

gulp!

Jaws of Deat

h Multiple rows of sharp, serrated packed inside a tri angular teeth ar shark’s crushing e ly powerful jaws are constantly re . And the teeth placed as they fa ll out! With just a shark can pull one bite, away a huge ch unk of flesh, or completely seve r a human limb. Advantage: shar k.

HOW AND WHY SHARKS ATTACK

11

December 8, 1963. Defending champion Rodney Fox and other competitors gather on a beach near Adelaide, South Australia, for the anNual spearfishing contest. Think your luck wilL hold out again this year, champ?

Each diver wore a line atTached to his diving belt to hold their catch. over time, the lines grew heavy with fish, and bloOd tinged the clear waters.

I’m gonNa land a big one, pal. Just you wait.

The TRULY TErRIFYING TErRIFYI G TALE OF RODNEY FOX just before he pulLed the trigGer, something crashed into Rodney’s left side with enough force to knock the gun out of his hands and the mask ofF his face.

Rodney spotTed a glint in the water: a huge morwong fish about o.5 miles (1 km) out to sea. If he could snare it, the championship was almost certain. He dived down and aimed his spear gun.

It was a great white shark… and it was fishing, toO.

Must… get… away… but how? Think, think!

Here’s one in your eye, fish face!

Incredibly, unbelievably… thankfulLy… the shark let Rodney go.

OW! OW! OW!

THAT HURT!

12

I haven’t finished with you yet, human.

rodney was freE! Now he had to get out of the kilLing zone. He thrust his arm out in self-defense but plunged it right back into the shark’s mouth, which was fulL of giant razorlike teEth that ripPed the flesh from his hands and forearms.

Not you again!

no hope for me now.

The shark clamped its jaws shut around the line of fish stilL atTached to Rodney’s belt. Then, it plunged into deEper waters, pulLing Rodney along with it. His body spinNing, his hands working at the line atTachment, Rodney was certain he was being dragGed to his doOm.

some friends on a nearby boat rowed to the rescue, dragGing Rodney onboard. He was a wreck. His rib cage was crushed, his lung was ripPed open, and his abdomen, spleEn, and the main artery from his heart were exposed. His wetsuit was the only thing that was holding him together!

We must get him to a hospital now!

Rodney had survived a ferocious shark atTack. To remind him of his ordeal, he wore the scar of the shark’s bite, and part of the shark’s toOth was embedDed in his wrist bone. As if he could ever forget…

Who won the championship, anyway?

Rodney! Don’t die on us, budDy.

I’ve had enough of this!

Snap! SudDenly the line broke. Rodney strugGled to the surface, woOzy from his wounds. His atTacker swam on into the watery depths, in search of another victim.

I neEd more sutures over here, stat! Hang in there, Rodney. We’lL pulL you through.

Rodney was rushed to the nearest hospital, where the surgeons worked to reasSemble his broken body. Four hours and 462 stitches later, the surgical team had saved his life.

You should seE the other guy.

bud, you caught the bigGest fish of alL that day… With your arm!

After a few months, Rodney was diving again. Eager to learn more about the awesome adversary that almost ended his life, he designed the first underwater observation cage to alLow divers to study sharks up close in safety.

SAVE the shark!

rodney fox is considered a world authority on the great white shark, and even though one particular shark tried to make him extinct, he is leading the fight to save them from extinction.

SURVIVING A SHARK ATTACK

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FIGHT OR FLIGHT?

Hello, boys and girls! My name is Little Red Riding Hood, and I’m about to skip through the woods with a basket of goodies to take to my grandmother’s cottage. What’s that you say? Maybe I should mail them instead? Nonsense! I’ve traipsed through this magical forest countless times, and no harm has ever come my way. Ignore those silly warnings about killer animals. What could possibly go wrong for me, or my muffins? Off we go…

Falcon

Hey, birdbrain! Bet you think you’re going to swoop down and get those razor-sharp talons into this red riding hood, or puncture me with that sharp beak. I know you’re just defending your territory… I’ll duck into the forest so that I’m harder to single out. I’m not going to panic or run, but I’ll stare right into your beady eyes.

Polar Bear Mister Polar Bear, you sure are a long way from home, but I know what to do. I’ll stare at the bear as I back away slowly to a safe shelter. That cape trick to look bigger might come in handy. Grandma won’t mind if I drop a few muffins as I retreat. The bear might stop and sniff them, buying me a little extra time.

beware of the animals Mountain Lion I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that you, lion, are a tiny bit scary. I’ll stay calm and steady as I walk backward and stand up tall and straight while talking to the lion in a normal voice so that it understands that I am not a threat. I might just hold my red cape up over my head to make me look bigger. In a cat attack, it’s better to fight back than run away.

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Cheetah You might look like a super-bad kitty, but I know you won’t attack unless you are protecting your cubs, and I don’t see any of those around. You’re also not as fiercely armed in the claws-and-jaws department as, say, a lion. My best bet is to stand still, look you in the eye, and either back up or wait for you to pad away. There you go. Good kitty.

Bear

Almost there, and there’s a bear. Think, Red! I need to look right into its eyes, and I may just have to dump these muffins to save my own buns. I’ll move back and make sure not to even try to outrun it or climb up a tree. I might play dead, curling up into a ball to protect my stomach, throat, and head. Once it leaves me alone, I’ll make a run for it to Grandma’s.

Giant Squid

Musk Ox

Sheesh! Grandma really needs to think about moving to the big city. Look at you, you creepy carnivorous calamari. The fact that you have a mouthful of sharp teeth in that beak does not concern me. You bite humans only in self-defense. So the best thing I can do is keep walking. And don’t even think about squirting my cape with ink… I just had it dry-cleaned.

Now, this is getting ridiculous. Grandma taught me that musk oxen defend themselves by herding together with their sharp, pointy horns displayed. It’s not natural for them to attack humans, unless we get too close. So I’m just going to take a shortcut around Mr. Musk Ox so that I don’t end up skewered like a kebab.

RUN OR STAY?

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DOLPHIN With permanent grins on their friendly faces, dolphins chatter to one another as they play in the waves. But there is a flip side to Flipper: bottlenose dolphins have been known to kill their own babies and for no known reason hunt down porpoises, beat them to death, and then play with their corpses. Maybe they just flip out.

KOALA With their velvety rounded bodies and tufty ears, these treetop dwellers are the very picture of cuteness. However, notice the not-so-cute claws, made for stripping tough tree leaves and clambering up branches. If provoked, they will use them to shred your skin. They also have a nasty bite that doesn’t bear thinking about.

SLOW LORIS Its cartoon-huge eyes and furry body are adorable to behold, but the slow loris is capable of pulling a fast one. It secretes a toxin on its inner elbows and then mixes it up with its saliva. When it bites, it injects this toxic spit, causing horrible stomach pains and sometimes even death.

CUTE OUTFIT, NASTY SURPRISE Awwwww! Look at this adorable assortment of animals. Wouldn’t you like to take one home to love forever? Think again, as each of these charming critters has a teeny-tiny secret: it can attack, maim, and even kill. They may be cuddly and be begging you to pick them up and give them a big hug, but danger is their middle name. No matter how irresistible these animals appear to be, resist them.

PANDA With black-ringed eyes, a big round face, and an adorable chubby, fuzzy body, a panda looks just as cuddly as a toy version of itself. If you make a panda angry, though, get ready for pandemonium. Like other bears, it has a vicious bite and a scratch that can tear the skin from your bones.

16

KINKAJOU This sweetie is nicknamed “honey bear” for its rich golden fur and its habit of dipping its tongue into nectar. When it sleeps, it wraps its long tail around itself like a fluffy blanket. But if you startle a kinkajou, it may let out a horrendous scream before clawing your flesh and biting your skin. Honey, that’s not funny.

SKUNK Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the striped skunk may be, but if it aims its bottom your way, hightail it out of there. A skunk can spray a toxic cocktail of smelly chemicals from a pair of glands near its anus that can temporarily blind you, and the stinky stench can make you vomit.

SWAN When these beautiful birds glide up to their partners, the curves in their necks match to form a heart shape. Yet serene can turn to mean in an instant, especially if a swan’s babies are threatened. They can strike people with their huge heavy wings and snip them with their sharp beaks.

PLATYPUS The platypus, with a duck bill, otter feet, and a beaver tail on a furry body, is an odd combination of cute and ugly. And it is certainly capable of some fairly ugly behavior: when a male platypus kicks its enemies, hollow spurs in its legs release a poison that is strong enough to kill small animals and cause humans months of agonizing muscle spasms.

OTTER Darting through river waters, these sleek critters appear to play all day, but during the mating season they like to play rough. The aggressive males can attack and kill pet dogs, gnawing at them with their teeth. You otter stay away from them. ANIMALS WITH A NASTY STREAK

17

NIGHT STALKERS

Why are so many animals active at night? In hot places, it makes sense to hunt at night when it’s cooler. Other animals may choose to prowl under the cover of darkness when there is less competition for food. Nocturnal animals generally have excellent senses of hearing and smell, and their eyes can adapt to see in the dimmest light. Meet some of the predators that go bump in the night… and find out why it’s a good idea not to bump into them!

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1. Tarantula This teacup-size terror doesn’t trap its prey in a web like other spiders. Instead, it creeps around at night and grabs frogs, toads, mice—even birds—with its horrid hairy legs, injects its prey with paralysing venom, and then bites it with its fangs to finish the job.

1

2. Jaguar Stalking silently through the trees, this fearsome and ferocious big cat uses its sharp hearing to detect prey (deer, capybaras, and tapirs). Then, the jaguar pounces on its unfortunate victim. A jaguar’s bite is so strong that it can crush through the skull of its prey to pierce the brain.

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3.Green anaconda

4. Owl

5. Natterer’s bat

6. Red-eyed tree frog

The largest snake in the world, this South American slitherer can grow up to 29 ft (8.8 m) long and 1 ft (30 cm) in diameter. It gets that big by feeding on wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, and jaguars. This snake coils its huge body around its prey and squeezes, suffocating its victim.

This silent hunter feeds on mice, shrews, and other small mammals. Special wing feathers muffle the sound of its approach so that it takes victims by surprise. Superior eyesight helps owls locate prey—some owls can hunt in complete darkness, relying on sound to guide them to their prey.

This expert night hunter finds its prey through echolocation. This means that it makes a high-pitched noise through its mouth or nose as it flies. Then, it listens to the echo that returns, figuring out the exact location of the prey, its size, and what direction it’s moving in.

Native to Central American rainforests, these frogs sleep by day, hidden among the foliage. At night, they hunt insects to eat. If a predator approaches, they pop their blood-red eyes and flash their huge orange feet to startle it while they make their escape.

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7. Common brushtail possum

8. White-bellied pangolin

9. Skunk

10. Spectacled bear

Possums are cat-size marsupials that feed at night on insects, fruit, spiders, tree nectar, and seeds. Although many are quiet, the common brushtail possum makes an unpleasant hissing call. Some possums carry bovine tuberculosis, which can damage a cow’s lungs and lead to death.

Rows of overlapping scales—a bit like human fingernails—cover this mammal’s body. At night, it sniffs out termite and ant nests, rips into them with its sharp claws, and licks up the insects with its sticky tongue, swallowing them whole. If attacked, it rolls into a ball.

At dusk, skunks leave their shared dens to forage in the forests for food. They sniff around for a trace of food and then dig up a meal of mice, rats, fallen birds’ eggs, insects, and fruit and nuts. Skunks may roll caterpillars on the ground to remove their hairs before eating them.

This South American bear is named for the cream-colored rings around its eyes. During the day, spectacled bears sleep in “tree houses,” which they build by placing a row of sticks high up in the treetops. At night, they use these platforms to reach fruit and leaves.

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS

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Waiting in tall grasses for a host to pass by, ticks stab their victims with pincerlike mandibles and tooth-covered feeding tubes. The teeth curve back on themselves to anchor the creatures into the host. After getting stuck in, they may feed for days until sated, but they can leave the host with more than just an itchy bite. Ticks carry a number of dangerous diseases, such as Lyme disease, from one host to another.

Ticks

Bedbug

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What living nightmares await you in your cozy bed? Lurking within the sheets or hiding out in tiny crevices, bedbugs launch their attack at night. With beaklike mouthparts, they suck up their fill of blood and can grow as large as apple seeds.

D O O L B ! S R E K C SU

Fleas These wingless insects, which can leap 200 times their own body length onto their victims, have thin bodies to maneuver through fur or hair. Fleas pierce your skin with hollow mouthparts and suck up a meal of blood, leaving behind a very itchy bite.

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Ambush bug

Vampire bat

Master of disguise, the brightly colored ambush bug hides completely motionless on a flower. When its prey—such as a bee—comes near, the ambush bug strikes, using its thick front legs to capture the victim, paralysing it with toxins injected through its short beak. Finally, it sucks out the prey’s blood and other bodily fluids.

Under the cover of darkness, the vampire bat crawls or flies onto its prey and finds a spot where blood flows near the victim’s surface. Using its fangs to make a sharp incision, the bat applies saliva to the wound with its tongue to stop the blood from clotting. It then feasts ferociously for 20 minutes.

BLOODSUCKING ANIMALS

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STINGERS

Alert! Intruders are on the prowl, armed with sharp organs called stingers and extremely dangerous. Their lethal weapons are capable of piercing the skin of other animals to deliver venom—a toxic cocktail of nerve poisons and cell destroyers. Some stings may cause only momentary pain, but others are extremely potent, causing excruciating agony or even death.

Portuguese man-of-war With an air-filled, jellylike blue and pink body topped with a pink-ridged crest, this marine invertebrate trails very long 59-ft (18-m) tentacles behind it as it floats on the surface. Do not attempt to touch the tentacles as they contain a poison that is powerful enough to burn and blister your skin on contact.

Cone snail They may move at a snail’s pace, but these reef-dwelling gastropods can pull a fast one. Cone snails shoot a harpoonlike tooth from an extendable “arm” into their chosen prey (often a fish) and release hundreds of toxins to paralyse it. Their sting is deadly to humans, and there is no known antivenin. Stay away!

Honeybee When a bee stings, the barbs at the end of its stinger catch in its victim’s skin. The bee must leave its rear behind as it exits, but that is not the end of the pain: the stinger continues to pump venom—a mix of 40 various ingredients—for 10 minutes, and a pheromone is released to alert nearby bees to attack. Evade! 22

Bullet ant The pain from a South American bullet ant sting is likened to being shot with a gun. In fact, experts rate it among the most intense and excruciating sting of any insect. The agony lasts for three hours, along with nausea, cold sweats, and trembling. Gun it to get away!

Tarantula hawk wasp Pregnant wasps paralyse tarantulas with their stings then lay their eggs on the stunned spiders. When the babies hatch, they gobble up the spiders alive. Tarantula hawk wasps rarely sting humans, which is good news, as their sting is similar to being struck by lightning. Buzz off!

Scorpion Stingray Equipped with one or more sharp serrated barbs on their tails, stingrays strike out when attacked. These fish spew vile venom through a painful puncture wound, causing instant agony. Although they’re not aggressive to humans, they may sting if you step on them.

There are thousands of scorpions, although most are harmless to humans. However, a few have a serious sting in their curving tails. Their venom sends pain radiating from the sting site throughout the body, causing numbness, twitching, breathing problems, and nausea. Hightail it away!

Asian giant hornet A sting from this thumb-size beast feels like having a hot nail driven into your skin, but it’s the venom that really bugs you. Strong enough to dissolve human tissue and packed with pain-stimulating chemicals that shoot through the nervous system, the toxins can (and do) cause death.

ANIMALS THAT STING

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POISON PERILS Here’s a jarring thought: there are thousands of different poisonous animals out there. These creatures have a toxin in their glands or skin that can kill or sicken any animal that tries to nibble, sniff, or touch them. The poison attacks the nervous system or stops the heart and lungs from working. Poisonous animals are often brightly colored, so take the hint and stay away. Ho od Th ed i and s fam p i l y b on lac of s itoh k t o t ri b x ui bu ild ic be irds f kingl y e I

up fa tle rom c Ne olorfu the snak in the s. As w e l a it, c toxin or b ir ski resu Guin oran na g aus -lac ird e l t nd , ne a fe e of ing ed nu feat prey feath uroto eds mb he xin p s nes rs in ounc ers. sa es, sta nd ntly ting ling repel .

Flamboyant cuttlefish These odd-looking fish found in the seas of Australia and Indonesia stroll along the ocean floor with their arms, looking for dinner. Cuttlefish can change color in an instant to camouflage themselves when stalking their prey. To keep themselves safe from other predators, their muscle tissue contains a sickeningly strong poison.

Stonefish Lying on the seabed, stonefish are armed with spines on their backs to protect themselves from predators, such as sharks and rays. Should a predator pounce, they shoot out poison, causing paralysing pain. Stone me!

Cane toads

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Monarch butterfly As larvae (an early stage of growth), these beautiful butterflies feed on the milkweed plant, from which they extract a supply of heart-stopping poison called glycoside. Come snacktime, birds that take a nibble of a monarch will soon learn that it is poisonous when they vomit it up. But this won’t stop some birds, such as black-beaked orioles, which have a greater tolerance to the monarch’s chemical defenses.

Pus s cate moth rpil The lar puss is c m

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Poison-arrow frog One of the world’s most poisonous animals, the poison-arrow frog can kill a human with an amount of toxin equal to only two or three grains of table salt. Native to Central and South America, it secretes the poison through its skin. This terrifying toxin paralyses muscles and lungs, causing death.

Sea cucumber When in danger, the sea cucumber expels a special organ loaded with toxins from its posterior. In the water, the organ splits into sticky toxic tubes that attach to the attacker, weakening its muscles and making it helpless. The poison can also cause permanent blindness if it gets into the eyes. Not to be used in salads!

er Fire salamandof it,

gets ahold When a predator releases this colorful newt pores m fro a milky toxin and ad he its nd arou its of along both sides es us ca n iso spine. The po d attacks an ns sio ul nv muscle co wt good. Ne s. ng the heart and lu POISONOUS ANIMALS

25

killer whales The largest type of dolphin, killer whales earn their nickname, “wolves of the sea,” by ganging up in pods to hunt. They sneak up on schools of fish and marine mammals, communicating with one another with almost silent calls that are undetectable to their victims. Killer whales attack from all sides to make a kill, then they share the catch of the day.

Barracuda Wolves of the sea, meet the “tigers of the ocean.” Barracuda are natural-born killers equipped with a mouthful of fanglike teeth and huge appetites. When these fierce fish hunt in a group, they herd their prey together and then ram into their victims with a sudden burst of speed, snapping off chunks of fish flesh.

ARMY ANTS These ants live in huge colonies of up to 700,000 individuals. When they hunt, a regiment of up to 200,000 ants overwhelm their victims, including other ants or large arthropods, in an attack called a swarm raid. They chop up the flesh of their dead prey with machete-sharp jaws. It’s no picnic.

SWARM! Many animals prefer prowling for their victims in groups. A pack of hunters can sometimes do a better job of bringing down prey than a single animal, especially if their target is a large one. A pack is also likely to confuse the victim. Other animals hunt in swarms or gangs because they live in extended families and do most things together. 26

HONEYBEES When thousands of buzzing bees pour out of a hive to swirl in the air like an angry striped cloud, they aren’t coming after you… they’re just moving to a new house. Bees swarm when they run out of honey storage space. The queen bee and the gang may swarm on a tree branch while bee scouts look for a good place to build a new hive.

AFRICAN wild DOGS Roaming the plains and woodlands of Africa in a family pack, these wild dogs have colorful markings, unique to each dog, that help them spot one another. They hunt together in a deadly gang. A group of up to 20 dogs cooperates to tackle and bring down their much larger prey. Their bites are much worse than their barks.

HARRIS’s hAWKS Although many birds of prey hunt alone, these birds work together to attack lizards, rabbits, large insects, and other birds. A few birds at a time may set off on patrol to look for prey until they eventually land dinner, which they share. In other cases, the hawks quietly surround their prey, and after one bird swoops in to startle it, the others attack.

mormon crickets When a million or more of these crickets get together in a huge gang, they are capable of destroying entire fields of crops and vegetables. The densely packed swarm stretches as far as the eye can see and covers 1 mile (1.6 km) a day, devouring every plant in their path. No one knows why they swarm, but they really do bug people.

pIRANhaS With wide mouths packed full of razor-sharp teeth that are capable of stripping flesh from bone, these fish are deadly enough individually. But when they get together, it’s murder. In a feeding frenzy, they can devour their prey in seconds, ripping off one chunk of flesh after another. By swarming together in a group, they also deter their own predators.

HUNTING IN GROUPS

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When that diver gets a look at all 60 ft (20 m) and 55 tons (50 tonnes) of me, he’s so gonna blubber. I can eat a ton (tonne) of fish and squids a day and still have room for dessert. Lucky for him, I don’t have a taste for humans, although I may accidentally capsize boats that get in the way of my enormous tail.

Sperm whale

I could scare that diver right out of his suit with my fearsome fangs. Maybe I’ll swim straight into him as fast as I can, impaling his flesh on my terrible teeth. My hinged jaws enable me to swallow large prey whole… but something his size may be out of my depth.

Viperfish

Splash! A daring deep-sea diver ventures from the sunlit surface waters down through the darkened ocean depths. The quest: to find a long-lost chest of buried treasure. The diver descends even farther, searching for a glint of gold, but is unaware of the fate that awaits… for there in the waters lurks a gruesome gang of hideous undersea creatures. Dive in!

MONSTERS OF THE DEEP

Emeralds glinting from a treasure chest? Afraid not, sucker. You’re looking at my oversize catlike eyes. Slippery skin covers my body, tapering to a ratlike tail. My dental plates are strong enough to munch on clams and crabs, shells and all, so keep your hands to yourself if you don’t want to lose those fingers!

Chimera fish

Face it, I’m freaky. I look like a huge flattened fish head with a tail stuck onto it. I tip the scales at 2,200 lb (1,000 kg), and I’m as long as an adult human. As I often roam near the ocean’s surface, that diver might get an early fright on the way down— but don’t panic, I mostly eat jellyfish.

Ocean sunfish

DEEP-SEA CREATURES

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Not far now, diver, but you need to get past me first. I may be little, but my mouth is stuffed with teeth. In proportion to my body, I have the biggest teeth of any fish. They don’t even fit in my mouth, so pockets in the roof of my mouth fit the fangs on my lower jaw when it closes.

Fangtooth fish

A close encounter with me would make that diver’s jaw drop—mine already did. The sight of my huge mouth and head is awesomely scary, but the real reason I’m opening wide is to filter food as I propel my bulky body through the ocean depths.

Megamouth shark

I have big reddish eyes and a mouth filled with a spiral of sharp teeth and a rasplike tongue. I’m a parasite, so I latch my mouth onto prey and stay there for days or even weeks, feeding on their blood and bodily fluids. You, diver, had better hope that I don’t become too attached to you.

Sea lamprey

Hey, diver! I may be shining like gold, but I’m not what you’re seeking. I have a pair of lemon-size light-making organs called photophores on the ends of two arms. I can flash them on and off, making blindingly bright light to stun and disorient my prey.

Dana Octopus squid

HOW ABOUT A DIP?

Do you like to be beside the seaside? Be wary: there may be something in the waves. You don’t have to go very far to wade into dangerous waters. A whole poolfull of potentially perilous creatures lurks just off the world’s coastlines and riverbanks. They may seem relatively harmless, but they have been known to attack people without provocation. Take a look at some of the most beastly of these bathing beasts.

HIPPOPOTAMUS Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the horrible hippo has earned a terrible reputation for its vicious attacks. Its enormous bulk makes it a formidable foe, and it is surprisingly agile, able to tip over boats and munch the former occupants with its huge teeth. On land, a hippo can charge at you and swing its head like a hammer to bash you into oblivion.

ELECTRIC EEL Ready for a shock? This predator can stun its prey into submission by releasing a 600-volt burst of electricity. Organs on its body store electricity like batteries between attacks. An eel’s shock is not actually powerful enough to kill a human outright, but you might suffer a heart attack or drown in the aftermath.

WEEVER FISH

FLOWER SEA URCHIN Small and spiny, these creatures make their way across the bottom of a tidal pool munching on algae. Some of their spines are capable of releasing venom as they pinch their prey, presenting a prickly problem: the venom causes extreme pain and can lead to death. Blooming awful.

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This small sand-colored fish is not a great swimmer. Instead, it lies buried on the seabed with just a fin sticking out until something tasty swims by. If you should step on a weever fish, its spines will pump venom into your foot. A sizzle of pure pain will shoot through your body as your foot turns red and swells up like a foot-shaped balloon.

CATFISH There are more than 1,600 venomous species of these finned fatales. Venom glands are located alongside their bony spines. When defending itself from attack, the killer catfish locks its spines into place, stabs its predator, and releases its terrible toxins into the open wound. Bad kitty!

SEA SNAKE

BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS Do not disturb this rock-pool dweller. If you do step on it or pick it up, someone is going to get hurt. Its bite isn’t painful, but its saliva carries a venom powerful enough to kill—and there is no antivenin. Within minutes, you feel woozy, your vision dims, your senses of touch and speech disappear, and you stop breathing as paralysis sets in.

An aquatic relation of the cobra, this slippery customer lives in the shallows, feeding on fish and eel and popping up for a gulp of air from time to time. If provoked, it may sink its venom-laced fangs into your leg. In a matter of minutes, your muscles stiffen, your jaw spasms, your vision is blurry, and you struggle to breathe.

CRENULATED FIRE CORAL This yellowish pore-covered sea coral branches out on reefs or attaches itself to walls, cement pilings, or other solid objects under the water. There is only one thing you need to know about it: reef it alone. Should you touch it, your skin will burn and erupt in a painful, blistery rash.

ANIMALS IN THE SHALLOWS

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POISONOUS PLANTS

Step inside our little shop of horrors. While vegetation helps to sustain life on Earth, there are flowers, trees, shrubs, and even hedges out there that can kill. Some are dangerous to touch, while others are toxic if swallowed or inhaled. Nasty reactions range from irritation to death. Why are some plants poisonous? It’s simply their defense against being eaten. The stories of these green meanies will have you rooted to the spot.

Manchineel tree 3 This resembles an apple tree, but the fruit are nicknamed “apples of death.” Eating the fruit causes blistering in the mouth and throat, and can be fatal. The tree leaks a milky white sap that can blister the skin, while smoke from a burning tree causes blindness. This is one bad apple tree.

Castor bean 3 These brutal beans contain the deadliest plant poison on Earth: ricin. Just a handful of beans contain enough of this poison to kill an adult within a few minutes. Even harvesting the plant can give a person nerve damage. Do not serve baked. 32

Nightshade 1 Also known as belladonna or the devil’s cherry, the leaves and berries of this plant contain atropine—a deadly chemical compound. A snack-size portion of berries causes slurred speech, blurred vision, horrible headaches, breathing problems, and convulsions. That’s not berry nice.

2 Doll’s eyes Named after its startling appearance, the entire plant is poisonous but the berries pack a particular punch. If you pop an eye into your mouth, the poison relaxes heart muscle tissue, leading to cardiac arrest and death—all in the blink of an eye.

Rosary pea 1 Pea-shaped pods along this vine split open when dry to reveal bright red pealike seeds. Popping a few peas leads to drooling, vomiting, a high temperature, convulsions, seizures, and may eventually cause death. You most definitely must mind these Ps.

Larkspur 3 These blue-purple plants are popular in gardens, but they are packed with alkaloids. A nibble on the leaves and flowers brings intense burning of the mouth and throat, a feeling of lightheaded confusion, severe headaches, vomiting, and, at worst, suffocation.

Water hemlock 3 This relative of the parsnip is extremely poisonous. The toxins—concentrated in the roots, but also found in the leaves and stems—act so quickly that there may be no time for treatment. Touching hemlock can cause a reaction, but should you ingest it, expect grand mal seizures, loss of consciousness, violent muscle contractions, and possible death. Stick to its harmless relative.

4 Narcissus Are daffodils a delightful sign of spring or toxic killers? Both! The onionlike bulbs are the enemies, not the flowers. The bulbs contain a strong poison that can numb the nervous system and paralyse heart muscle with deadly consequences.

POISONOUS PLANTS

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PRECARIOUS

PLANET

Get ready fo r some cat ac volcanoes, and earthq lysmic events: fires, fl oods, u Watch out for wild win akes are all in the ca and keep a d way from h s and freak rains of rds. ostile place frogs, to scorchin s. From icy g deserts, wa cli the end of the world if mates can kill, so it stes ’s not they’re cha nging… or is it?

35

Who

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The endless night of the Arctic winter drives you crazy. Miss a turn while you stare mindlessly at the northern lights.

FINISH Another team has reached the Pole first. Aaaargh! Before returning the way you came, miss two turns weeping salty tears over all that pain and suffering for nothing.

You’re again trying to w s a winds t icy katab lk a that c (strong win tic o d moun me down fr s t at spe ains) blow om in e 199 m ds of up t g o Forge ph (320 km t it. Yo /h). back two s u’re blown paces .

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h s t Britis Dig thirn while you digldoufrom his tent on

Polar bear alert! Your only hope of not becoming bear food is to play dead and curl up into a ball to protect your face and neck. Miss a turn until the bear has lost interest in you.

ICE RACE!

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You’re seeing islands hovering in the distance like fairy-tale castles. Relax—it’s just a mirage. But miss a turn while you pitch a tent and get some rest—you need it.

Throw the dice to dash across the coldest, driest, windiest place on Earth and reach the finish pole first. May the best team win. Better not shake on it— at -58ºF (-50ºC), drop a glove and your hand will freeze solid in minutes. All set? On your mark, get set, go!

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BASE CAMP

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Don some goggles to cut out the glare from the white snow. You’ll avoid getting snowblind, and you’ll look cool, too! Move on an extra space.

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A leopard seal tries to drag you off the ice and into the water. Miss a turn while you wrench yourself free of those fearsome jaws. Temp e plum ratures ha m v an ex eted. Put e tra la on y e r, a snot, way your fr wipe and oze space hurry on t n wo s to blood keep you r circula ting.

You’ve slipped into the dark, icy Arctic waters. Throw again to get out before you turn into a human ice cube.

You’re in luck—an Inuit family takes a shine to you and wraps you up in some of their thick fur clothes. Those snowshoes are great, too. Snug and warm, move on three spaces.

Swee

t

It’s

There’s no better way to speed across the ice than with a team of huskies and a sled. Mush! Move speedily on two spaces.

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FROZEN ENVIRONMENTS

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SAVAGE SEAS Ahoy there, landlubbers! While you splash around in your blissful bath, spare a thought for those who spend their lives on the ocean waves. The sea is full of nasty surprises: one day it is dead calm, the next it is a seething cauldron. Mountainous waves can toss a small craft to and fro or leave a giant tanker high All at sea and dry. If you hear sailors’ tales of Davy Jones’s Winds and currents are locker, icebergs, fog, and fire, take heed! One day the powerful elements that are you, too, could find yourself in stormy waters… scarily in control of a vessel’s

Wild waves

movements on the open sea, with large waves tossing ships around as if they’re toys—a nightmare for any seasick-prone sailor. Without adequate protection and with the Sun’s rays being reflected by the water’s surface, exposed skin can suffer painful sunburn and the eyes can become bloodshot and swollen.

At sea, there is nowhere to hide from howling winds or giant waves that can send a ship the size of a small town to the ocean floor in about 12 seconds. In 1995, the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth II survived being hit by a rogue wave, said to be a staggering 10 stories high!

Whale tale Rocks and underwater reefs aren’t the only things to steer clear of at sea. Whales are fishy mammals, so they need to surface to breathe, which can bring them into contact with any vessels floating on the surface. In 1851, a sperm whale smashed into a whaling ship, sinking it in minutes.

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SPF 20

Iceberg ahead!

Shiver me timbers!

When the “unsinkable” ship Titanic hit a large iceberg on April 14, 1912, it sank in a few hours, killing 1,523 people. Icebergs are floating masses of ice, 90 percent of which is hidden beneath the sea’s surface. So even small icebergs are more menacing than they look—floating just above the water’s surface, they can be very hard to spot in fog.

Unless you’re in the balmy Caribbean, chances are you’ll be in cold water. Icy seas will quickly numb the bones of even the hardiest sailor. Even in water of 50ºF (10ºC), you cannot survive more than three hours without a wetsuit or by huddling up to other crew members.

Stormy times In 1947, Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl set sail across the Pacific on a balsa-wood raft, called Kon-Tiki, using only ocean currents and the wind. When a violent storm flooded the raft, his crew survived on rainwater and flying fish that landed on deck.

Into the abyss The deeper you venture into the depths of the sea, the more the pressure builds, so submarines are built as strong as tanks so as not to be crushed. In 2005, the Russian submarine Priz was rescued after getting caught in fishnets 620 ft (190 m) below the surface. With a dwindling oxygen supply, the crew was lucky not to die from carbon-dioxide poisoning, which was the fate of 900 men aboard Thetis when it sank in 1939.

Water shortage As any sailor worth his salt will tell you, oceans are deserts. Drinking salty seawater just makes you thirstier and sick. In 2004, a current swept Vietnamese fisherman Bui Duc Phuc 62 miles (100 km) from shore. After drifting for days, he drank his own urine to stay alive. Chewing fish eyes or drinking turtle blood are other options. Yo, ho, ho!

THE CRUEL SEA

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United States of America

This part of the Atlantic is well known for its violent storms and sudden changes in weather. Waterspouts—tornadoes over the sea—are not uncommon, and a hurricane could easily swamp a ship or crash a plane. But would this make a vessel disappear without leaving any trace?

Hurricanes and waterspouts

S

Horse latitudes

E

Bermuda

Some people claim that the Bermuda Triangle is an area where Earth’s magnetic field is so uneven that a compass points true north (the geographical north pole) rather than magnetic north, leading to all sorts of navigational mix-ups. However, research suggests that this hasn’t been the case since the 19th century, and so can’t account for those disappearances that occurred in the 20th century.

Crazy compasses

W

Sailors in the past relied on wind power to take them across the seas, with a real danger of becoming stranded midocean if the winds failed. A rotating ocean current—the North Atlantic Gyre— within the Bermuda Triangle could sweep a becalmed ship off course. The area was known as the horse latitudes because becalmed sailors would throw their horses overboard to conserve drinking water.

There are many stories of ships and aircraft that have mysteriously disappeared in the infamous Bermuda Triangle—an area of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Whether you believe the spooky accounts of vessels, crews, and passengers vanishing without a trace or dismiss them as too-tall tales, these weird waters have a fearsome reputation…

Bermuda Triangle

N

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE

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Florida

Cuba

Jamaica

At the heart of the Bermuda Triangle lies the Sargasso Sea, named after the giant forest of sargassum seaweed that grows there. Old sailors’ yarns tell of ships trapped for eternity in the choking mass of seaweed. In 1840, the French ship Rosalie was found here drifting, derelict—and deserted.

Snagged by seaweed

For years, scientists dismissed the notion of freak waves smashing ships to pieces, but, in 1995, a wave detector on an oil rig in the North Sea recorded a huge 65-ft (20-m) wave. Could similar waves explain the disappearances in the Atlantic? It would take a real monster to sink a 22-000-ton (20,000-tonne) ship.

Rogue waves

Haiti Peurto Rico

Caribbean waters have long been a favorite hunting ground for pirates, who may have sunk the vessels that were later reported missing after taking whatever they could find onboard. But what about the ships that were found without a crew and with their cargo intact? Some blame abductions by aliens. Beam me up, me hearties!

Abductions

Some people have suggested that the sea simply opens and swallows up ships. Incredibly, this could actually happen. Large eruptions of methane gas on the seabed have been known to make oil rigs collapse. A passing ship would sink like a stone, and the methane could set fire to planes flying overhead.

Underwater eruptions

Camel curves If someone says you’re built like a camel, take it as a compliment. This “ship of the desert” can go for days without a drink, while its fatty hump is tailor-made for the desert’s two-week no-food diet. Gorgeous long eyelashes keep the sand out of the camel’s eyes, while flat feet and tough soles make it the best mode of transportation on the scorching soft sand.

SAND EXFOLIATION

DESERT SALON

The swelteringly hot desert is a barren place, full of hidden dangers and perilous pitfalls. The horrendous heat causes you to sweat out vital liquids, making you thirsty, tired, dizzy, and confused. But what is this tranquil oasis? Could it be a mirage? No, it’s the deluxe Desert Salon. Time to relax and pamper yourself silly with one of the desert treatments on offer.

Removing a thin layer of dead cells from your skin can make it look healthy and radiant. So why not use the power of a desert sandstorm to give you that just-exfoliated look? But don’t overdo it—sand moving at high speed can strip the paint off a car!

Locust snacks Got the munchies? Then dig into our scrumptious selection of snacks. Bite into a crunchy locust or tickle your tonsils by slipping a wiggly witchetty grub down your throat. Please note our bring-your-ownwater policy—it’s in short supply around here.

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Sight for six eyes The tranquility of the desert is so relaxing. Just don’t nod off. The sand spider has eyes only for you—all six of them. This critter likes to jump out on unsuspecting prey, and its cryotoxins are as deadly as they come.

WET ROOM

RE

CTU ACUPUN

OM

RO UT

LL-O

CHI TH OO

B ING

N

TAN

Sunken eyes and shriveled skin are so last year! Tan at your own pace by sheltering your body from the blistering desert sun. We recommend covering up bare skin and wearing dark glasses to protect your eyes from the glare, while a free Bedouin headscarf for all new clients will shield your head—and keep out the dust!

Need a break from the sweltering heat? No problem—just wait for sunset and feel the temperatures plummet to below freezing as the dry desert sand quickly loses its heat. Cool! Then just lie back on the dunes, close your eyes, and relax to the eerie singing and booming noises of the desert at night.

Keep bumping into a spiky cactus to get the full-body acupuncture treatment. Feel your aches and tension fade away as the spikes pierce your skin. Bliss! Even if you haven’t made an appointment, the jumping cholla cactus has stems that fall off so easily that they will prick you as you pass by. A timesaving option.

When it rains in the desert, it really pours. Low-lying creek beds can turn into surging rivers in just a few minutes. How refreshing after a day in the hot sun. Make the most of it, but don’t linger too long in the salty water found in many deserts—it can give you a nasty rash!

Local wildlife Watch and learn from these bad boys in our waiting room. It’s all about encouraging rest and relaxation for this temperamental group. Observe how the usually fierce Gila monster takes it easy in the midday sun. Listen to the rattle of a rattlesnake’s tail, but we recommend you leave him be—his venom is deadly. And although our scorpion has a nasty sting in its tail, it sure adds atmosphere at night when it glows in the dark under a UV light.

Water cooler An old Bedouin trick is to turn over half-buried stones in the desert just before the sun rises. Fine drops of water form on the stones’ cool surfaces. Chilled water is just what you need on a hot day at the Desert Salon. DESERT DANGERS

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Tough terrain

JUNGLE PERILS!

Watch your step while navigating the jungle, as mud holes and quicksand can take you by surprise. Use a machete to chop through the thick undergrowth, but don’t hack your leg off in the process! By the evening, happy campers should choose an area with care and avoid river beaches—if heavy rain falls overnight, your tent will be swept away.

Help! It’s a jungle in here: hot, humid, and heaving with bugs. Getting lost is easy, as everything looks the same—green! Maps won’t help, so your best bet is to take a guide. If you’re alone, don’t panic— here are the handiest hints to ensure you make it out alive…

Hidden killers Need to cool off? If you want to take a dip, check for alligator and caiman tracks where you choose to swim. These predators love to lurk near the water’s edge. It’s a similar story with hippos: they may look cuddly, but keep your distance—hippos are very territorial and will attack swimmers.

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Hothouse Budding Tarzans should take it easy in the jungle. Nothing can prepare you for the heat and humidity, so don’t push yourself too hard. As you move around the jungle, be sure to keep drinking. If you sweat more than you drink, you’ll get dehydrated, and this can lead to severe heat stroke.

Terrifying trees If you’re climbing trees for fruit, watch out for the many venomous snakes that like to hunt in the branches, including bushmasters, mambas, and boomslangs. They blend in with the bark and leaves, so look carefully. And if you’re tired from all that climbing, don’t nap under the trees, as falling deadwood kills more jungle novices than anything else.

Pesky plants There is a high risk of snagging your clothes or even your skin in the jungle. Long vines called “wait-awhiles” have sharp barbs that catch easily and slow you down. Even worse is the aptly named stinging tree: its large, heart-shaped leaves are covered in spikes. One touch and you’ll get a nasty rash that lasts for months. Ouch!

Bug watch Boring-looking bugs bring the most trouble, so keep your wits about you and always use insect repellent. Small botflies lay their eggs under human skin, while black flies bite hard and spread river blindness. As boots and pockets make comfy nests for poisonous spiders, shake out your shoes and zip up your pockets.

Poison and prey

River dangers

Steer clear of poison-arrow frogs. The venom on their backs is enough to make you croak. On the plus side, you can dip your arrows in the poison and use them to hunt jungle prey. Watch out that no one is after you, though. Early visitors to Borneo’s rainforests fell foul of the fierce Dayak tribes—notorious for beheading and eating the flesh of their enemies. Don’t lose your head!

White-water rafting looks fun, but submerged branches can trap you underwater, strong currents can sweep you away, and rapids can smash you to smithereens. If you fall overboard, swim fast! Rivers are home to crushing anacondas, bloodsucking leeches, and electric eels. Avoid any river-based injuries, as blood will attract hungry piranhas your way.

JUNGLE PERILS

45

two survival stories in one!

ON CHRISTMAS EVE 1971, 17-YEAR-OLD JULIANE KOEPCKE WAS FLYING WITH HER MOTHER TO PUCAlLPA IN PERU. THEY WERE GOING TO SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH JULIANE’S FATHER, HANS. ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER THE PLANE ToOK OfF FROM THE CAPITAL CITY OF LIMA, IT FLEW INTO HEAVY CLOUDS AND STARTED SHAKING. SUdDENLY, A BOLT OF LIGHTNING HIT THE AIRCRAFT, AND IT WENT INTO A NOSEDIVE. PEOPLE STARTED SCREAMING AND CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FLEW AROUND THE CABIN.

WHEN JULIANE WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING, SHE WAS ALONE—AND STIlL STRApPED TO HER SEAT. IS IT SAFE TO TAKE OfF MY SEAT BELT YET?

JULIANE HAD NO FoOD, NO ToOLS, NO WAY OF MAKING A FIRE, NO MAPS, AND NO COMPAsS. LoOKING FOR HER MOTHER, SHE SoON REALIZED THAT SHE WAS AlL ALONE, LOST IN THE JUNGLE.

I’VE ALWAYS HATED FLYING!

IT’S THE LANDING I’M WOrRIED ABOUT...

HElLO…? AM I THE ONLY SURVIVOR?

THE PLANE BROKE UP IN MIDAIR AFTER SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL. THE LAST THING JULIANE REMEMBERED WAS WHIRLING THROUGH THE AIR AS THE GROUND CAME SPInNING TOWARD HER.

DESPITE STIlL BEING IN SHOCK, JULIANE HAD THE SENSE TO SEARCH THROUGH THE WRECKAGE. SHE FOUND SOME CANDY AND THE CHRISTMAS CAKE THAT SHE HAD BROUGHT FOR HER DAD.

JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED FOR CHRISTMAS…

AMAZINGLY, JULIANE’S INJURIES WERE MINOR: A BROKEN COlLARBONE, A SWOlLEN RIGHT EYE, AND LARGE CUTS TO HER ARMS AND LEGS.

JULIANE SET OfF BRAVELY INTO THE JUNGLE, REMEMBERING HER DAD’S ADVICE: HEAD DOWNHIlL TO WATER, THEN FOlLOW A RIVER TO FIND A CAMP OR VIlLAGE.

THE NEXT DAY, SHE FOUND A CReEK AND BEGAN TO WADE DOWNSTREAM. WITHOUT A MACHETE TO CUT THROUGH THE FOREST, JULIANE WAS FORCED TO WADE THROUGH JUNGLE STREAMS AND SWIM ACROsS FLoODED AREAS INFESTED WITH PIRANHAS AND CROCODILES.

I WONDER IF THE RIpPED LoOK IS BACK IN FASHION.

DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT—ONE MOVE AND I’lL TURN YOU INTO A HANDBAG!

THE CHRISTMAS CAKE LASTED THReE DAYS. NOW WITHOUT FoOD, SHE DRANK THE MURKY RIVER WATER, FIGHTING OfF INSECTS AND BLoODSUCKING LeECHES. SHE OFTEN HEARD RESCUE PLANES ABOVE BUT HAD NO WAY TO SIGNAL TO THEM.

YUCK!

A FEW DAYS IN, THE CUT ON JULIANE’S ARM WAS FUlL OF WIgGLING MAgGOTS. FINAlLY, JULIANE REACHED THE PACHITEA RIVER. HERE SHE BUILT A CRUDE RAFT OF LOGS TIED TOGETHER WITH VINES AND AlLOWED THE CUrRENT TO TAKE HER DOWNSTREAM.

ON THE 10TH DAY, SHE CAME ACROsS A HUT. EXHAUSTED AND HUNGRY AFTER NOT EATING FOR DAYS, SHE CURLED UP AND WAITED FOR HELP. THANKFUlLY, A GROUP OF LOgGERS ArRIVED AT THE HUT THE NEXT DAY.

THE LOgGERS TREATED HER MAgGOT-INFESTED WOUNDS BY POURING GASOLINE ON THEM. YOW! OKAY, GUYS— WE’RE OUT OF HERE!

IT LoOKS SO SIMPLE ON THOSE SURVIVOR SHOWS!

35 MAgGOTS CAME OUT OF HER ARMS ALONE. 46

THE LOgGERS THEN ToOK JULIAnNE ON A SEVEN-HOUR CANOE TRIP TO THE NEAREST TOWN, WHERE A LOCAL PILOT FLEW HER TO A HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT AND TO BE REUNITED WITH HER FATHER.

EPILOGUE THE SOLE SURVIVOR OF FLIGHT 508, JULIANE RETURNED TO GERMANY, WHERE, LIKE HER PARENTS, SHE BECAME A ZoOLOGIST. SHE NOW STUDIES BATS.

IN 1981, YOsSI GHINSBERG AND TWO OTHER YOUNG TRAVELERS, KEVIN GALE AND MARCUS STAmM, DECIDED TO TREK INTO THE HEART OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST. THEIR GUIDE, KARL, SeEMED TO KNOW THE JUNGLE WElL AND HUNTED SLOTHS AND MONKEYS FOR FoOD ALONG THE WAY. MONKEY BRAIN FOR DInNER, ANYONE?

A trek of terRor through the amazon

THEY’RE MAKING A BeELINE FOR THE RIVER!

THE NEXT DAY, THE RAFT SLAmMED INTO A ROCK, FLINGING YOsSI AND KEVIN INTO THE WATER. KEVIN MANAGED TO SWIM TO SAFETY, BUT YOsSI WAS DRAgGED OVER THE WATERFAlL WITH THE RAFT.

MARCUS’S FeET GOT SO SORE THAT HE COULDN’T WALK. KARL BUILT A RAFT, BUT IT SoON BECAME CLEAR THAT THE SURGING WATERS OF THE TUICHI RIVER WERE JUST ToO DANGEROUS FOR THE INEXPERIENCED GROUP. KARL AND MARCUS DECIDED TO HEAD BACK, BUT YOsSI AND KEVIN WANTED TO GO ON.

HANG ON!

OUCH! THAT LoOKS PAINFUL.

BY A MIRACLE, YOsSI SURVIVED. AFTER HOURS OF WALKING, HE FOUND A CAVE TO SLeEP IN. WHEN HE ToOK HIS SHOES OfF, HIS FeET WERE A MEsS OF PUS AND BLoOD, THANKS TO A NASTY FUNGUS. BUT YOsSI WAS DETERMINED TO KeEP GOING.

ANY OTHER HELPFUL ADVICE?

ONE NIGHT, YOsSI CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH A JAGUAR. REMEMBERING A MOVIE SCENE, HE SET FIRE TO HIS INSECT SPRAY, CREATING A FLAMETHROWER THAT SCARED OfF THE BIG CAT.

ALTHOUGH YOsSI FOUND A CAMP ON THE RIVERBANK, IT WAS DESERTED. YOsSI’S MIND STARTED PLAYING TRICKS ON HIM, HIS CLOTHES GOT SHREdDED IN A FOREST OF THORNS, AND, TO TOP IT AlL, HE FElL OVER, BREAKING A BRANCH THAT SPEARED HIM IN A VERY PAINFUL PLACE.

Take that, kitTy!

THE TORTURE CONTINUED. YOsSI UNWItTINGLY SET UP CAMP CLOSE TO A TERMITE’S NEST. BY DAWN, HE’D BeEN BItTEN AlL OVER AND HIS BACKPACK HAD BeEN HALF EATEN. BY NOW, HIS FeET WERE IN SUCH AGONY THAT HE DELIBERATELY GRAbBED STINGING NEtTLES TO DISTRACT HIMSELF FROM THE THRObBING PAIN!

AFTER FIVE DAYS OF WANDERING THROUGH DENSE UNDERGROWTH, THE TREkKERS BEGAN TO WOrRY ABOUT RUnNING OUT OF FoOD AND GEtTING LOST. EVERYONE HAD PAINFUL BLISTERS ON THEIR FeET. STINGING FIRE ANTS AND SWARMS OF BeES WERE ALSO HELPING TURN THEIR DREAM ADVENTURE INTO A NIGHTMARE.

ow! !

ow

ow!

ow!

ow!

!

w

o

ow

!

!

ow

IT GOT WORSE. A GIANT STORM FLoODED THE FOREST, FORCING YOsSI TO SWIM FOR HIS LIFE. HE ESCAPED, ONLY TO STUMBLE INTO A MUdDY SWAMP THE NEXT DAY. THE MORE HE STRUgGLED, THE MORE THE SWAMP SUCKED HIM IN. IN A SUPERHUMAN EfFORT, HE DRAgGED HIMSELF TO SAFETY. This realLy stinks!

AaAaAarRrgGhH! You, treE, are a real pain in the bum!

YOsSI HAD ALMOST GIVEN UP HOPE WHEN ONE EVENING HE HEARD THE WHINE OF AN ENGINE— IT WAS KEVIN IN A PLANE! KEVIN HAD STRUCK LUCKY WHEN HE WAS FOUND AND RESCUED BY SOME KIND LOCALS. WOrRIED ABOUT HIS FRIEND, HE THEN RENTED A PLANE AND HAD BeEN SEARCHING FOR MIsSING YOsSI EVER SINCE.

it’s beEn a tough weEk…

I’ve beEn loOking everywhere for you!

KARL AND MARCUS BOTH DISApPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE. YOsSI REALIZED HOW LUCKY HE AND KEVIN HAD BeEN… ALTHOUGH A TRIP TO THE DOCTOR REVEALED THAT HE HADN’T LEFT AlL OF THE JUNGLE BEHIND.

JUNGLE SURVIVAL STORIES

47

EQUIPMENT

HARDHAT

MAP

ROPE

BOOTS

JACKET

FACEMASK

flashlight

FIRST-AID kit

CAVES

The dark, damp, and dangerous world of cave exploring is no place for spelunkers (novice cavers). Spelunker Sam has foolishly entered a deep cave unprepared, unequipped, and on his own. Safely navigate him through the cave maze. Keep your eyes peeled—the cave is handily littered with equipment left by previous potholers.

ROCKY HAZARDS

LET SLEEPING BEARs LIE

Slipping on rocks, missing jumps, or cracking Sam’s head on a stalactite are just some of the rocky hazards to watch out for. Cheat: Did you grab that rope? You’ll need it to rappel Sam down to the bottom of the cave. Harwood Hole in New Zealand is more than 590 ft (180 m) deep!

Not so fast! Many large meat-eating animals make their homes in caves, including bears and mountain lions. Cheat: Steal that hardhat from below the sleeping bear—it could save Sam’s head from falling rocks later on.

GETTING LOST

SWEPT AWAY

Hear that dripping? If it’s raining outside, a cave can flood very fast. In 2007, eight people drowned in a cave in southern Thailand. When crossing ice-cold underground rivers, watch for dangerous currents. Cheat: That waterproof jacket will keep Sam warm and dry. 48

More people have landed on the Moon than have been inside some of Earth’s deepest caves. Get Sam lost in one of these underground mazes and it’s “goodbye world”; if he gets stuck for hours in a damp cave, he could catch hypothermia. Cheat: Pick up that cave map!

BAT CAVE Some caves are home to millions of bats. The ammonia gas released from bat droppings could kill Sam, while inhaling pieces of the cave fungus that grows on them could give him the deadly “cave disease.” Cheat: Strap on that facemask.

DAYLIGHT!

Almost there, but is Sam up for the final climb? Pushing too hard can have deadly consequences; we don’t want Sam to be overcome by exhaustion, as it’s a long fall down should his muscles weaken and he loses his grip. Cheat: Just take it steady and slow!

BUG ALERT!

Sam won’t meet any monsters, but caves in Borneo are home to giant poisonous centipedes that scuttle across the walls, while creepy cave crickets with antennae as long as your arm live on the sandy cave floor. Ugh! Cheat: Grab that flashlight in case Sam’s hardhat light fails.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Before Sam jumps down the hole, put on those sturdy boots. If you get to a tight spot, be careful that you don’t get him stuck. Cheat: Sam doesn’t have gloves to protect his hands from razor-sharp rock edges, or kneepads for crawling through tight gaps, so pick up the first-aid kit in case of nasty scrapes.

TOXIC POOLS Beware of “foul air.” In some caves, the air is laced with poisonous gases such as methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. Invisible carbon dioxide can lead to clumsiness, dizziness, and death. Cheat: Grab that extra oxygen mask just in case. CAVES

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Left for dead In May 2006, after reaching the summit of Everest the day before but suffering severely from the effects of the altitude, mountaineer Lincoln Hall was left at a height of 28,500 ft (8,700 m) by a rescue party of Sherpas who thought that he was dead. Incredibly, he survived a night near the peak without a hat, gloves, sleeping bag, food, water, or oxygen. He was lucky to escape with no more than severe frostbite.

A fatal bottleneck In May 1996, a group of climbers was held up reaching Everest’s peak, as some 25 others were attempting the summit on the same day! No one noticed the snow clouds forming, and just two hours later, the climbers were battling against hurricane-force winds and driving snow, leaving five climbers dead.

Mountain route

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BEARS AND COUGARS: If you feel like a snack, remember that food smells soon get picked up by passing bears and cougars. One in five cougar attacks is fatal, and one swipe from a grizzly paw can take your head off.

DISEASES: Feeling itchy? A bite from a tick could lead to chills, a severe headache, fatigue, deep muscle pain, nausea, and a very nasty rash—all signs of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

ALTITUDE SICKNESS: The views from the top may be wonderful, but don’t hang around taking snaps, as the lack of oxygen up here can be fatal, leading to splitting headaches followed by coma and death.

CREVASSES: Easy does it. Many climbers have died crossing mountain glaciers after falling into a crevasse— a deep chasm in the ice. A layer of snow can cover the entrance, forming a treacherous snow bridge.

AVALANCHES: Sssshh! Most avalanches are triggered by their victims, so avoid yelling to your fellow climbers or you could get hit by a giant slab of snow and ice streaking down the mountain at speeds of up to 217 mph (350 km/h).

SNOWBLINDNESS: Make sure you bring along dark goggles or a pair of sunglasses. They can be a real lifesaver, as gazing at bright white snow for too long can seriously damage your eyes.

FALLING ROCKS: Don’t spend too long admiring the scenery. Rocks can tumble down the mountainside at any moment and knock you loose. Hanging glaciers on steep slopes also drop ice, which hurt. A lot.

FROSTBITE: Wrap up warm or the frost will bite. Exposed fingers and ears can become black and swollen and, if badly frozen, they will eventually drop off! Climbing is a lot trickier without fingers or toes…

BLIZZARDS: A snowstorm can appear from nowhere. Howling winds hurl snow and ice at your body, blasting your face and sucking the heat and air out of you. To top it all, the rest of your party can vanish from sight in the driving snow.

Exposed summit Congratulations! You’ve made it! Now just to get back down again… safely! Time is tight, as you need to get off the exposed peak before night falls and your oxygen tank runs out. Don’t dawdle, as the weather here can dramatically change in just a few minutes, and 186-mph (300-km/h) gusts of wind can blow you off the mountain!

Death zone Once you climb over 23,000 ft (7,000 m), you enter the death zone. Get stranded here and you’ll fall victim to hypoxia—lack of oxygen to the brain. Slowly, you become confused and lose your sense of balance. Soon all you want to do is lie down and do nothing, which is bad news, as it means that you’re entering into a coma.

Determined to survive In 1985, Joe Simpson injured his knee in a fall when he and Simon Yates were caught in a snowstorm in the Peruvian Andes. Another blizzard struck as Yates was lowering him down the mountain, forcing Yates to cut the rope. Simpson fell 98 ft (30 m) but managed to crawl to camp with just a broken leg.

MOUNTAIN MADNESS

Day 2. Lookin g forward to the fresh air and standing on top of the world, but I can’t he lp feeling a little bit ne rvous, espec ially after hearing all th ose tales abo ut the dreaded “death zone” …

Base camp Even down here you need to keep your wits about you as fatigue takes its toll. Just one slip and you’re gone. On the lower slopes of a mountain you’ll have to cross glaciers full of dangerous crevasses or risk climbing avalanche-prone mountains of fresh snow that is just waiting to be disturbed…

It ’s snow jo

ke

… When a blizza rd hits, all yo u can do is di the ice and ho g a cave in pe for the be st. In 1982, M and Phil Doo ark Inglis le waited 13 days for a st on top of New orm to pass Zealand’s high est mountain, Aoraki. Mountain s

urg

ery Even the low er slopes aren ’t for wimps. in October 19 Back 93, Bill Jerack i was fishing the Rockies w up in hen a boulde r rolled onto pinning him his leg, under the ro ck. In real da freezing to de nger of ath, Bill had no choice bu hack his own t to leg off with a penknife! MOUNTAIN DANGERS

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WHOOMPH!

An exploding volcano flings out giant ash clouds that blanket vast areas with a suffocating layer. In 1982, two jumbo jets almost crashed after flying into an ash cloud from Indonesia’s Galunggung volcano, while in 2010, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano turned most of Europe’s airspace into a no-fly zone.

VOLCANO! Every day, somewhere around the world, 20 volcanoes erupt. Volcanic rock makes up about four fifths of Earth’s surface, oozing up through the crust as lava before cooling and hardening. Volcanoes rise up at the boundaries between the “plates” that make up Earth’s surface and owing to “hot spots” in Earth’s crust. These fiery monsters are fiendishly unpredictable, so expect the unexpected as things heat up…

POW! Sideways volcanic explosions away from the main crater, known as lateral blasts, can fire out seething magma and blocks of rock weighing up to 110 tons (100 tonnes). In 1980, when Mount Saint Helens erupted in Washington State, a blast traveling at more than 620 mph (1,000 km/h) flattened entire forests up to 18 miles (30 km) away.

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WHOOSH! A pyroclastic flow is a flaming cocktail of superhot gas and magma droplets that cascade down the side of a volcano at speeds of up to 435 mph (700 km/h). It can suddenly change direction, with deadly consequences—a flow on Japan’s Mount Unzen killed 42 people studying its actions in 1991.

8 Megacolossal Ejects 240 cu. miles (1,000 cu. km) of material Occurs every 10,000 years

ALAKAZAM!

7 Supercolossal Ejects 24 cu. miles (100 cu. km) of material Occurs every 1,000 years

BANG! When a volcano erupts, hot molten rock from deep inside Earth bursts out of the ground through an opening in its crust and explodes out of the volcano’s main crater. Rocks, ash, mud, and poisonous gases are also flung out. Volcanic eruptions can cause widespread devastation and have killed more than 250,000 people over the past 30 years.

5 Paroxysmal Ejects 0.24 cu. miles (1 cu. km) of material

4 Cataclysmic Ejects 0.02 cu. miles (0.1 cu. km) of material Occurs every 10 years

3 Severe Ejects 353,000,000 cu. ft (10,000,000 cu. m) of material

W

!

M

A

H

Seething rivers of liquid rock called lava flow down the side of a volcano, burning trees, houses, and anyone unlucky enough to get in the way. Mercifully, most are slow enough for you to dodge, although the rivers of basalt lava that flow from Hawaiian volcanoes can be a speedy 6 mph (10 km/h) and are the hottest known, at a scorching 2,100oF (1,150oC).

Occurs every 100 years

Occurs every 100 years

Heads down! Lumps of glowing lava can cool and harden as they whiz through the air. In 1993, six scientists were killed by one of these “lava bombs” from the Galeras volcano in Colombia. Cowpie bombs are another hazard to avoid—made of fluid magma, they’re still liquid when they hit the ground but land with enough thump to flatten you.

SIZZLE...

6 Colossal Ejects 2.4 cu. miles (10 cu. km) of material

Volcanoes can appear out of nowhere. The cinder-cone volcano Parícutin appeared in a Mexican cornfield on February 20, 1943. Within a week, it was five stories tall, and by the end of the year, it had grown to more than 1,100 ft (336 m) in height.

Occurs yearly

2 Explosive Ejects 35,000,000 cu. ft (1,000,000 cu. m) of material Occurs weekly

1 Gentle Ejects 353,000 cu. ft (10,000 cu. m) of material Occurs daily

BLASTOMETER Volcanic eruptions are compared using the volcano explosivity index (VEI), which measures the amount of material released during an eruption. The index ranges from zero (minimal material) to eight (maximum material). The largest known eruption occurred 73,000 years ago in what is now Indonesia—Volcano Toba threw out so much material that it blocked out the sun and plunged the world into an ice age.

VOLCANOES

0 Nonexplosive Ejects 35,000 cu. ft (1,000 cu. m) of material Occurs daily

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Side effects

When Earth shakes like crazy, it can lead to all sorts of other deadly disasters. Quakes un der the seabed can trig ger giant waves, such terrifying tsunami tha as the t swept across the Ind ian Ocean in Decembe They can also set off r 2004. giant landslides, sendin g millions of tons (to of rock and ice crash nnes) ing down a mountains ide. If a quake occurs people are cooking, like while the Tokyo earthquake of 1923, it can set off ferocious firestorms that cause even more damage than the quake itself.

ble re lucky, Ready to rum s, but if you’ s, t earthquake

edic of tiny tremor No one can pr ng in the form ni ar w a the way. t ge you may ster quake on on m a s e’ er th out fountains signaling that s that shoot ng ri sp t ho enly Also, geysers— r as clockwork—can sudd la gu ep re de as of water mes from their water co er signs go bananas as e begins. Oth ak qu e th re he w and red in underground shes of blue fla e tered ar e bl ou rocks are shat of deep tr round quartz ic rg tr de ec el un g as tin y the sk ck, crea the shifting ro by es ec pi r. into the ai travel up into currents that

Whose fault is it?

Earth’s crust is made up of seve n giant, and man pieces called pl y smaller, ates that float ar ound on top of liquid rock belo the hot, w. As they move around, the plat and grind agains es push t one another in places known as Over time, the pr faults. essure builds up , and up… until the plates jerk pa suddenly st one another, creating an earth Hot spots for th quake. is kind of earth-s haking mayhem California, Japan, are and Mexico, wh ile innumerable earthquakes plag smaller ue parts of Alas ka.

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… and the str ongest Th

e world’s stro ngest record ed earthquake struck Chile in 1960. Mea suring 9.5 on the Richter sc ale, it triggere d a 36-ft(11-m-) high tsunami that swept entire villages up to 1.9 miles (3 km) inland. The surface shock waves were so pow that they coul erful d still be felt two days late More than 1, r. 650 people w ere killed and another two million lo st their homes .

The deadliest… well outside

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Wildfires

Firefighters have to cope with blinding flames, choking smoke, and waves of heat. Even when wearing protective clothing, it takes courage to enter a burning building. Walls can suddenly collapse and gas cylinders may explode without warning. It is often so smoky inside that firefighters cannot even see their own feet.

Battling the inferno

These forest fires usually start without warning and spread with lightning speed. Air around the fire warms and rises, creating winds that fan the flames, feeding them more oxygen. Giant fires called “gobblers” burn everything in their path, and a sudden shift in the wind can blow the fires in a different direction. The unpredicatable nature of forest fires means that people can find themselves trapped unexpectedly, their escape route blocked.

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Smoke and toxic gases from fires kill more people than burns. The flammable gases given off by burning furniture can suddenly explode—with enough force to blow someone off their feet. Known as a “backdraft,” this explosion is caused by oxygen-starved fiery gases being fed air through the opening of a door or window. The particles in clouds of trapped smoke can also ignite, causing a frazzling and frighteningly dangerous ball of flame known as a “flashover.”

Watch the gas

Historic hot spot

In the U.S. alone, faulty home wiring or unsound appliances cause more than 65,000 fires and kill at least 480 people every year. But any electronic device that is left on with electricity flowing through it has the potential to overheat and burst into flames. In 2007, unlucky American Danny Williams’s pants caught on fire when his MP3 player burst into flames in his pocket.

Seat of the fire

Burning embers from a baker’s oven started the infamous Great Fire of London in 1666. This furious fire destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 churches, and Saint Paul’s Cathedral, as well as forcing 100,000 people to flee their homes. Thankfully, the loss of human life was minimal. The rats weren’t so lucky, though: masses of plague-carrying rats perished in the blaze, happily ridding London of the deadly disease that had ravished it since 1665.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE

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Heating up Fires are hot. Even a candle burns at a sizzling 2,200ºF (1,200ºC). The hottest flames, glowing with a blue hue, are usually at the base of a fire, close to the burning fuel and where there is the most oxygen. The tips of a fire release their heat into the surroundings and so are slightly cooler, flickering orange or yellow.

If you play with fire, getting your fingers burned is the least of your worries. A raging fire can destroy your house in under an hour, while out in the open, fire can reduce an entire forest to a pile of ash and charred wood. It’s also a deadly weapon; throughout history, fire has been used against enemy castles, ships, and cities. This tempestuous element kills more people every year than any other force of nature.

WHAT THE BLAZES?

A fire needs fuel, heat, and oxygen to burn. Cut off any one of these and it goes out. Pouring water or powder onto a fire reduces the heat, while smothering it with a blanket cuts off the oxygen. All fires stop when the fuel runs out.

Kindling

Spontaneous human combustion There are a number of cases of people suddenly bursting into flames, leaving nothing but some smoldering slippers. Some people think it’s a supernatural phenomenon; others suggest a scientific reason. One theory is the “wick effect,” which claims that a clothed human body is like an inside-out candle—once the clothes catch on fire, the melting human fat provides the fuel to keep burning until there’s nothing left but a pile of ash.

MIGHTY WIND CARNIVAL

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This twisty storm forms in warm, moist air ahead of a cold front. The collision between the high- and low-pressure systems causes the winds to circulate around each other in a tight spiral. The tornado appears as a spinning, funnel-shaped cloud. When the twister touches down on the ground, its winds can fling cars, cows, trees, and people through the air and reduce buildings to rubble.

Wild Waterspout a

Tornado

Hurricane This intense rotating storm is born over warm ocean waters. Bands of tall rain clouds form and grow around a low-pressure system. Wild winds begin to swirl around the calm central zone, called the eye. Hurricanes can be up to 400 miles (650 km) in width, and their destructive winds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h) can rage for days.

Katrin

te r

Come one, come all! The carnival has blown into town. There’s stormy weather ahead, so batten down the hatches. Step right up and feel the power of the mightiest winds: hurricanes, tornadoes, and other deadly windstorms. The stories behind these storms will blow you away.

Waterspout A weak type of tornado that forms over water, a waterspout is a spinning column of tiny water droplets stretching from a cloud to the sea. The spout leaves behind bubbles and waves as it zips across the ocean. Waterspouts are hazardous to swimmers, boats, and small aircraft.

Fujita scale Tornado winds can spin at 318 mph (512 km/h)— almost half the speed of sound. The Fujita scale is used to measure their destructive power by studying the aftermath of a twister. It runs from FO (little or no damage to buildings and vegetation) to F5 (everything is as flat as a pancake).

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These funnels of dust (also known as dancing devils or whirly-whirlies) form in deserts and other dry places when a sudden rush of hot air rises through cooler air, pulling up a whirlwind of dust. A sight to behold, dust devils can be up to 3,280 ft (1,000 m) in height and 32 ft (10 m) in width.

Yay

!

DERECHO Hurricane names Hurricane storms are also known as typhoons and tropical cyclones, and each new hurricane is given a name to identify it. The preselected names are in alphabetical order and switch between male and female. The names of very bad storms, such as Katrina, are retired and never used again.

Named after the Spanish word for “direct,” this weird windstorm moves in a straight line, with winds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) and multiple thunderstorms. A derecho can whip up wild waves over water, tip over cars, and collapse buildings.

STRONG WINDS

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These unpredictable floods can strike with incredible speed. Flash floods occur when heavy rain hammering down on a small area collects in a gully or stream. The floodwaters move in a strong, rushing current, carrying destructive debris, tearing out trees, and demolishing any structures in their way, from buildings to bridges.

Flash flood

When a city is pounded with heavy rain, the sewers can quickly reach their full capacity. The excess water overflows the drains and surges out onto the city streets. While urban floods can be a nuisance for pedestrians and drivers, the risk of death or serious damage is low.

Urban flooding

When there’s too much water in one place, it can spill over its usual boundaries and cause a flood. Just a brush stroke of bad weather can be enough to paint a different landscape. Heavy rainstorms and melting ice or snow can cause seas, lakes, rivers, and even sewers to overflow. Floodwaters can cause masses of mayhem, wreaking havoc on the land, ruining crops, washing away roads and railroads, and saturating buildings and houses.

WATERCOLORS

riverine flooding As a river flows toward the ocean, it is fed by both smaller streams and the land draining water into it. Sometimes, owing to heavy rainfall or melting snow, this water runs into the river faster than the river can carry it away, causing it to burst its banks. Such riverine flooding can paint enormous areas of the landscape with its dirty water, while the water’s sheer strength can carry cars, trees, and even small buildings away.

FATAL FLOODS

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Water that is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around a hurricane is called a storm surge. The advancing surge can combine with the normal advancing tide to create a storm tide. Wind-driven waves on top of this wall of water can pound the coast, weakening structures and drowning the land.

storm surge

A tsunami is a series of waves traveling across the ocean following an earthquake or volcano erupting on the seabed. When the line of waves approaches the shore, its speed slows, but the height of the water grows. The water along the shoreline recedes at first, exposing areas normally submerged, but when the waves strike land, they can inundate the coastline, wiping out anything in their path.

tsunami

During a severe coastal storm, winds can push the seawater up into huge waves. These batter the shoreline over and over again. The wild waves can eventually rip through sea defenses as the seawater pours inland, flooding coastal areas.

coastal flooding

Blizzard This deadly mix of freezing temperatures, howling winds, and heavy snow can cause mass devastation.  In January 1888, a “Great White Hurricane” struck the Great Plains of North America, creating snowdrifts about five stories high. Around 400 people died, including children on their way home from school.

Tornado

FREAKY WEATHER Are you bored with sunny spells and outbreaks of drizzle? Fed up with light breezes and a small risk of thunder? But what would happen if the world’s freakiest weather came to town? You’ll need more than an umbrella if the outlook is frogs tumbling from the sky, skin-sizzling windstorms, and hailstorms as big as basketballs.

Wild wind Blisteringly hot windstorms can shrivel everything in their path. When one of these scorchers swept over California in 1850, it killed cows, rabbits, and birds and baked fruit that hung from the trees. In 1991, the diablo winds that blew across northern California led to the most destructive wildfire in U.S. history— about 3,500 homes in Oakland were burned down and 25 people died. 62

The powerful, whirling winds of a tornado will devastate anything that gets in their way. In 1880, a tornado in Missouri picked up a house and dropped it 12 miles (19 km) down the road, while, in 1940, a tornado in Russia picked up an old money chest and deposited coins dating from the 16th century over the town of Gorky. The world’s deadliest tornado occurred in 1989, tearing up the land and killing more than 1,300 people in Bangladesh.

Colored rain

Red sprite

In the summer of 2001, a downpour of green, red, and yellow rain fell on southern India, staining the clothes of people unable to take cover. At first, people thought that dust from an exploding meteor had caused the colorful shower, but no evidence was found. In the end, scientists tracked down the culprit—algae, growing on local trees, that had released colored spores into the atmosphere.

This sudden flash of light can sometimes be seen at night above a thunderstorm, about 40 miles (65 km) up in the sky. As well as these ruby-colored lightning streaks, beams of blue can flash across the top of a cloud, known as blue jets and adding to the strange disco-light effect.

Hailstones Small pieces of ice can fall during a heavy shower of rain, but hefty hailstones can pose a very serious risk to anyone standing in their path. In 1986, hailstones weighing a whopping 2 lb (1 kg) killed 92 people in Bangladesh. A bizarre incident also occurred in 1930, when four German glider pilots became human hailstones after flying into a storm. They were frozen solid by the time they reached the ground!

Lightning A thunderbolt streaks across the sky at speeds of more than 220,000 mph (360,000 km/h), and more than 100 of them strike somewhere on Earth every second. These giant sparks heat up the air around them to a sizzling 48,000oF (27,000oC)—three times the temperature of the Sun’s surface. Although lightning strikes can be deadly, American park ranger Roy Sullivan survived an incredible seven strikes during his 36-year career in Virginia.

Wiggly worms In 2007, Eleanor Beal was crossing the street in Louisiana when a clump of wiggling worms suddenly dropped from the sky. Animals such as fish, turtles, and frogs have also been known to fall, possibly after being sucked up by waterspouts and then dumped onto land. Amazingly, some animals survive their aerobatic ordeal.

WEIRD WEATHER

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THE TOTALLY TOXIC TABLE OF POLLUTANTS

Radiation

Watch out—pollution’s about! It’s beneath your feet, in lakes and seas, and in the air you breathe. While giant oil spills wreak havoc on wildlife, other pollutants can have deadly consequences for humans. Some may even be causing climate change. In fact, there are so many pollutants that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. Whether you see a cloud of something sinister drifting toward you or a horrible green sludge in the water, study up on what’s what with this handy table of toxic nasties.

There are all sorts of unpleasant chemicals floating around in the atmosphere as tiny specks of dust, toxic droplets, or invisible gases. Some are caused by volcanic eruptions, burning forests, or rotting plant or animal waste, but many more are created by people.

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Smog

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CFC

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2. Earth is constantly bombarded by potentially lethal rays from the Sun. Invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays can burn your skin and give you skin cancer.

Chemical explosion

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Nitrogen oxide

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Nuclear

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1. When the Chernobyl nuclear power plant blew up in 1986, 47 people died and another 130,000 people suffered from high doses of radiation. Despite horrible predictions, though, the area is thriving with wildlife today.

Air pollution

MIC

There wouldn’t be life on Earth without the constant flow of energy from the Sun. However, radioactive atoms give off rays that destroy plant and animal cells, causing deadly illnesses and horrible mutations. Even scarier, these rays cannot be seen, smelled, or touched. They are also fairly unstoppable—gamma rays can travel through 10 ft (3 m) of concrete!

Solar

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Carbon dioxide

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Burning wood

Methane

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3. In 1984 in Bhopal, India, 47 tons (43 tonnes) of methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from a factory. The lethal cloud swamped the city, and 25,000 people choked and suffocated.

4. In 1976, an explosion at a chemical factory in Meda, Italy, shot toxic gases into the air. The cloud floated downwind and left 193 victims with scarred faces.

5. Smog is a mix of smoke and fog. During 1952, more than 12,000 people died in London, England, owing to polluted smog, known locally as a “pea souper.”

6. The carbon dioxide that spews out of power plants, cars, and factories is a major contributor to global warming, as it traps the Sun’s heat in the atmosphere.

7. Erupting volcanoes give off clouds of sulfur dioxide. When this gas dissolves in rain clouds, it creates acid rain. This pollutes lakes and rivers and kills wildlife.

8. Chlorine in chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) creates a hole in the ozone layer—a crucial shield from the Sun’s harmful UV rays. In 1987, CFCs were banned from many products.

9. Gasoline and diesel engines give off nitrogen oxide. This noxious gas destroys the ozone layer, creates acid rain, and causes deadly lung diseases.

10. Rotting waste, such as cowpies, release foul-smelling methane, a greenhouse gas that speeds up global warming 20 times faster than the same amount of carbon dioxide.

11. Burning forests give off a potent cocktail of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, and methyl bromide (another powerful greenhouse gas).

12. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals. At least 50 cause cancer, and many others, such as formaldehyde, arsenic, and cyanide, are poisonous.

TOXIC RATING Soil pollution

TOXIC VERY TOXIC DEADLY TOXIC

This type of pollution is possibly the world’s biggest killer, as about 500 million people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water and have to use contaminated water. Untreated sewage is a breeding ground for deadly diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, while factories, mines, and oil wells can all release acids, salts, and other toxic chemicals into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Mercury

Algae bloom

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13. From 1932 to 1968, 30 tons (27 tonnes) of mercury-laced waste were dumped in the sea near Minamata, Japan. More than 2,000 victims died after eating the poisoned seafood.

14. In 1996, about 300,000 truckloads of mining waste leaked from an abandoned mine into two rivers in the Philippines, causing flash floods.

15. Raw sewage is a source of dangerous micro-organisms, such as E. coli, and, in 2007, five people drowned when a sewage pool swamped a Palestine village.

16. Water pollution can lead to harmful blooms of algae that form “red tides,” releasing poisons that enter shellfish (deadly if eaten by humans) and using up all the oxygen in the water, killing fish.

17. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) leaked into rivers from electrical equipment factories and were banned in 1978 after suspicions they caused cancer in those who ate polluted fish.

18. When oil spills, it forms a thick black slick that kills large numbers of birds and other sea animals. More than 200,000 sea birds died after the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

Noise

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Thermal

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Pesticide

20. Designed to kill insects, pesticides can also have a devastating effect on other animals. One pesticide, called DDT, almost wiped out bald eagles in the U.S. before its ban in 1972.

Sewage

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19. Litter can choke and suffocate many sea animals. Plastics are the worst, as they do not rot or disintegrate. A bottle dropped on a beach can be carried thousands of miles (kilometers) by ocean currents.

Water pollution

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Litter

Toxic chemicals get into the soil in all sorts of ways—from industrial waste, leaky underground storage tanks, and landfill sites to pesticides sprayed on crops. Once in the soil, the chemicals are absorbed by plants, affecting the whole food chain as they move from worms and insects to birds and eventually humans.

Visual

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Sensory pollution Every day, our senses are bombarded by bright lights, loud noises, and foul smells. A recent report in the Netherlands found that 600 people a year die from stress-related diseases caused by sleepless nights owing to noise pollution. Too much loud music can make you permanently deaf. 21. Artificial lights confuse many animals. Turtle hatchlings in Florida rely on moonlight to guide them to water, but bright lights near the beach can make them head in the wrong direction. 23. When a power plant first opens, the heat given off by its cooling towers warms up local lakes and rivers so much that it can kill fish and other animals.

22. Thanks to machines, we live in a noisy world. At night, the hum of sonar equipment on modern ships is enough to wake residents 15 miles (20 km) from the coast! 24. Having to look at billboards, power lines, cell-phone masts, and towering concrete buildings won’t kill you, but it does drive some people crazy!

POLLUTION

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GLOBAL WARMING Earth is wrapped in a blanket of gases that trap the Sun’s heat like a greenhouse and keep the world at a temperature warm enough to sustain life. Human activity on Earth releases more of these “greenhouse gases,” resulting in a thicker blanket and a warmer world. Due to this, our big blue planet is hurtling toward a plethora of big and scary changes that will affect everyone and everything on Earth…

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Strike 1—Droughts

Today, more than 80 million people are affected by droughts owing to high temperatures and little rain. Africa is the worst-affected continent, while Australia has been in the grip of a severe drought for the past decade. The result? Land dries out and cracks, making it unusable for crops, and deserts spread, potentially driving millions of people from their homes—China’s capital city, Beijing, is already under attack from giant sandstorms. And due to the heat and dryness, wildfires could become rife, like those that blazed across the U.S. and Australia in 2009.

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Strike 2—Storms

Since 1980, wild weather has become much more common and has killed 600,000 people. In 2005, 15 hurricanes hit the U.S., including Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, while 2007 saw floods in Mexico, India, Bangladesh, and South Korea. Scientists predict more storms, similar to tempestuous Typhoon Tip in 1979, which measured 1,360 miles (2,200 km) across, with winds of 180 mph (300 km/h).

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Strike 3—Melting ice

Temperatures are rising twice as fast in the vulnerable Arctic than anywhere else, causing huge sheets of ice to crumble at an alarming rate. The largest single block of ice in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, existed for 3,000 years before it started breaking up in the 21st century. The loss of ice is disastrous for polar bears and Inuit hunters, both of whom depend on the ice to hunt seals.

Once the world gets just 3.6°F (2°C) warmer, there may be no going back. The loss of Arctic ice is already replacing reflective white with dark ocean waters that absorb more heat, thereby speeding up global warming.

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Strike 4—Rising sea levels

Due to melting ice at the poles, sea levels could rise by up to 6 ft (2 m) in the next 30 years. This is high enough to swamp the homes of more than 150 million people living in the Nile, Mississippi, and Bengal river deltas. Salt water is already contaminating the underground freshwater supplies of cities such as Shanghai in China, Mumbai in India, and Bangkok in Thailand.

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Strike 5—Ice Age

The collapse of the ice sheets could trigger changes in ocean current systems, such as the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic. This warms northern Europe and prevents the bitter winters that are common in places such as Canada and eastern Siberia. If fresh water coming from the melting poles cuts off the Gulf Stream, it could lead to a mini ice age in Europe like that of the 15th and 18th centuries, when the River Thames froze regularly.

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Strike 6—unsteady earth

Melting ice means rising sea levels. Scientists predict that this could trigger volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and underwater landslides. In 1967, after the Koyna reservoir in India was filled with 8 billion cu. ft (2.5 billion cu. m) of water, the pressure on the ground led to the region’s first earthquake, in which 200 people died.

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Strike 7—Ecosystems

As Earth keeps warming, many species will struggle to survive in the regions that they now inhabit. For example, many flowering plants cannot bloom without a long period of winter cold to rejuvenate them, and some fish species are already moving north in search of cooler waters. With a predicted rise of 3.6˚F (2˚C), the warming oceans and increased acidity could kill many of the world’s tropical coral reefs.

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CLIMATE CHANGE

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There have been mass extinctions throughout Earth’s history, but some were less destructive in terms of biodiversity. The five worst extinctions are known as the Big Five, and each of these events annihilated anywhere from 19 to 90 percent of all species on the planet. Questions about these disasters and their causes remain unanswered. In most cases, the agents of change came from either above (comets or asteroids) or below (massive volcanic activity).

The Big Five

HOME

Date

Since life began here on Earth, life has ended for one species after another through extinction. Typically, a species will become extinct within 10 million years of its first appearance. More than 98 percent of the species that have ever lived are now extinct! When extinction is sudden and catastrophic, it is called a mass-extinction event. What caused these mass extinctions, and what is the forecast for us?

90%

250 million years ago

65 million years ago

50%

50%

19%

364 million years ago

Between 214–199 million years ago

25%

Percentage of life lost

444 million years ago

Event

The Big Five

APOCALYPSE NOW!

http://www.THE_END_OF_THE_WORLD.com

Impact

The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction (or KT) was probably caused by a huge asteroid that crashed into Mexico, creating a vast crater. The impact triggered fires, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis. The debris in the sky would have left Earth in darkness.

The End-Triassic extinction was most likely caused by massive lava floods erupting from the central Atlantic magmatic province—a region covering 7 million sq. miles (11 million sq. km). About one half of the species on Earth, including marine reptiles, were killed.

The Permian-Triassic extinction was the worst by far. The leading theory is that some type of asteroid impact caused this event, but others blame excessive volcanic activity from the Siberian Traps, which spat out enough lava to match the size of Australia. Almost everything both on land and at sea was wiped out.

No one knows exactly what caused the Late Devonian extinction. What we do know is that the temperature dropped massively, twice, perhaps because of ash and dust kicked up by an asteroid collision or volcanoes. Armored fish and primitive reef-forming corals were among the victims.

The Ordovician-Silurian extinction was caused by two scenarios occuring one after the other: first there was a drop in sea levels as glaciers formed, followed by rising sea levels as the glaciers melted. Creatures living near the coasts, such as mollusks and eel-like conodonts, were hit hardest.

Aftermath

THE END OF THE WORLD

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Past 24hrs Past 1hr Forecast

Future

Scientists estimate that the current rate of extinction is between 100 and 1,000 times faster than the average rate for Earth. We are living in the Holocene extinction event: the Sixth Extinction. During the last century, between 20,000 and two million species have become extinct. But scientists have observed that the rate of extinction is speeding up, linked almost exclusively to human activity. The Sixth Extinction is different from previous extinctions because it is likely to be caused by the actions of people rather than natural circumstances. So what might lead to our eventual demise…?

The Sixth Extinction

Earth

MAPS

GO

Expanding Sun If nothing else happens, Earth will almost certainly come to an end in about five billion years when it falls into the expanding Sun. Forecast: sunny.

Black hole If a black hole approached our solar system, the orbits of the larger planets would change as they were pulled toward it. The Sun and planets would gradually be sucked into the black hole one by one.

Nuclear war The odds seem against this now, but a full-scale nuclear war between superpowers would devastate Earth, killing people and blotting out the Sun so that nothing could survive.

Huge volcanic eruptions Imagine the damage caused by a single volcano. In a prolonged eruption of multiple volcanoes, lava would cover the ground and the air would fill with deadly gas and soot.

Massive asteroid impact Objects from space crash into the planet all the time, causing varying degrees of damage. If an asteroid the size of a small planet landed on Earth, we would all be wiped out.

Effect

Click to play

Forecast video

Cause

Extinction date to be confirmed

Causes of the Sixth Extinction

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ROCKETS AND PARACHUTES Space travel is a dangerous game, and things can go horribly wrong. The most dangerous times are liftoff—when you rocket up into space— and reentry—when you parachute back down to Earth. Roll the dice and see if you can make it safely from the Launch Pad (square one) back to Mission Control (square 36).

Rockets: the dangers of liftoff 14 No smoking In the past, rockets used more than 2,200 tons (2,000 tonnes) of fuel just for liftoff. All it took was one spark and… BOOM! In 1960, 91 people were killed when a rocket exploded at a space center in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union.

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In 1967, Apollo 1’s command module burst into flames during a run-through, killing the three U.S. astronauts inside. The cause? Possibly a spark created by one of the astronauts’ nylon space suits rubbing against a seat.

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19 One small part, one big explosion In 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff, tragedy struck the space shuttle Challenger. A small part (the O-ring seal) in the right solid rocket booster failed, allowing hot gases to escape. The gases burned into the shuttle, which broke into pieces and crashed into the ocean, killing all seven crew members.

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The first four space-shuttle missions in 1981 and 1982 had ejector seats for the commander and pilot but not for the rest of the crew. They worked only going up, as the super-hot temperatures and windblast at supersonic speeds would have killed anyone ejecting during reentry.

Once a space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters are ignited, there’s no way to turn them off. They stop only when the fuel runs out. However, on flight STS-68 in 1994, a computer shut down the engine seconds before ignition after sensing a problem.

29 An unlucky strike

34 Space chimps

In 1969, Apollo 12 was struck by lightning just after liftoff—seriously scary with all that fuel onboard. Luckily, nothing ignited, but since then, if there’s a lightning cloud within 11 miles (18 km) of the launch pad, liftoff is delayed. Better safe than sorry.

Be glad you weren’t one of the shrimp, frogs, snails, dogs, or monkeys sent into space—most didn’t make it back. The first six monkeys sent up on U.S. rockets were all called Albert, and they all died. Ham the astrochimp (pictured) became the first primate to return to Earth alive.

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Parachutes: the dangers of reentry 4 No strings attached In 1967, the lone occupant of a Soyuz 1 capsule, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov, made it into space and back, only to die when a faulty parachute caused his capsule to slam into the ground at 186 mph (300 km/h).

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In April 2010, bad weather meant that the landing of flight STS-131 was delayed by two days. When the shuttle finally reentered Earth’s atmosphere, the pilot had only one shot at landing as there are no engines to circle around and try again. In fact, the difficult process of gliding and then landing a shuttle is said to be like flying a brick! 

12 Lucky escape In 1961, Virgil “Gus” Grissom became the second American to make it into space. Cheers almost turned to tears on his return to Earth when his Mercury capsule began to sink after landing in the ocean—a hatch blew open and Grissom almost drowned as water filled his space suit.

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21 No pressure

6

Today’s astronauts wear pressurized space suits following an accident in 1971: a valve in the Soyuz 11 capsule became loose during reentry, and the rapid change in air pressure inside killed the three Soviet cosmonauts onboard.

25 Delayed disaster In 2003, during the launch of the space shuttle Columbia, a small piece of foam insulation broke loose and hit the left wing at high speed, creating a hole. The intense heat generated during reentry burned into the hole, destroying the wing. The entire spacecraft broke up as it hurtled toward Earth, killing all seven crew members.

THE DANGERS OF SPACE TRAVEL

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SPACE SURGERY Hello, this is Hector, your onboard computer. We’re currently flying 217 miles (350 km) above Earth. I would say good morning but, given that you’ll see dawn another 14 times today as you whiz around the world, why bother? Your three-month health check is due, so please float down to the medical module.

BODY SCAN IN PROGRESS

PATIENT REPORT 1 = low; 5 = medium; 10 = high

Are you getting enough sleep? 1 2 3 4 5 6 Patient comments

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8

9

10

It’s great being able to sleep in any position, and the fireproof sleeping bags are really comfy, but I keep getting woken up! Cosmonaut Ivanov in the bunk next to me snores like a train. Also, my bunk is near the window, and the Sun rises every 90 minutes! I’m having strange dreams, too.

Hector’s notes Don’t worry, powerful dreams are common among astronauts. If you want to sleep better, I’d recommend an eye mask, which will cut out the bright light from the rising Sun. I’m afraid weightlessness doesn’t cure snoring. Maybe try earplugs?

Do you feel stressed onboard? 1

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Patient comments Being cooped up in this tiny capsule is really starting to get on my nerves. I get along okay with most of the crew (even Ivanov the snorer), but Fujita and I almost came to blows the other day when her experiment kept failing and she blamed it on me.

Hector’s notes In such a cramped space, be sure to give yourself some “downtime”—listening to music or exercising can really help. Do sort things out with Fujita if you can—on one space shuttle mission, a crew member had to be guarded after he threatened to open the escape hatch!

Are you eating well? 1 2 3 4 5 6 Patient comment

Fitness program Hector here again. In weightless space, life is effortless, as far as your muscles and bones are concerned. You must maintain fitness levels by working out three times a day. Keep up the good work on the RED (resistive exercise device), but don’t pound too hard on the treadmill—it makes the whole station shake! The cycling machine is linked to a heart-rate monitor, so I’ll know if you’re slacking.

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I’m eating better since I got over my space adaption syndrome, though Symanski got very annoyed when my puke clung to him! I’m slowly getting used to eating in microgravity, but I never feel that hungry, even though there’s more than 100 dishes to choose from.

Hector’s notes Your body doesn’t work as hard in space, so you don’t need as many calories as you would on Earth. But make sure your body gets the energy, vitamins, and minerals it needs. Final tip: be careful with crumbly food—breadcrumbs can clog air vents or get into people’s eyes, and this is very painful!

BODY SCAN RESULTS

Brain

Heart

You’ve probably noticed that you are feeling a little dizzy and off balance. That’s because the receptors in your body got scrambled when you first started living in microgravity. Space adaption syndrome (SAS) will have affected you in lots of other small ways, too—no wonder it’s sometimes called “space scurvy.” Your brain scan looks fine, but if you feel any symptoms of SAS again, avoid going on any space walks!

In space, there’s no gravity, so the fluids in your body go in all directions. That’s the reason for your puffy face and blocked nose, the cause of your “space sniffles.” More seriously, your blood plasma has dropped by 20 percent and your heart has begun to shrink. Regular exercise will cut down the time it takes to recover when you return to Earth.

Muscles

Bones

In orbit, your muscles don’t have to fight gravity, so you’ve already lost 20 percent of your muscle density. Exercise alone won’t solve the problem, but hormone pills and gene therapy can help your muscles grow. Be warned: after a 211-day flight on Salyut 7 in 1983, cosmonauts Anatoli Berezovoy and Valentin Lebedev could barely walk for a week after returning to Earth.

After three months, you’ve lost six percent of your bone density. We can see this from the high calcium levels elsewhere in your body, which can lead to kidney problems. On a two-year mission, your bones could become very weak. You may even lose a few teeth. Taking vitamin D and K pills and undergoing UV light therapy can help in the short term.

LIFE IN ORBIT

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LAIKA WAS ONE OF MANY DOGS TAKEN OfF THE STReETS OF MOSCOW BY SOVIET SCIENTISTS IN THE 1950s.

AT A MOSCOW RESEARCH CENTer, THE TRAINING BEGAN. THE DOGS WERE TAUGHT TO SIT STIlL FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME AND TO WEAR HELMETS AND SPACE SUITS. 

Go on, her bark’s worse than her bite… Come on, LitTle Bug, put on the nice helmet. Easy for you to say! 

Females were chosen for their calm nature and because males lift their legs to peE—imposSible in a space suit!

BY SENDING DOGS INTO SPACE, THEY HOPED TO FIND OUT HOW ZERO GRAVITY AND RADIATION WOULD AfFECT HUMAN ASTRONAUTS. 

woOf

A CENTRIFUGE RECREATED SIMULATORS GOT THE DOGS THE INCREDIBLE G FORCES USED TO THE ROAR AND VIBRATION OF A ROCKET LAUNCH.  AT BLASTOfF. 

OKay, let’s take you for a spin.  

Much more of this and I’lL be a slush pupPy. 

That’s one way to make a hot dog… I’m bored. Can’t you throw a stick or something?

ON NOVEMBER 3, 1957, sputnik 2 launched LAIKA INTO SPACE. INSIDE THE CAPSULE SHE WAS STRApPED INTO A HARNEsS. SHE COULD CHANGE POSITION BUT NOT TURN AROUND. 

You don’t have to be barking crazy to go into space, but it helps…

WHEN SPUTNIK 2 SAFELY MADE IT INTO SPACE, LAIKA BECAME A “MUtTNIK,” THE FIRST DOG TO MAKE IT INTO ORBIT AROUND EARTH.

not a bad view from up here…

…but nothing to wag your tail at.

I’ve always wanted to go up in the world…

Is there a paws butTon on this thing?

ALAS, THE SCIENTISTS SENT LAIKA INTO SPACE KNOWING that SHE wouldn’t return.

FIVE MONTHS LATER, ON APRIL 14, 1958,

SPUTNIK 2 FElL BACK TO EARTH AND DISINTEGRATED DURING ReENTRY, CREMATING PoOR LAIKA’S REMAINS. 

DogGone!

THE LEGEND OF LAIKA LIVES ON. Laika’s brief trip inside the presSurized capsule proved that a mamMal could withstand liftofF and life in space. This helped pave the way for future manNed misSions. 

She sure was a star dog. 

SHE DIED FROM OVERHEATING AND STREsS BETWeEN FIVE AND SEVEN HOURS INTO THE FLIGHT, AS THE U.S.S.R. WAS UNABLE AT THE TIME TO PRODUCE A SPACE CAPSULE WITH A NEAR-CONSTANT TEMPERATURE. 76

Brave Laika comes home

Yes, outTa this world. 

However, the Laika experiment has also provoked much debate about using animals in scientific testing programs. The End 

IN 1986, the soviet union launched the research space station mir. overcrowding was sometimes a problem, with up to six crew members onboard at once—but the problems were just starting.

I know, the atmosphere in here is terRible.

in march, the unmanNed supPly ship progresS was due to dock with mir, bringing vital supPlies for the crew. however, the camera onboard the supPly ship was not working.

It’s definitely heating up in here! fire!

AaArgh! It’s an unidentified frying object!

makes me nostalgic for schoOl lunches!

this foOd stinks!

man, This is realLy boring!

fire!

hey, If you’ve got a problem, there’s plenty of roOm outside!

Do you mind?

the crew had a lucky escape when toxic fumes spread throughout mir. it toOk two days for the air system to remove the polLuting smoke.

on february 23, 1997, after a decade in space, things started to go horRibly wrong on mir when a fire broke out—every astronaut’s worst nightmare.

in june, another supPly ship flew toward mir. the camera was working, but tsibliyev lost control.

MIR tumbled out of control. luckily, crew members michael foale and sasha lazutkin knew what to do.

You crazy astro-nut!

OKay. OKay. There’s no neEd to hisS at me.

Can anyone seE it?

That’s the air escaping!

Left a bit!

@$%*! No, right! he’s behind us! I thought you gave up smoking.

the misSion comMander on MIr, vasily tsibliyev, tried to bring the ship in blind— a near-imposSible task. progresS sailed by and ofF into space.

A NUMBER OF RISKY SPACE WALKS SALVAGED SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT FROM THE SPEKTR MODULE… but then disaster struck again!

I think the power’s gone.

Luckily, in space, you wouldn’t hear that part!

we’ve beEn hit by a flying saucer! 

flying into mir, the supPly ship broke a solar panel and punched a hole into the spektr module.

TIME AND AGAIN, QUICK THINKING BY THE CREW PREVENTED A MAJOR CATASTROPHE. BUT THE STREsS ToOK ITS TOlL, and AFTER A RELIEF CREW ArRIVED, AN EXHAUSTED TSIBLIYEV AND lazutkin RETURNED TO EARTH.

In 11 minutes, they sealed the hatch to the spektr module— if the hole had beEn bigGer, the entire crew would have died in seconds.

on march 23, 2001, misSion control calLed time on mir after a final repair misSion failed. the 15-year-old space station was alLowed to falL back to earth, and it broke up over the south pacific, near the island of fiji.

No kidDing, Einstein…

Mir today, Gone TomorRow. Da. Breaking up is always hard… Not again! Watch yourself!

Oops—ToO late!

THE POWER stopPed, THE MAIN COMPUTER CRASHED REPEATEDLY, and THE AUTOMATIC PILOT WENT ON THE BLINK. eventualLy, MIR STARTED TO DRIFT OfF COURSE AFTER A COMPUTER CABLE GOT AcCIDENTAlLY DISCOnNECTED.

but EVEN THEir RIDE HOME WAS A NEAR DISASTER when THE RETROROCKETS FAILED, AND THEIR CAPSULE LANDED WITH A BONE-JArRING THUMP. 

The End 

SPACE TALES

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SPACE ALERT Space is a dangerous place. If you survive the launch, you must face the perils of Earth’s orbit. Maneuver your spacecraft through the hazardous mass of litter orbiting Earth. These pieces of floating debris—or space junk—range in size from tiny flecks of paint to large disused satellites and hurtle through space at a runaway 17,400 mph (28,000 km/h). At this speed, a fragment that is just 0.04 in (1 mm) across has the impact of a bullet. Avoid the space junk to achieve maximum points. Game on!

LIVES

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A weighty issue There are millions of items orbiting Earth, and more than 13,000 of them are larger than 4 in (10 cm) in diameter. Their combined mass is estimated to be an incredible 5,500 tons (5,000 tonnes!)

3, 2, 1… blastoff! Prepare yourself to be blown away… to space! Strapped to a chair in a tiny metal cabin, on top of a rocket full of explosive chemicals to fire you into orbit, try not to use up all of your lives.

JUNK CHART Rocket boosters

200 points

The fuel required to thrust a spacecraft into orbit is carried in rocket boosters. When the fuel is used up, the empty rocket boosters are jettisoned into space.

Speeding glove

150 points

In 1965, the Gemini 4 astronaut Edward White lost one of his thermal gloves. Speeding around Earth’s orbit, it became the most dangerous garment in history.

Space walk Caution! Your spacecraft is in urgent need of repair. Before stepping out, firmly attach yourself to the spacecraft—if untethered, you will keep floating off, lost in space forever.

Defunct satellites

100 points

Thousands of satellites have been sent into space. When they reach the end of their useful lives, most are just left in their old orbits.

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Chips of paint points A tiny speck of paint can bore a coin-size hole into a spacecraft. Showers of space dust can rip away pieces of insulation, knocking a spacecraft off course.

SUITED AND BOOTED

HOLD FIRE! Fast reactions to avoid a collision are your best bet for surviving a trip through the floating junk. Don’t try shooting at it or you will just litter your way with more pieces to avoid.

You would not survive for long without a space suit. Exposed to the vacuum of space, you would lose consciousness in about 15 seconds owing to a lack of oxygen to the brain. With no protection from the Sun’s radiation, your skin would suffer burns and your saliva would start to boil. Game over! DANGERS IN ORBIT

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Description: A scorching surface temperature of 662°F (350ºC) during the day and UV rays to die for. Conditions: It has a unique look owing to its highly cratered surface covered with cracked lava.

planets, water, life support

KEY WORDS

DW F PLANET O ! K E THE WE

500,000 solar dollars

MAX. PRICE

PLUATRFO

300,000 solar dollars

MIN. PRICE

in a floating “village” 32 miles (50 km) up, where the pressure is just like Earth’s. Customer feedback: Don’t be put off by the poisonous clouds of carbon dioxide laced with sulfuric acid—you’ll delight in this planet’s eerie green light! Star rating: ✰✰✰

Brand new to the market, this gem retains all of its original features. At a refreshing -382°F (-230ºC) on the surface, icy Pluto is one of the coldest places in the solar system, so wrap up warm!

buy

solar system

I WANT TO

LOCATION

WHY WAIT ? RELOCATE!

Description: Fiery Venus is perfect for those who like it hot! The volcanoes make this planet an absolute must-see. Conditions: The surface is a steamy 896°F (480ºC) all year long. Highlights: Avoid the crush on the surface and live

Highlights: Solar wind creates magnetic “tornadoes”—twisted bundles of magnetic fields up to 497 miles (800 km) wide. Customer feedback: Mercury is a similar size to the Moon, so has a familiar feel to it. Star rating: ✰✰✰✰

“Thinking ahead, we bought a 1,000-year time-share on Mars and were blown away by the giant sandstorms… The occasional meteor showers are a knockout, too!” Jackie Sands

Victoria Crater: Mars

MERCURY

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

With all of the space twitter about an imminent asteroid strike on Earth, there’s never been a better time to think about buying a second home out in the rugged wilderness of the solar system. Ignore all of those rumors about hostile alien life and make the most of a tranquil setting uninterrupted by annoying pests or noisy neighbors.

HOME, SWEET HOME

INTERGALACTIC REAL ESTATE

http://www.intergalacticrealestateagents.com

VENUS

   

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THE SOLAR SYSTEM

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of Uranus’s extreme seasons, which are 20 years long. Customer feedback: Buy now while it’s light! Uranus rolls around its orbit, so each pole alternates between 42-year nights and days. Star rating: ✰✰✰

Description: Its surface is made of gas, but its icy liquid core oozes charm. Conditions: Light and airy Uranus benefits from bracing winds blowing at a very breezy 401 mph (645 km/h). Highlights: Enjoy the variety

the Great Red Spot—a huge storm more than 24,900 miles (40,000 km) across. Customer feedback: Insulation is crucial, as radiation from high-energy particles inside its magnetic field can be a killer! Star rating: ✰✰

Highlights: High levels of surface radiation will give you a warming glow. Customer feedback: If you like red, Mars is the place for you—that red dust gets everywhere! Star rating: ✰✰✰✰✰

Terms and conditions: All deposits must be paid in advance and are nonrefundable in the event of a fatality. Intergalactic real-estate agents reserve the right to reallocate supplies to colonies without prior notice.

Highlights: A hydrogen and methane atmosphere provides a ready source of fuel. Customer feedback: Not for those who like the warm sunshine—chilly Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun. Star rating:✰✰✰

Our asteroid portfolio will have you in a spin! Internal viewing recommended as the underground bunkers are protected against cosmic and solar radiation.

ATTENTION, THRILL SEEKERS!

Description: One year here is 165 Earth years—the perfect home for all you Peter Pans who want to stay the same age. Conditions: Dwellings would benefit from quadruple glazing owing to bracing winds blowing at 1,243 mph (2,000 km/h).

Highlights: Those rings are unique, but watch out for the orbiting chunks of rock! Customer feedback: If you’re into extreme sailing, check out the 932 mph (1,500 km/h) winds at the equator. Star rating: ✰✰

Description: In a word: big! Conditions: You may find it a very pleasant 70°F (21ºC) at some locations on this gas planet. Just don’t travel too far toward the center— it is hotter than the Sun! Highlights: Marvel at

Description: With its 25-hour days and familiar seasons, marvelous Mars is the number-one destination for first-time buyers. Conditions: It can take some time to get used to the thin atmosphere and sandstorms.

Description: Super Saturn is an up-and-coming planet, popular with pioneers. Conditions: Most of Saturn’s upper regions are made of gas, so it would definitely benefit from having a surface to land on.

Life-support systems failing and need to get out fast? No planet or moon is too big or small. Waiting times can vary depending on location or solar activity. Casualties dealt with discretely.

Victoria Crater

LITTLE GREEN MEN REMOVALS



Buy into a piece of history—this windswept location was first visited by a Mars rover back in 2006!



URANUS SATURN

MARS JUPITER NEPTUNE



PIMP MY SPACESHIP!

How do you revamp an old banger of a space shuttle into a mean, lean light-speed cruising machine? You’ll need some serious muscle to reach even our closest star, Proxima Centauri (a distance equal to 50 million trips to the Moon and back). If you want to be a serious cosmic player, you’ll also have to deal with nasty bugs, microgravity, radiation, and the risk of a collision. Luxurious features and a bit of bling will keep your crew happy—the last thing you want is a mutiny in deep space!

Max your comfort It will be a long ride, so let’s rip out those old seats and replace them with comfy chairs and headrests with built-in massage pads. In space, you can play your music as loud as you want, so a thumping audio system is a must.

Superfly controls Flying the old space shuttle was like driving a brick with wings, so flip the script with state-of-the-art cockpit controls and an awesome navigation system. Whizzing through space, you’ll need these to avoid being splattered by big chunks of space rocks.

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Under the hood

Space jive

Whatever means of propulsion you choose, big power brings big problems. A piece of antimatter the size of a pea could power a spacecraft across the galaxy— or blow it sky-high! Ditto pulse engines, which sling nuclear bombs out the back, creating “phat” shock waves that push the ship forward. Dark-matter engines could use the energy released when dark-matter particles annihilate one another—although no one actually knows what dark matter is made of or how to store it.

Word up! Radio waves travel at the speed of light, but in outer space, you can’t talk to anyone on Earth without very long delays. Recorded 3-D holograms of family members and friends will help the crew to retain their sanity while they’re cooped up on a long voyage.

Looking buff A system of artificial gravity, along with your very own gym suite, will keep your crew in tiptop condition. It is the perfect environment for toning up those wasted muscles after too long floating around in weightless space.

Keep it clean

A well-padded crib Thick insulation won’t big up your space cred, but it will shield you from high-speed particles, which constantly bombard the spacecraft with deadly radiation. Back in the day, aluminum did the job onboard the International Space Station. Tanks of water and liquid hydrogen will be needed for deep space.

Bust this—nasty bugs may lurk inside your spacecraft, and an outbreak could wipe out your crew, so don’t skimp when it comes to installing a good filter system. Bringing plants onboard isn’t cool, but it will improve the air quality as they soak up pollutants and toxins.

Bling your thing A large sunroof will let the sunshine in while passing close to solar systems, but in deep space, the darkness could give the entire crew the winter blues. Bright lights combined with a shiny bling finish will cheer them up bigtime.

LONG-HAUL SPACE TRAVEL

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Three billion times the mass of our own Sun, Supermassive Black Hole is gravity gone crazy. Anything that gets too close—gas, stars, and entire solar systems—might be sucked into oblivion. If a planet gets caught in his pull, it would be squashed to the size of a pinhead!

supermasSive black hole

ke stars li lory: Aging ze of g rce of la b a in t e h th fo . struc self-de explosion wit atons of TNT g t n e s a r m u e imagin billion billion a massive b xy, — la n a a o v g o 20 billi Supern an an entire e at sult is th ac r p e s t h h The re g ig tion br g throu /h). of radia wave hurtlin 0 million km s k 1 c seriou h (1 a sho on mp , she can do li il m 68 wer ets. uch po o entire plan . With s t d e e g n r a n wa dam ve bee a h u o Y

a rnov e p u s to

DEEP SPACE Steer clear of colliding galaxies as they slowly pull each other apart, flinging out stars, dust, and gas into long streamers and leaving a trail of castaway stars. As the galaxies collide, they go through each other and then come out the other side in a different shape. However, this galactic tussle can take billions of years, so don’t bother hanging around to see who wins!

colLiding galaxies

You can expect to run into some deep trouble in deep space. Take our galaxy, the Milky Way: it may look like a bunch of harmless stars, but it is really a giant cannibal. Astronomers have detected it ripping apart dwarf galaxies until eventually they are swallowed up by their giant neighbor. In fact, there’s a whole tribe of superhero troublemakers out there.

SPACE MATTER

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xies make bined nts he gala All of t people com conte of the s, and t t e n e n c other la r p ur pe ‘s the t fo a h ly w n alaxies . So up o niverse ing in most g tter,” u e h t of ma urk “dark m cent? L 96 per d of invisible galaxies” roa u n’t k lo r o c a is a s “d hey d steriou ce. Luckily, t atter, y m e whil spa ry m ordina ut what cted in b undete o react with — e t , alon seem nleash e you v u a n le a l c ’l e y n e o h t so ark e. s this d nows for sur power k y d o nob

dark er matT , stars, gas,

Neutron was born during a supernova explosion. Although small—just 10 miles (16 km) across— he’s the most dense object in the universe. Don’t pick a fight with this heavyweight, as a heaped teaspoon of Neutron-Star material weighs about 110 million tons (100 million tonnes), the same as a mountain!

neutron star

If you mess with Twister, you mess with his family. This whirling space tornado is some 3 billion miles (5 trillion km) long and is born from extremes of hot and cold inside his mother, Lagoon Nebula. She’s an interstellar cloud of gas, dust, and plasma and a nursery for new stars. Plasma blasting out from these baby stars sometimes creates massive stellar jets—shock waves that can travel light-years.

twister

TIME TRAVEL

Traveling through time may seem like science fiction, but some scientists think that there are some serious science facts in the idea: from Einstein, whose theory of relativity shows that time is not fixed, to quantum physicists, whose study of subatomic particles point to the possibility of parallel worlds. So, with a little help from a cosmic string or a wiggly wormhole, will we be boldy going where no others have gone before? Only time will tell.

COSMIC STRINGS

TIPLER CYLINDER

Grab onto a cosmic string and use its immense gravitational pull to travel at incredible speeds. These stringlike objects were probably formed in the early stages of the universe, and may line the entire universe. Their gravitational force is so strong that it could bend space and time to allow time travel.

American astronomer Frank Tipler’s idea for a time machine involves taking a dense chunk of matter and rolling it into an infinitely long, fast-spinning cylinder. If a spaceship followed the right spiral course around the cylinder, it could emerge thousands of years from its starting point. Of course, building an infinitely long cylinder would be quite a challenge!

ARRIVALS: PAST

LoOKS LIKE YOU’VE GOT the BUBONIC PLAGUE.

QUARANTINE

PLAGUE CARRIERS Diseases and infections are endlessly mutating or changing, so a vaccine that protects you against typhoid fever today wouldn’t necessarily work if you traveled back to Roman times. There’s also a strong chance that you would carry nasty bugs back with you that could wipe out your ancestors.

hunting dinosaurs was great. I shot one that had wings like a bird.

GOODBYE, HUMANS what’s a bird?

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Over millions of years, shrewlike creatures living at the time of the dinosaurs evolved into mammals and eventually into humans. Now imagine what would happen if some clumsy oaf traveled back in time and obliterated our furry ancestors. You’ve guessed it—no shrews, no humans.

UP TO DEPARTURES

FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT

GRANDFATHER PARADOX

Einstein’s theory of relativity shows that time slows as an object nears light speed—more than 671 million mph (1 billion km/h). Anyone traveling in space close to the speed of light would age less than those left behind on Earth. So traveling faster than light speed could, in theory, allow time travel.

If you went back in time and accidentally killed your grandfather before your father was born, you couldn’t exist. Some scientists say that nature would stop this paradox, while others think that the event would create parallel worlds, so Grandpa would live on in the world “next door.”

grandfather! Is that you? But I acCidently ran you over in 1946!

DEPARTURES: TERMINAL 1

BLACK HOLES Wannabe time travelers could also jump through a rotating black hole. This would then carry them along a wormhole to an exit point, or “white hole,” at another point in time. However, travelers would need to zip through to the other side faster than the speed of light so that they are not crushed by the black hole. Oh, and after all that, the travelers must find a safe way back!

DISAPPEARING ACT

ARRIVALS: FUTURE BLASTS FROM THE FUTURE Ever fantasized about what the future might hold? Perhaps we finally meet aliens and vacation on Venus. But, if time travel is possible, what if criminals go back in time to blast us with high-tech weapons that we can’t defend ourselves against? It hasn’t happened yet, so hopefully any time travelers will simply be 00 well-wishers with information about 5 amazing new medicines and how to solve global warming!

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All this talk about time travel could make anyone giddy with excitement. Why would people wait for the future to arrive one day at a time when they can get there anytime they want? And, if the future turns out to be so amazing, why would they ever want to return to the here and now? This one-way ticket could mean a disappearing population problem for the present.

it rains donuts in the future!

what are we waiting for?!

arRrRrgh!

TRAVELING THROUGH TIME

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ARE WE ALONE? Could life exist elsewhere in the universe? In 1961, American astronomer Frank Drake formulated an equation that suggested there were 10,000 alien civilizations that we could potentially communicate with in the Milky Way galaxy alone. Today, scientists have sent satellites into space and set up huge radio telescopes on Earth in search of extraterrestrial beings. But have they already made contact? Study these stories of human encounters with alien beings on Earth… do you believe?

Travis Walton abduction

Alien abduction In 1961, American couple Barney and Betty Hill drove along a U.S. highway. Puzzled by an odd light in the sky, they left their car to investigate but could recall nothing else until they arrived home. Under hypnosis, both told the same story: they had been abducted by aliens with gigantic eyes who gave them painful medical examinations.

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In 1975, in Arizona, Walton and his fellow loggers were driving home when they saw a glowing object on the roadside. Investigating it, Walton felt as if he’d been hit by a thunderbolt. He awoke, frozen in pain, lying on a table inside a spacecraft. Three aliens were probing his body with medical instruments. Search teams could not find Walton, but he reappeared five days later.

Australian alien Driving home in Melbourne, Australia, in 1972, Maureen Purdy was amazed to see a flying saucer hovering in the sky. Two weeks later, she saw it again. This time, her car stopped dead and she heard an otherworldly voice. Months later, the voice told her to come to a meeting place. She took along a witness… Purdy went into a trance and said that an alien wearing a gold foil suit was sitting next to her, but her companion saw and heard nothing.

lack until you hearlack B n i B t wait en in Men

u UFO M arre, b ival of the to visit ree iz b n w e r r o r h a n nters 953, t een k : the a encou ppen next res have b ation. In 1 ordered a Alien u d m h g r fi an fo may dowy ess in ange ender what se sha ly to suppr Albert K. B that his str e h T . (MIB) s, seeming UFO buff orted r e n er rep spotte d America arch. Bend thers on th o e ite s t is e u t r v b a s , is th an MIB stop h elieve t hum him to rs were no MIB visits b ise. disgu d of visito nts in ing en receiv re CIA age they a

Aliens on the beach

Moor mystery In 1987, Philip Spencer was walking in the Ilkey Moor in Yorkshire, England, when he spotted a small alien. He snapped its photo and then ran after the creature, following it to a domed craft that shot up into the sky. He discovered that the compass in his pocket had become reversed, as it was exposed to an extreme amount of energy.

On a beach in Spain in 1989, a horrified group of teenagers gasped as a pair of alien figures turned into “humans.” The male and female creatures walked along the beach and vanished into a crowd, while a UFO hovered in the sky above. The creatures returned and were captured on camera by the teenagers. A trail of footprints left by the aliens led into the sea.

Crash landing In 1989, Russian military police who were investigating reports of a UFO found a cigar-shaped ship crashed on the ground. Inside the craft were three blue-green aliens, two dead and one dying. Their hairless skin resembled a reptile’s, their fingers were webbed, and they had huge black eyes. Their bodies were reportedly taken to a top-secret military base.

ALIENS

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90

SCARY SCIEN

CE

Investigate th beastly bio e fearsome forces of ha to nuclear zards and bone-crac science, from kin m Meet the sc eltdowns and mind g crash tests -bending m re themselves wball scientists who experimen ath. , and come ted creatures c fa reated in t ce to face with the fr on he name o eaky carefully— f research. it’s explosiv Tread e stuff!

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MAD SCIENTISTS Throughout history, many important advances in science and medicine were the result of people experimenting on themselves. Whether they were doctors who had a taste of their own medicine or scientists who were willing to be the experiment, these radical researchers pushed the limits to test their theories. Were they crazy in a good way or just crazy? Let them tell their stories, and then you can decide.

Barry Marshall Everyone said that stress causes stomach ulcers, but I thought the culprit might be a common bacterium, Helicobacter pylori. So I downed a petri dish full of the stuff, and, sure enough, a few days later, I came down with gastritis. A course of antibiotics soon put things right. And here’s something to raise a glass to: I won a Nobel Prize in 2005. Cheers!

Alexander von Humboldt As a great naturalist, botanist, zoologist, and artist of the early 19th century, I practically invented multitasking. I had a theory that mechanical and chemical forces worked together to sustain life. While researching whether the human body had electrical currents, I held an electric eel in one hand and metal in the other to make the charge that went through me stronger. Shocking!

John Scott Haldane Breathing in deadly fumes while locked inside a sealed chamber? It’s a gas! I researched the effects of different gases in 1927 by sniffing them to see what happened to me. It caused quite a stink, although the results were nothing to sniff at—I developed a gas mask and figured out how deep-sea divers could avoid getting “the bends” (decompression sickness).

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Sir James Young Simpson Humboldt, you clearly were a man in charge. As a doctor in the 1800s, I knew medical procedures were a pain, so I wanted a good anesthetic. One night at my place, a few friends and I tried inhaling chloroform. We woke up the next day under a table! I’d found a safe way to put patients (and friends) to sleep. How’s this for a royal request? In 1853, Queen Victoria used chloroform for a pain-free birth.

Santorino Santonio These guys are lightweights! Every single day, for 30 years, I weighed myself, as well as everything I ate and drank and everything I released in the toilet. I noticed a gap between the weight of what went in and what came out. I deduced that the human body is continually losing fluid—a major development in medicine by any measure. Pah!

Dr. Werner Forssmann Let’s have a heart-to-heart. While working as a hospital intern in 1929, I slid a thin tube called a catheter into a vein in my elbow all the way up to touch my beating heart—something it was forbidden to do. I got an amazing x-ray picture for proof. I also got fired. Researchers later developed cardiac catheterization for heart surgery.

Kevin Warwick A heart-warming tale, Forssmann. My turn now. I have a microchip embedded in the nerves of my left arm. Yes, I’m a cyborg, working on connecting my nervous system to the Internet. My research may help doctors to find new ways to treat nervous-system disorders, although the idea of putting microchips in humans makes some scientists a little… nervous.

SELF-EXPERIMENTING SCIENTISTS

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rd Gruina n o g x a y of usin Anthr ossibilit 1942

ar, ep fare sting th ent of W rm war Departm scientists are te e anthrax in ge x spores have h l diseas taining anthra inard. Researc bacteria d of Gru con ly n d s la a b is e m d h o the y. B ottis nd German the remote Sc nd’s sheep, a e la against n o is tur a e d n e th l d by plo fata d been ex re breathed in ing the highly taminate n o c e v in o w a r s p m e , e r r s o Sp day ly to years. d within d is like they die teria. The islan able for many bit ac of the b and be uninha s e r o p s by

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Memo: Manhattan Project

1990 Update: is Gruinard of e now fre pores. s anthrax Anthrax spores (purple) inside an air passage (blue) within the lung.

Site Y, 1945 I can finally tell you what has been happening here since the start of World War II. We’ve been based in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and from 1942 onward, we scientists, gathered from all over the U.S., have been working in top-secret conditions. Our sole task is to develop an atom bomb—a highly advanced weapon that releases the energy inside atoms with truly devastating effects… In August it is going to be dropped on Japan to persuade them to stop fighting. This is for your eyes only. Do NOT mention my name.

T E R C E S TOP

ing y from the pry a w a d n a w ie ying public v ave been carr h s Hidden from e ri to ra o b re , secret la eveloping mo d eyes of rivals m ro F . rs a e ways nts for y g untraceable out experime n ri e v o c is d al pons to , these nation s powerful wea n e iz it c e m o oubles … ed in mystery of removing tr d u lo c n e e b always secrets have until now.

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Poison legacy London, September 11, 1978 The recent assassination of dissident Bulgarian writer Georgi Markov (right) used a method developed in Soviet Russia. Between 1939 and 1953, a team led by secret service head Lavrenti Beria devised ways to kill enemies without leaving any traces. These included an umbrella tipped with a pellet containing the deadly poison ricin. The Bulgarian secret service used this to kill Markov. He was jabbed on Waterloo Bridge here in London, England, four days ago and died today.

Poison pe n

Chechnya , 2002 Reports suggest that Lavrenti Be legacy st ria’s murderous ill contin ue though t he commu s, even nist era is over. It Omar ibn is alleged that al-Khatt ab, rebe leader o l f the br eakaway Soviet R former epublic o f Ch has been assassina echnya, ted by the FSB, the Russ ian secre service. t A letter w poison p en was d ritten in elivered Khattab, to who died shortly after op ening it.

Area 51

e ke, but som raph is a fa this photog d alien, recovered at th y sa ces jure Official sour that this is a badly in st nt. people insi de ci in l el sw after the Ro

Nevada, 2010 I’m hurriedly wr iting to you from just outside the fence of this topperimeter secret U.S. air ba se; the security descending on m guards are e to move me on . It is generally ag new aircraft are reed that tested here, but I’m still suspiciou this is just a cove s and think r. Their failure to offer a better ex than “it was a we planation ather balloon” th at crashed in Ro is strange. I, alon swell in 1947 g with others, th ink it was alien believe this phot spacecraft and o to be proof. W hat do you think? telling the truth Are they or is it a conspira cy? SECRET LABORATORIES

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F O E M A N IN THE

SCIEN

E C

Scientists routinely carry out experiments to see if their theories are correct or not. But some scientists have taken this to the extreme. Today, for only one day, we’ve put on view eight of the oddest, freakiest, and downright scariest experiments conducted in the name of science.

Back from the dead d treaog ts

Bringing the dead back to life was the goal of American researcher Robert Corn ish. In 1934, he revived a dead dog nam ed Lazarus using drugs and a type of seesaw to get the blood circulating. But when he aske d to try the technique on a death-row pris oner, he found he was barking up the wro ng tree.

Web designers Expressions and decapitations In 1924, American psychologist Carney Landis wanted to discover if emotions such as disgust, shock, and joy produced the same facial expressions in different people. He photographed volunteers as they were exposed to various experiences, including asking them to decapitate a live rat!

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Spiders instinctively weave perfect webs to catch insects. In 1948, German scientist Peter Witt discovered that giving drugs to spiders made them weave abnormal webs. He then spent a lifetime showing how different drugs altered a spider’s web design.

Stargate project Could clairvoyants spy on foreign governments over long distances? That’s what the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the U.S. wanted to find out. With no useful information after 25 years, the $20-million Stargate project was terminated in 1995.

Black vomit In 1804, American doctor Stubbins Ffirth performed some revolting experiments to test his idea that deadly yellow fever was not infectious. He drank bloody black vomit from a fever patient and rubbed it into his eyes. He didn’t get infected, so he considered his case proven. We now know that the disease is spread by mosquitoes.

Long rest How do you test what happens to the body during a long space journey without actually going into space? In 1986, researchers in Moscow, Russia, simulated the weightless conditions of space by keeping 11 male volunteers lying on their backs for 370 days. Despite exercising on their backs, the results showed shrunken muscles, lighter bones, and terrible boredom and stress.

Real or robotic? In 2003, researchers decided to find out if real dogs would accept a robotic dog as if it were a living puppy. Although the dogs sniffed and growled at the dogbot, their reaction was much weaker than with a real dog.

Obedience to authority In 1963, American psychologist Stanley Milgram tested the idea that people would carry out atrocities if ordered to by an authority figure. An astonishing 65 percent of participants gave what they thought were lethal electric shocks to an unseen victim in another room.

STRANGE EXPERIMENTS

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KAB

Sometime in the 9th century, the Chinese found the recipe for gunpowder. They mixed fuel (carbon-rich charcoal) with a stabilizer (sulfur) to keep things under control and an oxidizer (nitrate) to feed the chemical reaction. When ignited, it went boom!

M!

Recipe for disaster

O O O O O

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Safety fuse In the 10th century, the Chinese developed a fuse to delay the ignition of gunpowder. An English leather tanner named William Bickford went one better and invented the modern safety fuse in 1831. After watching a friend make rope, he wrapped a core of gunpowder inside a twist of string and, voilà!—the modern fuse was born, enabling miners to set off explosives from a safe distance. Phews all around.

Dynamite discovery Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero discovered the highly unstable liquid explosive nitroglycerin in 1847. Then, in the 1860s, Swedish entrepreneur Alfred Nobel mixed the more stable solid nitroglycerin with sodium carbonate and a shock-absorbing powder to make dynamite. The creator of this weapon of mass destruction gave his name to the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dams to diamonds Dynamite, usually sold in paper-wrapped sticks, was a smash hit in industry. It was used to mine important materials such as steel, copper, silver, and gold, and the transportation system, from roads to tunnels, was built by blasting away rock with dynamite. Other large-scale construction projects, from dams to canals, also relied on its useful obliterating capabilities, as well as the precious South African diamond mines.

TNT In 1863, German scientist Joseph Wilbrand discovered TNT (trinitrotoluene)—a yellow chemical explosive that is more stable than dynamite. TNT can be melted down and poured into shell casings, making it valuable in weapon making, although its yellowness rubs off on anyone who handles it; workers who used TNT in World War I weapon factories were nicknamed “canaries,” as the chemical turned their skin bright yellow. HISTORY OF EXPLOSIVES

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BIOHAZARD GALLERY Welcome to our Biohazard Gallery. Feel free to wander around and examine the world’s nastiest biological hazards— the bacteria and viruses that cause diseases. These are split into four levels, depending on how dangerous they are. On show today are levels 3 (to the left) and 4 (to the right). These are especially perilous, so it is important that you don your protective hazmat suit first.

Yellow Fever This is a clear view of the virus (green) that causes yellow fever in hotter parts of Africa and South America. Spread by bloodsucking mosquitoes, yellow fever produces sweating and nausea and, in serious cases, liver damage and internal bleeding. Fortunately, there is a vaccine against the disease.

Tuberculosis The first exhibit shows the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB)—once a killer before the use of antibiotics. These bacteria pass from person to person when someone infected sneezes, coughs, or spits. TB mostly affects the lungs, causing constant coughing, sweating, weight loss, and eventually death. Worringly, this disease is on the rise again.

LEVEL 3 HAZMAT SUITS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES

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Smallpox Here is a rare chance to see a virus (red) that has been eradicated throughout the world by the use of vaccines. Samples of the virus are kept for research in a few laboratories. In earlier times, smallpox was a devastating and deadly disease that caused severe blistering and scarring.

West Nile virus Take a look at a virus that’s on the move. Once confined to Africa, the West Nile virus has spread across the U.S. since 1999. It is passed on by mosquitoes that bite infected birds and then bite people. Most victims get a headache and a high temperature, but a few suffer from inflammation of the brain, too.

Dengue

US avian flu VIRrds the flu might seem like

t featuring s another exhibi Level 4 introduce than e e. Found in mor a tropical diseas ic fever ag rh or ngue hem 100 countries, de is spread by us (yellow) that is caused by a vir ring feed on blood du mosquitoes that velops de on fected, a pers the day. Once in ins, pa t in jo d an muscle headaches, plus shock. before going into

ever, ves bi Gallery. How A virus that gi e Biohazard th in y, st n io na us a cl e an odd in etimes caus virus can som is also the avian flu mans. There hu of flu in pe us to ty io l, ct ta fe fa in n e ofte come mor be ht g ig m it nd from ha lin a risk that to pick it up . nd ld te or ho w w e s, th human around y, and spread tr ul po ed ct infe

Marburg virus The deadliest exhibit in the Level 4 collection takes its name from the German town of Marburg. It was here, in 1967, that laboratory workers picked up the deadly virus from African monkeys. Spread by infected blood, feces, saliva, or vomit, the Marburg virus causes severe internal bleeding and often death.

Hantavirus

LEVEL 4 No animals allowed in the gallery

This exhibit has a close association with rodents. Those unfortunate enough to pick up the hantavirus usually do so by breathing in particles from the dried droppings of infected mice. The virus makes blood vessels in the lungs very leaky, causing severe breathing problems that can lead to death.

Hazmat suits You may find it uncomfortable to wear, but your hazmat (hazardous materials) suit will provide total protection. Equipped with its own air supply and two-way radio, it encloses your body and is sealed to keep out biohazards. BIOHAZARDS

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T E P ’S IN E T S N E K N A FR Come inside and take a look around. I’m Frankenstein’s very own monster, a human-crafted creation. In that sense, I’m similar to all of these strange pets that have arrived today, fresh from our laboratories. Some were specially bred, while others were made by altering their genes, and Earmouse was just thrown together! They may look a little bizarre, but have a heart. They do deserve good homes after all they’ve done for scientific research.

Milky goodness This goat seems perfectly normal, but her milk is out of the ordinary. Genetic modification of goats is producing changes in their milk that will be useful to humans. For example, using spider genes, scientists have produced goats that release spider-web proteins in their milk. These are used to make ultrastrong “biosteel” fibers, used in medicine and industry.

Self-shearing sheep It may look a bit shabby, but this self-shearing sheep could be the sheep of the future. Instead of having its winter coat cut in the spring by sheep shearers, this new breed automatically sheds its wool. Good news for farmers! It’s the result of breeding native ewes (females) with self-shearing rams (males).

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OPEN Earmouse This isn’t a mouse with super hearing. “Earmouse” was developed to see if human organs could be grown in the laboratory. Scientists made an ear-shaped scaffold that they “seeded” with human cartilage cells and joined to the mouse so that its blood supply would nurture the new organ.

STORE Cama This is a cama—a cross between a camel (from Africa and Asia) and a llama (from South America). Living so far apart, these related animals would not normally breed. However, scientists in Dubai, U.A.E., combined camel sperm with llama eggs to create the cama in the hope that it will produce more wool and meat than regular llamas. Do you have room for him at home?

Cloned dogs If your pet dog is getting old, why not replace it with an identical but younger clone? Scientists can now take cells and create an embryo that is implanted inside a surrogate mother. With luck, nine weeks later, out pops a puppy identical to your precious pooch. Cloned breeds so far include Labradors and Afghan hounds.

Giant salmon Even if you really like salmon, would you eat one that grows twice as fast, and is seven times as big, as a regular salmon? Scientists have introduced a gene into farmed salmon that greatly increases the production of a growth hormone. These bigger, faster-growing salmon make more money for farmers.

Sphynx cat

Glowing mice There’s no problem finding these mice in the dark. Shine an ultraviolet light on them and they glow bright green. Glowing mice are transgenic—they’ve had a gene inserted into them from another organism, in this case a fluorescent jellyfish. A huge advance in genetics.

All cat breeds were produced by mating cats with features that breeders wanted to reproduce. The most obvious feature of the Sphynx cat is a lack of fur. This came from a mutation (mistake) in one of the genes. Breeding mutant cats has created the Sphynx breed.

MODIFIED ANIMALS

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RADIOACTIVE! Everything we know about radiation has been discovered only in the past 100 years or so. In large doses, it is one of the most dangerous discoveries ever known, but, through trial and error, we’ve figured out that small doses of radiation can be utilized for positive, sometimes life-saving, effects.

ioactivity? the number of d ra is t a h W i— able nucle the same.

Particle released from the nucleus

s have st eus stays Most atom in the nucl s n to unequal ro p nd atoms, have m em iu neutrons a n ra u is makes th , such as protons. Th able But others d n st a n u s n n o a tr f neu wn. When o d k a numbers o fr re s b rticle om nd liable to releases pa it ), n unstable a w o d activity. ys (breaks called radio atom deca is se a le re This its nucleus.

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Nucleus

There are three main types of radiation: alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha radiation is the weakest type, struggling to pass through a thick sheet of paper. Beta radiation is stronger but meets its match in a thin sheet of copper. Only a thick sheet of lead or concrete can block the most penetrating type of radiation, high-energy gamma rays.

Discovering radioactivity French scientist Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity by accident in 1896 when he found that uranium salts emitted rays capable of penetrating black paper. Working in Becquerel’s lab, Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre, duplicated his experiment in 1897 and named the phenomenon “radioactivity.” The Curies devoted their lives to understanding radioactivity, and in 1903, all three scientists shared the Nobel Prize for physics.

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Eben By

ers The case of Eben Byers (1880–1932) spelled the end of the craze for radioactive produ cts. An American business man and enthusiasti c golfer, he was advised by his doctor to drink radium-laced water to help with an arm injury After a few months of . downing two or three bottles a day, radium had ac cumulated in his bone s and holes had begun to for m in his skull. In only two years, he was de ad, buried in a lead-l ined coffin to avoid contami nating the graveyard soil. Everyday exposure

, we come In the modern world amounts all into contact with sm every s ial ter ma of radioactive wer po a ar ne live u day. If yo by jet, ed plant, have ever travel tch, wa rk -da the worn a glow-inen be e u’v yo ay, x-r or had an But now exposed to radiation. what d an that we underst iation is, rad of nt ou a safe am rry there’s no need to wo like up about ending Eben Byers.

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T S O M E TH

S U O R E G N A D TION

A U Q E

December 31, 1905 Dear diary, for me, Albert Einstein. The ideas en be s ha it ar ye us ulo ac mir a at Wh have finally come together. ad he my in und aro ling mb tu en be ve that ha equation... Now, I have the first draft of my

Energy

E

Speed of light, squared (i.e., the speed of light multiplied by the speed of light) Mass (i.e., the quantity of matter in any body)

=MC2

lieved that energy and mass are be ve ha s ist ent sci es, uri nt ce r Fo Let me explain. What if they are one and … red nde wo I t Bu r. he ot ch ea to completely unrelated rgy and energy into mass. ene o int d rne tu be ld cou ss Ma e? the sam ion multiplies mass by the speed uat eq ous eni ing my , rgy ene of t To find the amoun ity, and when it’s squared, ant qu st va a is ht lig of ed spe e of lig ht, squared. Th shows that even a teeny-weeny ion uat eq my So ic. ant gig ly ab ev eli it is unb ssive amount of energy. Just ma ely ut sol ab an e at ner ge n ca ss atom-size ma big pat on the back. a ve ser de I ink th I ry, dia , me between you and equation mean for the future? my ht mig at Wh s. end ar ye e th , ht But tonig we need to harness even more but , now ht rig ak pe its at is e ag l The industria ked inside mass to power loc rgy ene e th se ea rel we ld cou , energy. Some day diary. the world? Goodbye for now, my 1911 u. I’ve been Dear diary, I haven’t forgotten yo are so many so busy the past six years and there ar my is ye amazing developments to ponder. Th ty, rsi brilliant colleague at Cambridge Unive atom has an Ernest Rutherford, suggested that 106

a hard core with a positive charge that contains almost all of its mass (you haven’t forgotten mass from my equation...). And that a cloud of tiny electrons with a small amount of mass and a negative charge orbit the core. Smart stuff. 1932 Dear diary, old friend, can you ever forgive me for being so long out of touch? These are such exciting times. Rutherford’s colleague James Chadwick has discovered that the nucleus (that’s the name for an atom’s core) contains particles with no charge, called neutrons.

Nucleus

Electron 1933 Diary! We’re on the brink of something… Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard had a brain wave while waiting for a red light to change: if the nucleus of an atom contains mass, would it be possible to split it to get energy from it? If so, and we had a number of atoms, and the energy from each nucleus was released in a chain reaction (a process they’ve called nuclear fission), would a huge, devastating amount of energy be released…? That would certainly be a traffic stopper! 1939 Oh dear, diary. Szilard’s been in touch. Some German scientists worked on a fission experiment last year (they bombarded a uranium atom with neutrons until the atom split), and, just as he’d predicted, mighty amounts of energy were released in an explosion. Szilard’s writing a letter here in the States to President Roosevelt to explain how devastating nuclear (named after the nucleus) bombs might be. He wants me to sign the letter, as it needs to get the attention it deserves (and I’m quite a big deal these days, what with a Nobel Prize in physics under my belt an’ all). I do hope the president heeds the warning. It was only an equation, after all. I didn’t mean it to lead to something so dangerous.

elt v e os

o

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kli n Fra use t den te Ho D.C. i s i Pre e Wh gton, Th shin Wa .A. U.S

EINSTEIN’S FAMOUS EQUATION

107

108

Weight

Drag

In 1783, the French Montgolfier brothers rose up into the sky in an unsteerable hot-air balloon. By the 1890s, a pair of German brothers, Otto and Gustav Lillienthal, made steerable flights in gliders. Close on their tail in 1903, yet another brother team, Orville and Wilbur Wright, made the first controlled and powered aircraft flight. We had liftoff!

Early flight

What happens when something goes wrong? Thankfully, most air crashes are not fatal. Between 1980 and 2000, for example, there were 568 plane crashes in the U.S., and 90 percent of the victims survived. To improve your chances, it’s worth knowing that passengers in the rear of the plane are 40 percent more likely to survive a crash.

The force that pulls the aircraft back to Earth is weight. Aircraft are heavy, but they are constructed so that their weight is spread from front to back, keeping everything balanced.

The force that resists the motion of a moving object and slows it down is called drag. Aircraft are designed to let air pass around them with less drag.

The force that acts to push the aircraft up is called lift. The way air moves around the wings, together with the shape of the wings, give the aircraft lift. Up, up, and away! 

Air crashes

Propellers or jet engines create powerful thrust to move the aircraft forward to its destination. Fire up all cylinders!

Thrust

Aircraft stay in the air because of Lift four basic forces: lift (going up), weight (pulling down), thrust (moving ahead), and drag (resisting motion). In order for aircraft to fly straight and level at a constant speed, the forces must act in pairs. That means thrust must be equal to drag and lift must be equal to weight.

Taking flight

Feeling up in the air or out to sea? Maybe it’s time to leave the safety of solid ground behind and journey into the skies or across the oceans. Imagine the perils the first aviators faced as they chased the dream of human flight. Consider the danger of setting sail for unknown waters towards some distant destination. Find out how to be a highflier, as well as learning what floats your boat.

DANGEROUS JOURNEYS

DANGEROUS JOURNEYS

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Shipwrecks What sinks a ship? Taking on water is an obvious problem—large waves can break over the sides of a vessel, and leaks can let water in. Storms can toss a ship against the rocks, while a navigation error resulting in a crash can cause rips in the hull that let water pour in. Plug up the holes and ensure that more water is going out than pouring in or you’ll soon get that sinking feeling

Boats have been around for a very long time, and navigation as a science is at least 5,000 years old. The astrolabe (an instrument used in navigation that showed the positions of the planets and stars at a given time) was highly developed in the Islamic world by 800 CE. About 200 years later, the Chinese were using a magnetic compass for navigation. By the time the great age of exploration ended in the early 17th century, ships and navigators were advanced and experienced enough to sail just about anywhere in the world.

Maritime navigation

FORCES OF ENERGY Energy and forces go hand in hand in making things move and stop. Movement (kinetic) energy is what makes a car go. If the car should then crash into a concrete wall, the wall acts as an opposing force on the car. If the wall’s mass is bigger than the car’s mass and speed, it will bring the car to a crashing halt. But the kinetic energy doesn’t just disappear when the car stops; it turns into several other forms…

Heat energy is released from the crash as a converted form of the kinetic energy that was driving the car forward. Think how hot your bicycle brakes feel when you stop suddenly.

The force with which the wall “hits” the car is equal to that with which the car hits the wall to bring the car to a standstill. In a crash with a stationary object, a car’s speed drops to zero in under a second.

Bending and crushing parts of the car body use up some of the kinetic energy, and more energy is used in creating the sound of the crash.

CRASH COURSE Good morning, class. Today’s lesson looks at how cars withstand impact and keep passengers safe. It’s been more than 100 years since the first car-accident casualty. Since then, an estimated 20 million people have died in car-related incidents. As a crash-test dummy, I know all about bumpy rides. Buckle up! 110

CRuMPLE ZONE

The more kinetic energy a car has, the faster it moves and the more energy that will need to be released on impact, creating a bigger crash. Even a small increase in speed can have deadly consequences.

SEAT BELTS

Key sensors in the head help measure the forces impacting on the brain.

The neck can swing and swivel in any direction to help scientists understand whiplash injuries.

AIR BAGS Sensors in the chest collect data about smashing into the steering wheel.

SAFETy cage

car design To protect the passengers in an accident, the energy and forces must be somehow dissipated before they reach inside the car. Crumple zones in a vehicle buckle up in a crash, absorbing a lot of the energy. They are at either end of the rigid safety cage. In a crash, even if the car stops, your body wants to keep moving ahead. Wearing a seat belt stops you from crashing through the windshield, while air bags inflate to provide a soft landing for your head.

CRuMPLE ZONE

DUMMY biology Now, listen up, class. Your role as a crash-test dummy is a crucial one. Engineers require your services for testing cars to ensure that the vehicle designs are safe. Your sophisiticated makeup is designed to simulate a human being’s in a crash and is packed with sensors to collect data about the impact of the crash on the body. Class dismissed, and have a safe trip home. CRASH SCIENCE

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Spring 1946. An American Air force B-17 bomber zoOms skyward through the icy stratosphere.

Th true-life The adventures of the fastest man on Earth!

The bomber’s altitude reaches an unprecedented and dangerous 45,000 ft (13,216 m). Above 9,843 ft (3,000 m), the brain is starved of oxygen and physical and mental abilities diminish quickly. At this altitude, the risk of death is very real. Why are they flying so high?

Roger that. Wonder how Captain StapP’s doing back there? Sometimes I think he’s nutTier than a fruitcake.

Yet World War II is over. What is its vital misSion?

MeEt Captain John Paul StapP, doctor and key member of the Aero Med Lab research team. He’s studying the human response to extreme altitudes. The human he’s studying? Himself.

I read you loud and clear, airman.

StapP’s experiments tested the limits of human endurance. How could humans keEp functioning and avoid freEzing and dehydration at extreme altitudes? How could they avoid the bends— the deadly decompresSion sicknesS caused by tiny air bubBles forming in the bloOdstream? stapP had a hunch.

I might have this thing cracked. Before takeofF I strapPed on the oxygen mask for a 30-minute blast. And now? No symptoms whatsoever.

On April 30, the research team set ofF the first unmanNed run on the GeE Whiz (as the sled was nicknamed). Crash-test dumMy Oscar EightbalL was along for the ride. Old Oscar EightbalL is gonNa have a headache. You know, Murphy, he might just find himself replaced if he’s not careful… by me.

I feEl fine and dandy. Let’s bring ‘er back to Earth, boys.

StapP’s discovery was an aviation breakthrough and a brilLiant achievement for the Aero Med Lab. StapP, we want to put you in charge of something that’s going to be mighty important around here: the human deceleration project.

We neEd to find out exactly what G forces the human body can take, and you’re the man for the job. What do you say? AfFirmative, major.

In spring 1947, StapP toOk his first loOk at the giant 2,000-ft- (610-m-) long rocket sled track at the heart of the human deceleration project. Along the tracks a 1,500-lb (680-kg) rocket-powered carRiage zoOmed… until someone hit the brakes. The brakes were powerful enough to halve the speEd in one fifth of a second, creating G force.

G force is a force that acts on the body owing to the efFects of gravity trying to pulL it down to earth, or the efFects of acCeleration or deceleration. ComMon knowledge at the time held that no human could survive more than 18 G, and aircraft cockpits were built to withstand that. But pilots walked away from plenty of worse crashes during the war… stapP’s job was to find out how much worse.

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I’m freEzing my tail ofF up here. over!

GeE whiz, would you get a load of that?

The test was a disaster. The brakes failed, and the GeE Whiz flew right ofF the track and crashed into the desert.

Maybe I’m not quite ready to take that ride. Oscar, you’re back on track.

In December, after 35 test runs had convinced StapP that his team could pulL ofF a manNed run, StapP replaced Oscar EightbalL in the sled. He faced backward to cut the efFects of the G forces, and only one rocket was atTached to the sled. Murphy, you know our saying… everything that can go wrong wilL go wrong. But not today.

The first ride was relatively tame, and StapP sufFered no ilL efFects. The next day, he decided to adD more rockets.

StapP continued the tests, each time changing the brakes or rocket numbers so that he could experience alL sorts of G forces. By August 1948, he had wrapPed up 16 runs and survived a force of 35 G… similar to a speEding car hitTing a brick walL.

Please, please don’t go wrong.

Although he never lost consciousnesS, StapP’s body was completely pumMeled in the tests. He fractured his ribs, sufFered numerous concusSions, lost dental filLings, and broke his wrist a few times.

You broke your wrist again? Chalk it up to Murphy’s law.

it’S okay—I’m a doctor. I’lL set it myself.

With each bone-crunching, retina-detaching ride, StapP colLected more and more data. Had it alL paid ofF? Gentlemen, you wilL seE that facing backward is safer and that people can survive welL beyond 18 G, so we should build our planes to help them survive.

StapP, you’ve taken a crazy risk here. But you might just have cracked it. Either that or you’re just cracked.

when StapP faced backward during deceleration under high G forces, the bloOd rushed from his eyebalLs and poOled at the back of his head. When he faced forward, his retinas would hemorRhage and His vision became blurRed… Yet he carRied on.

Thanks to the wild rides of the fastest man in the world, engineErs were able to make huge improvements in aviation safety equipment.

The army responded to his report by strengthening the cockpits and ordering seats to face backward in aircraft. StapP and his team carRied on with their experiments. Sometimes stapP went along for the ride. StilL love the thrilL of the ride?

In 1966, American president Lyndon Johnson signed a bilL requiring mandatory seat belts in alL new U.S. cars, thanks to the work of John Paul stapP. Buckle up for safety! CountlesS thousands of lives were saved.

Nah. What I like is outsmarting Murphy’s Law.

stapP dedicated his life to safety testing— safety first, safety second!—and to studying what hapPens in crashes when things go wrong, because, as murphy’s law (atTributed to stapP) says, Everything that can go wrong wilL go wrong… But for him, and for alL of us, things went right.

THE HUMAN CRASH-TEST DUMMY

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S R O R R O H Y D O B N A M

HU

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HORRIBLE HANDSCAPE Hands and fingers are very useful for picking up objects, but they also pick up bacteria and viruses that can cause disease. These invaders turn your palms into their playground, joining the resident germs that usually live there harmlessly.

Rhinovirus This virus causes colds, and you can pick it up, packaged in slimy mucus, by touching something that an infected person has sneezed on. If you then touch your nose or mouth, it won’t be long before you’ll have a cold, too.

Norovirus A common cause of bad stomach upsets, the norovirus spreads like wildfire from person to person. If you use a toilet where someone who is infected has just vomited or had diarrhea and don’t wash your hands, you’ll be next!

E. coli Most types of Escherichia coli (E. coli) live harmlessly in your colon. However, harmful strains picked up from undercooked meat or transferred by touch from person to person can cause all sorts of diseases, from meningitis in newborn babies to diarrhea.

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Salmonella

Flu virus Fever, muscle pains, a sore throat, and headaches are what’s in store if you come into contact with this virus. Touch a contaminated surface and then touch your mouth or nose, and you might end up with a real pain in the neck.

Salmonella is one nasty bacterium found especially on raw chicken. If you get it on your hands or food preparation surfaces, it can contaminate your food, giving you stomach cramps and a horrible case of diarrhea.

Papilloma virus These little critters actually get into the skin and make its cells multiply. The result is a bump on the skin’s surface that often resembles a mini cauliflower and is better known as a wart. Who wants a handshake?

Staphylococcus This bacterium usually lives harmlessly on your skin or up your nose. But some strains can cause nasty boils on the skin or lead to blood poisoning and meningitis. One very good reason not to pick your nose!

Propionibacterium Here’s a bacterium that lives on the skin’s surface as a permanent resident, sliding down pores to feed in the skin’s oil-producing sebaceous glands. If pores get blocked and trap this bacterium inside, it multiplies, causing swelling that produces sore pimples called acne.

Hand hygiene Feeling grossed out? To remove these unseen nasties and reduce the risk of infection, regularly wash your hands—especially after you go to the bathroom, before you eat or prepare food, and after handling money. Use warm water and soap and rub your hands together for 20 seconds, making sure you scrub under your fingernails and in between your fingers. Then thoroughly dry your hands on a clean towel; damp hands are a breeding ground for germs.

Handy hiding place Many people wear rings, and some people never take theirs off. But just one ring can harbor hundreds of millions of bacteria and viruses, shielding them from cleansing soap suds. Run rings around these germ hideouts by washing your jewelry once a week.

HAND GERMS AND HYGIENE

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DESTINATION: HUMAN Hustling and bustling their way through the station, these pesky parasites are on their way to a human body near you. Once they reach their destination, parasites take what they want from the body, feeding and breeding on or in it. They are the worst kinds of tourists, causing irritation or illness to the local host. Eavesdrop on their chat to see where they are headed.

African eye worm Nice to chat, but that’s my train, and I need to hitch a ride with a mango fly onboard. Hopefully, the trip will make the fly hungry so that when it feeds, it will inject my larvae into its human host. Once in, they’ll mature into worms and then catch the blood highway to the eyes, where they wiggle around Pinworm and can be a real pain! Hi! I’m just back from the colon. Life there was perfect for a roundworm like me because it’s dark, slimy, and warm. When I was full of eggs, I just wormed my way out through the anus. That made it itchy, so my eggs got scratched up by the unlucky human and delivered to the mouth. They’re now on their way to the colon.

EY

ES

Trypanosoma brucei I’m just a microscopic protozoan (single-celled organism) waiting for the Tsetse Fly Express to take me directly to the bloodstream. Then I’ll move on to the brain and give it the deadly sleeping sickness. Yawn.

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Time

Platform

To

10:05

5

MOUTH JUNCTION (change for onward connections to Colon and Small Intestine)

10:22

1

EYES (via Blood)

10:31

6

BRAIN CAPITAL (via Blood)

10:52

4

SKIN GATEWAY

10:55

3

LIVER (sushi cart available onboard)

11:02

9

LEGS ROAD

11:30

8

SCALP CITY (via Hair)

Ascaris You sound like a meanie to me, Trypanosoma. I don’t usually cause too much harm, unless there’s a big group of us and we block the small intestine. Today, I’m just dropping off the kids. Still tiny eggs, they’re also on their way to the mouth where they’ll catch a connection through the digestive system to the small intestine.

Wuchereria bancrofti Wow! What a long trip! It will be a fluke if you get to the liver. All my larvae need to do is to hitch a ride in a mosquito. We’re another type of roundworm that needs to get inside a human. Once there, it’s straight to the lymph vessels, where we can get pretty big as we mature to adults, and block them, causing the human’s legs to swell with elephantiasis.

Head louse Wiggle away, Mr. Worm, while I rest my six hooked legs, ready for some serious gripping. I’m the only insect here and boy can I bug you. I’m on my way to Scalp City, where I’ll be riding the hair highway and painting the town red feeding on blood.

Chinese liver fluke Has anyone seen a snail? We have a trip planned to the coast. Once at sea, he’ll release my larvae to be picked up by a fish, which will then be eaten, with any luck, by a sushi-eating human. Next stop for those lucky larvae is the liver, their new home, full of delicious bile for them to gorge on.

SKIN

Scabies mite Hope your kids have a safe trip, Ascaris, but that’s not for me. With my eight legs, I need to get a grip. I’m relocating to a burrow in the skin where I can lay my eggs, watch my offspring hatch, and cause the worst itching imaginable!

P

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PESKY PARASITES

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ATTACK AND DEFENSE

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Every team needs a trainer, and that’s exactly what vaccines do for the defense squad. They prime the B cells and T cells so that they are ready from the start to launch a full-scale assault on the nastiest pathogens on the attack team, such as those that cause measles and mumps, before they can do any damage.

Vaccines

These guys pack a real punch. Phagocytes are first into the fray and do their best to knock down the attack team. These are the defense cells that grab ahold of pathogens, eat them up, and destroy them. The nimblest are the neutrophils, but the more powerful are the extremely hungry macrophages.

Phagocytes

Superbugs

These are the specialists on team that make a beeline defense the for attacking viruses on the other team. More specifically, killer T cells seek out body cells with viruses that are about to multiply inside them. Killer T cells stick to these body cells, punch holes in them, and release chemicals that finish off the attackers.

Killer T cells

Superbugs are th e players to fear the most. They are bacteria that have become re sistant to antibiotics on th e defense team . MRSA is a supe rbug that can cause serious sk in infections, especially when a person’s natural defense is weakened.

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Along with the killer T cells, B cells form the brains of the defense team. They pinpoint and target key players in the attack team. B cells release chemicals called antibodies that disable specific bacteria and other pathogens, making them easier targets for their phagocyte teammates.

B cells

Bronchioles in Lungs

Like any other threat, an approaching swarm of wasps automatically triggers the body’s emergency service. This gears up the body into fight-or-flight mode—a response that is set in motion by the brain’s hypothalamus. This sends signals, through the ANS (autonomic nervous system) hotline, to target key body organs so that the body is prepared for danger.

EMERGENCY SERVICE

These air passages branch out to every part of both lungs. At the end of each bronchiole, oxygen passes into the blood for delivery to the body’s cells, where it is used to release energy from glucose. In an emergency, bronchioles widen so that extra oxygen gets into the blood in order for the cells to generate more energy.

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After receiving signals from the hypothalamus via the nerve fibers of the ANS, the heart beats more powerfully—that is why someone who’s scared feels their heart thumping. This ensures that more oxygen- and glucose-rich blood gets to key parts of the body, especially the muscles.

Heart

This small part of the brain commands the body’s emergency service. Once alerted to a threat, the hypothalamus sends out electrical signals. These instruct organs, especially the heart and muscles, to work harder and to use more glucose and oxygen to generate the extra energy that they need for this.

Hypothalamus

Signals from the eyes are picked up by the parts of the brain that register “fear,” which sets in motion the emergency response. Part of that response makes the pupils much wider, letting more light into the eyes to give a much clearer view of the approaching threat.

Eyes

FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT RESPONSE

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People who are scared generally turn pale, or “white with fright.” That’s because the signals from the brain make blood vessels in the skin narrow. Consequently, less blood flows through them, so the skin loses its pinkness. Blood from the skin is diverted to where it is needed at times of an emergency— the muscles, brain, and heart.

Blood vessels in skin

One of the liver’s many jobs is to store glucose—the body’s main fuel. When danger threatens, the liver releases glucose from its stores to boost levels in the bloodstream. Blood carries these extra supplies of glucose to the muscles so that they have sufficient energy to move the body for fight or flight.

Liver

Unlike blood vessels in the skin, those supplying the skeletal muscles— which move the legs, arms, and rest of the body—get wider. This means that these muscles receive more blood carrying extra supplies of energy to either face the threat or run away at top speed.

Blood vessels in muscles

These two glands sit on top of the kidneys. When they receive signals from the brain, the glands release the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline into the bloodstream. They have the same effect as the ANS on organs such as the heart, lungs, and muscles to reinforce and prolong their actions.

Adrenal glands

OUTBREAK!

Ever since people started living in large groups, they have been affected by outbreaks of disease. Epidemics affect whole communities, while pandemics spread around the world. What made them more fearful was that no one had any idea what caused them. Today, we know that outbreaks of disease are caused by pathogens (germs) such as bacteria and viruses. But, even with this knowledge, we are still vulnerable to attack.

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NAPOLEON’S ARMY FALLS

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BLACK DEATH

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MEDICINE TODAY

“SPANISH” FLU When World War I ended in November 1918, it had claimed millions of victims, than fewer much but that ic dem the influenza pan sed Cau r. yea e sam struck that by a virus, “Spanish” flu targeted healthy young adults and could kill within hours. It spread across the globe with breathtaking speed, killing more than 50 million people before it disappeared in 1919.

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nts in Doctors and nurses tend patie an emergency ward set up to cope with Spanish flu victims. This ward is based at the U.S. Army’s camp in Kansas.

Severe Acute Respiratory

Air travel seems to be “helping” the spread of this new, and potentially fata l, disease around the wo rld. First reported in the Chine se province of Guangdong in 2002, SARS is a viral diseas e that is initially picked up

Syndrome

from wild animals. It cau ses breathing difficulties, fati gue, and diarrhea. In only two years, more than 8,0 00 people have been infecte d. Hong Kong residents wear masks to reduce the risk of picking up the virus that causes SARS.

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MEASLES OUTBREAK IN JAPAN

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EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS

125

Leap of faith Look skyward to witness the true terror of land diving—a ritual performed in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu to ensure a good harvest or to impress girlfriends! With a vine attached to each ankle, this young man leaps from a rickety tower. If he’s lucky, his head will miss the ground!

Outstanding display Be amazed by the khareshwari, or “standing baba.” He’s an Indian holy man who has vowed to stand, without sitting or lying down, for an incredible 12 years! A swing supports him whether he’s awake or asleep, and he can rest one leg at a time in a sling.

Fire-walking feat Taking center stage, our star turn walks barefoot over hot embers without getting burned. How does she do it? The trick is that ashy coals are poor conductors of heat, and because she walks quickly, there’s not enough contact with individual coals to burn her feet.

HOW TOUGH ARE YOU? The circus is in town! Come and marvel at displays of human strength and endurance. Witness our performers pushing their bodies to the limits. Gasp as they tolerate extremes of heat, cold, pain, and pressure. These are tough acts to follow. 126

Manjit the magnificent Entering stage right, dragging a double-decker bus, is Indian-born Manjit Singh. In 2009, the magnificent Manjit used his incredible power, and his superstrong hair, to pull a bus weighing 9.5 tons (8.6 tonnes) for more than 70 ft (21 m) through a London park. Hair-raising!

Bed of nails Never failing to impress, this fearless performer rests on a bed of nails without bleeding or writhing in pain. His body weight is distributed over hundreds of nails, so the downward pressure at any one point is not enough to pierce his skin.

Meditating monk If you were in this ice bath, draped in freezing wet sheets, your body temperature would plummet and you would eventually die. But in his state of deep meditation, the monk generates enough heat to stay warm inside—and even to make the sheets steam as his bath water evaporates. Cool stuff!

HUMAN ENDURANCE

127

RISKY BUSINESS Food is essential for life—but eating it carries certain risks. Some foods, especially those that are processed, contain added ingredients or unwanted pollutants that may affect your health. Food may even be contaminated or made with ingredients that you would rather not know about… To find out more, check out the Grim Foods supermarket. You’ll be surprised what’s in our food!

99¢

SH WA YS FORE A ALW D BE G! O FO EATIN

melamine in milk You would expect baby’s milk powder to be safe. But, in China in 2008, some powders were tainted with melamine— a poisonous substance that makes the product appear to contain more protein than it actually does. Melamine poisons children, causing kidney problems and sometimes death.

TUNA

TRANS fats

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Whether canned or fresh, tuna is a popular food. It’s also good for the brain and heart. But tuna may contain traces of toxic heavy metals, such as mercury, that pollute the oceans and that can cause health problems. That’s why it’s recommended that we eat tuna no more than twice a week.

Man-made trans fats are used in the manufacture of many processed foods, including cookies, bread, and microwave meals. This is because they add bulk and give the products a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, they can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes if eaten in large amounts.

78¢

PESTICIDES At least five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day are recommended as part of a healthy diet. However, those “healthy” components of the diet may also carry traces of poisonous pesticides that were sprayed on them while they were growing to kill pests.

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None of us can survive for long without water. We need to drink it to replace water lost daily in sweat, urine, and so on. But drinking excessive amounts of water may be dangerous. It can n dilute the blood and make brai cells expand, causing coma, convulsions, and even death.

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80¢

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ith ve be inated w There ha , contam and rs e a ri rg u te b c ham . coli ba E f o v in e a s ere tr a lethal s ercooked, caused e d n s nd in om served u ildren. A h e c c u in d s ro s at p illne e cattle th places, th er beef are given an hamburg hormones that c ng ti t. s n o e o m -b p evelo growth ildren’s d affect ch

eap ’ll rward u o y r re hy you healt r … o f ing eat

Grim Jim’s quote of the day:

SPE GR CIAL IS OF TLE FER

SALT

A long list of pro cessed foods con tain added salt as a flavor enhancer to make them tastier. Th ese foods includ e ketchup, pizzas , baked beans, ch ips, microwave meals , soups, and bre ad. In adults, eating too much salt can increase blood pre ssure and also the risk of havin g a heart attack .

$1 .1

9

$1.9

Staying alive water warning

OGS D HOT

or dog k hot t, thin ally a into roduc chanic dig e om tp you mea tain m ade fr ristle, e n m at, g ss im heap o t s c i t Nex ther c it may t. This tty me carca n e a a a ano this: me es of f d on as be ut h ed in abo ecover p piec ft beh meat etit! r -u e le le pp u na und uab gro d tiss he val d. Bo n e t v a o e onc rem

FOODS THAT ARE BAD FOR YOU

129

BIZARRE ER What has happened to bring these people to the hospital’s emergency room (ER)? Some of them are accident prone, while others are just unlucky. Doctors working here find out what happened, investigate the nature of the injury, and either patch the patient up or send them off for further treatment by a specialist. The accidents here may sound bizarre, but most are surprisingly common.

Swallowing objects From door keys to silverware, false teeth to batteries, people swallow the strangest things. On arrival in ER, doctors send the patient to be x-rayed, which will identify what has been swallowed. Most small objects, such as coins, pass safely through the body, but sharp objects, such as open safety pins, can be life threatening.

Machinery accidents Despite strict safety regulations, people arrive in ER time and time again as a result of workplace accidents involving machinery, which can cause cuts, burns, or broken bones and severed fingers. Injuries often require immediate surgery to prevent infection or the loss of a limb.

130

Cheerleading

Left-handed tools

Once it was just pompons and high kicks, but modern cheerleading is a dangerous sport. Displays involve such gymnastic stunts and tricks as human pyramids and flip jumps. Just one wrong foot can result in broken bones, a concussion, or even paralysis.

Only 10 percent of the population are left-handed, and they arrive in ER with injuries caused by using tools designed for right-handers. Even ordinary scissors, used by a left-hander, can more easily slip and cause cuts or stab wounds.

Lightning strikes When a bolt of lightning hits the ground, the strike may also hit people, causing burns or damage to the nervous system. Doctors in ER assess the injury and organize appropriate treatment. The good news is that there is only a one in three million chance of being struck by lightning.

Falling out of bed

Party poppers

It’s surprising how many people suffer bumps, bruises, cuts, and fractures and end up in ER after falling out of bed. Many are older people with a poor sense of balance. Young children are also experts at falling out of bed.

Pull the string and a tiny charge inside a party popper shoots streamers into the air. But accidents caused by party poppers are no cause for celebration. Doctors in ER regularly see both adults and children who have been hit in the eye by the cap that flies off when the popper pops.

Charging cows

Falling coconuts

Walking in the country near a field of cows should not cause problems. But cattle may react if they feel threatened, especially if they have calves to protect. Walkers, often those with dogs, have been charged and trampled by cows, arriving in ER with serious, and sometimes fatal, injuries.

What could be more idyllic than tall coconut palms along a sandy beach? But those palm trees can also pose a danger. Coconuts weigh up to 8.8 lb (4 kg), and may fall from a height of 82 ft (25 m) to the ground. Anyone hit by a falling coconut could end up in ER with a concussion or even brain damage.

EMERGENCY ROOM ACCIDENTS

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We had a shocking surprise at this Mexican manor. An ugly-looking botfly laid its eggs on my partner’s skin. It turns out that the warmth of his skin caused the eggs to hatch. The larvae then burrowed under his skin and grew into plump maggots. He noticed the painful lumps when we got home. A doctor managed to pull out the hooked maggots using forceps.

“got under my skin”

376 reviews

#1 of 8 vacation horrors

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We ate raw oysters at this restaurant, unaware that our Caribbean vacation was about to be ruined. The oysters contained Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, a vile bug that made us sick for days with vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and the shakes. Fortunately it didn’t become flesh eating and kill us, like it does with some people.

Oyster Lagoon

June 25, 2010

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Spotlight story: where not to eat—restaurant disaster

During our African trip, we were confronted by a snarling dog that was foaming at the mouth—a sign of rabies. If you’re bitten—and not vaccinated—your nervous system becomes infected by the rabies virus, causing inflammation of the brain, a fear of water, and ultimate death.

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Rabies Ranch Resort

Welcome to the world of vacation horrors. Here at Trip Alert we post reports from travelers to far-flung parts of the world. These hardy souls give us unbiased views of the dangers and diseases that may lurk at a host of venues. So, if you’re sickened by skin-burrowing maggots, deterred by diarrhea, repelled by rabies, or terrified of tapeworms, see where NOT to visit by checking out our site. Have a safe trip!

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VACATION HEALTH HAZARDS

133

Cyst Spa

Diarrhea Lake

Worms Retreat

August 9, 2010

July 30, 2010

July 27, 2010

This place was unhygienic, with dogs and sheep everywhere. One of us ate food tainted by dog feces. These contained tapeworm eggs that normally develop into cysts inside sheep. Our friend developed a cyst in her lung the size of a grapefruit.

“cyst in her lung”

376 reviews

#4 of 8 vacation horrors

We thought the food was good, but it ruined our trip to this West African resort. I was laid low with terrible stomach pains and bloody diarrhea. Apparently the salad was washed with water carrying a tiny protozoan that gave me amebic dysentery.

“terrible pains”

376 reviews

#3 of 8 vacation horrors

If you visit out-of-the-way tropical destinations, avoid lakes and rivers. Larvae of the schistosome worm can burrow through your skin and give you schistosomiasis. The worms grow in blood vessels around your bladder or intestines, where they lay their eggs.

“avoid the lakes”

376 reviews

#2 of 8 vacation horrors

Baghdad Bel Air

I filmed this on my boyfriend’s cell phone when we were backpacking in Chile. One night he felt a bite, and we saw this kissing bug sucking blood through his skin and defecating. Its feces contain protozoan parasites. If you scratch them into your blood—thankfully, he didn’t—they can give you Chagas’ disease, which affects the heart and digestive system.

Kissing Bug Lodge

Submitted by: ihatebugs55

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Visitors to this hotel warn of the peril posed by tiny bloodsucking sand flies in the Iraqi capital and other hot, sandy places. Evidently these little pests carry a horrid protozoan parasite called Leishmania. This produces unpleasant skin ulcers on exposed body parts, such as the face, arms, and legs.

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1. Malaria menace in the Tropics 2. Tick trouble in the Northern Hemisphere 3. Beaver fever in North America 4. Burrowing hookworms in warm places 5. Traveler’s diarrhea everywhere

More nasties!

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The gruesome tale of

Like milLions of others who faced poverty and starvation folLowing the Irish potato famine (1845–1852), 14-year-old Mary MalLon leaves Ireland in 1883 for a betTer life in the United states.

Mary soOn finds work as a low-paid domestic servant. Over the years, she grows into a large, capable woman, known for her fiery temper.

over time, mary Discovers a talent for coOking and builds up her reputation as a coOk, which pays much betTer.

AlL of this work for so litTle money. I thought this was supPosed to be a betTer life.

I can hardly believe it—no more potatoes.

This is the life for an Irish girl!

Watch out, Mary’s about!

LitTle does she know that she is carRying with her more than a smalL bundle of clothes…

she hates the work and hates the dismal salary even more.

However, alL is not welL in the kitchens of New York. Mary’s personal hygiene doesn’t match her coOking skilLs. typhoid is picked up from foOd or water contaminated with feces (or urine) from an infected person...

…and Mary has unknowingly infected her employers, their families, and their servants with typhoid. Some are showing symptoms of the disease, which include high fever and chilLs, sweating, a rash, weaknesS, and severe abdominal pain and diarRhea.

I’d do anything for a long, cold drink…

have you ever seEn such filthy fingernails?

…and dying for ice cream is almost what hapPened! ice cream doesn’t neEd coOking, SO ANY bacteria are not destroyed.

In 1906, New York banker Charles WarRen and his family rent a sumMer house in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Mary, whose ice-cream concoctions are very popular, is taken on as their sumMer coOk.

I knew I shouldn’t have eaten the fish.

Must get going. No time to wash my hands. they’lL just get dirty again.

That Mary gives the Irish a bad name.

Her employers are hapPy with the wholesome foOd. Also, mary always seEms in goOd health and never asks for a day ofF.

Is it me or is it hot in here?

No, even betTer, I’d die for some ice cream.

SorRy, sir, I’m feEling a bit weak.

But No one suspects Mary.

this worRies local doctors, as typhoid is “unusual” in UPMARKET Oyster Bay. WorRied they won’t be able to rent their house again, the owners ask sanitary engineEr George Soper to investigate. so, in the winter of 1906, he makes a house calL.

He finalLy realizes that hiring a certain coOk always coincides with a typhoid outbreak. she was irish…

Soper tracks Mary down to ask her for samples of HER feces or urine.

How dare you? I’lL have your guts for my next pie!

…about this high.

such pain… Worst… sumMer job… ever.

There’s nothing unusual here…

i hear you! i’m feEling stifF, toO.

so what can it be?

…and what a temper! “Feisty Mary,” we calL her.

is that so?

In only one weEk, six of the 11 people in the house come down with typhoid, including Mrs. WarRen, her two daughters, two maids, and a gardener. 134

The coOk is described as Irish, about 40 years old, heavy, single, and in perfect health. Soper is convinced that Mary is the healthy carRier of typhoid.

eEK!

she is furious and chases him away. In truth, Mary was probably unaware that she carRied the disease and felt unjustly persecuted.

Unable to get samples from Mary, Soper starts to reconstruct her work history.

So, if 22 people got sick, with one dead… and they alL ate...

HE finds that for the past six years she has worked for eight families—seven had typhoid outbreaks, including the Park Avenue home IN manhatTan where she is working.

When New York health ofFicial Dr. S. Josephine Baker—along with five police ofFicers and an ambulance—visits Mary, she lunges at Baker, before runNning ofF. Let go of me— I’ve done nothing wrong!

It takes them five hours to locate Mary, who is hiding in a closet.

here i am…

get me out of here!

got it!

FinalLy, a fecal sample taken from mary shows high levels of typhoid bacteria.

Mary spends threE years in near isolation at Riverside hospital, but with public sympathy on her side, she is released and given work in a New York laundry.

I thought I smelLed a rat.

Mary is taken to a hospital for infectious diseases on North Brother Island, betweEn the Bronx and Rikers Island.

you litTle $%*!

madam, if you bite me again…

In 1909, Mary sues the city of New York and demands her release. She loses her case. Later that year, mary comes to public atTention through a magazine feature, which leads journalists to give her the nickname “Typhoid Mary.”

holy moley! I once had her ice cream.

The ambulance takes her to the detention suite at a nearby hospital— with Baker sitTing on her during the trip because she continues to hit out.

…back at the botTom of the pile.

She remains there for the next threE years in a smalL cotTage (where she coOks ONLY for herself).

By 1915, Mary has long since disapPeared from the Health Department’s “radar” and is again working as a coOk, this time in a maternity hospital.

here’s a sandwich, doctor.

thanks, mary.

for our sakes! don’t eat it!

typhoid mary! read alL about her!

This time, AcCused of endangering inNocents, Mary is returned to North Brother Island, where she lives alone. She is given work at the hospital in the bacteriology lab, where she washes botTles. she also continues baking and selLing cakes!

Once again, she resents her low status and miserable pay.

over time, mary’s health begins to sufFer. Despite having a stroke, she recovers enough to continue baking.

i have a lovely cake in the oven. sure you can’t stay?

Within weEks, at least 25 doctors, nurses, and stafF have falLen ilL with typhoid. two have died.

When Mary dies of pneumonia, aged 70, newspapers note that there are 237 other typhoid carRiers living under observation—none of them were treated as badly as mary, but then none of them were as proactive in spreading this deadly disease.

no, mary— thanks, but no.

these botTles are a real pain to clean... and i stilL have another 199 to do!

She seldom has visitors, and those who do come are always careful to leave before dinNertime!

She is buried in Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

TYPHOID MARY

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136

PETRIFYING PL A C AND KILLER CU ES LTURE

You don’t ha ve to go far to get a frig nightmares h ht. aunt your sle ep. Evil creatu Unnerving at the movie res s. E perilous pit ven your own home is p stalk you falls, waitin acked with g to turn a stretcher case. Still th y irsting for th ou into about a bit of bungee ju mping, a ma rills? How session, or a mba milking dish of dead ly blowfish?

137

WISH YOU WERE HERE? …Perhaps not. These post-card scenes of everyday life seem harmless enough, but look more closely; unseen disasters are just waiting to happen in the most unexpected of places. These deathtraps for the unwary aren’t just lurking around the corner—they’re on the beach, in the kitchen, in your classroom… As the saying goes—be prepared!

Cliffhanger High ledges and skateboards really don’t mix well. Take heed of any warning signs… if you’re not riding along too fast to miss them, that is.

The chair

Rip-off!

air tilter? Are you an avid ch ps and sli it til un Just wait floor with e th on up d you en uised ego. br a sore head and

Let’s hope that cat can swim! Beware of strong currents (rip currents) that rip along beneath the water’s surface. They’ve carried this rubber ducky right out to sea.

Rocky times Don’t be left high and dry and crabby! Waders should keep a beady eye open for the incoming tide so as not to get cut off from the shore.

Sink or swim As its name suggests, quicksand doesn’t allow much time to react, and the more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Lie flat and try to “swim” out.

Broken glass Like the feel of sand between your toes? Be careful those bare tootsies don’t get cut on broken glass—you never know what else might be lurking among the golden grains. 138

Enjoy the trip?

in Backpacks left lying floor are e th of le idd m e th g to accidents just waitin n’t wo u yo d an … happen g. lon it wa to need

Take cover!

That’s sick

A real pain

s splutter Coughs and sneeze o the air, and snot and germs int a breeding es m your desk beco the flu. d an lds co ground for you achoo! Use a tissue when

cult enough School can be diffi pain of d de without the ad y from ur inj ed ict a self-infl arpeners… sh s, or iss sc rs, staple class. e th of Go to the back

d other Sending books an ound ar ing rtl hu s missile obvious an is om ro ss cla e th , including ne yo er danger for ev s. the book

Boiling ove

r

Bottled dan

ger

Poisonous cl eaning fluid s in an open cu pboard and a nearby baby is a bad combinatio n. Babies can’t read warnin g signs, and the bot tles, to them , look just like thos e with soda inside.

That pan of water could topple over the edge at any time. Hopef ully, the bab y won’t reach up and grab the handle— it should hav e been turned inward.

Washing cy cle

Disease tra

p

Leaving raw food uncove red on the side is an open invitati on for flies and bac teria. Let’s h ope it won’t make the when they ea family sick t it.

It’s a good id ea to keep yo ur eye on any pets you hav e in the kitchen. Henry the h amster’s trip through the spin cycl e will leave him fe eling more than washed out.

KILLER ENVIRONMENTS

139

Killer cassava

In many parts of Africa and South America, a root vegetable called cassava is part of the staple diet. It is served as a meal accompaniment or is used ground up into a type of flour called tapioca. However, it is not a vegetable for the uninitiated; when raw, it contains the deadly toxin cyanide and must be carefully prepared and cooked if the diner wants to avoid a sticky end.

Blowfif sh surprise Known in Japan as fugu, the blowfish is the world’s deadliest delicacy, causing an average of four deaths every year. Its skin and internal organs contain the powerful poison tetrodotoxin—one fish has enough to kill 30 people. In Japan, chefs train for years to serve this expensive and sought-after dish. Risky as it sounds, the most skilled chefs try to leave just the right amount of poison to give a pleasant numbing sensation on the tongue.

Fugu special! Buy one get one free* *(if you survive the first one)

Giant bullfrog The French may be famous for eating frogs’ legs, but the people of Namibia go one step farther. The giant bullfrog, eaten whole, is considered a great delicacy there, even though its poisonous skin can cause kidney failure.

DEADLY DINER

If you think you’re taking your life in your own hands eating in the school cafeteria, check out this exotic cuisine. One visit to this deadly diner might be your last. On the menu are a selection of the most downright dangerous foods from around the world—some would be eaten only by accident, but others are highly prized delicacies. 140

Kill or cure?

The oil made from the castor plant has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for all sorts of ailments, including burns, cuts, headaches—and even as a cure for acne. But the seed of the plant, known as the castor bean, contains ricin—one of nature’s most lethal poisons. It would take only eight of the tiny beans to kill a person.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Mmm! Mushroom meal deal Choose from one of the following five mouthwatering options: 1. Death cup—looks just like edible species, but the clue’s in the name. 2. Fly agaric—brightly colored, just 10 will kill a human. 3. Galerina—small mushroom, but packs a big toxic punch. 4. Jack-o’-lantern—bright orange, glows in the dark, and will cause severe stomach cramps if eaten. 5. Deadly fiber cap—contains high doses of muscarine, a lethal poison.

Live octopus

Sannakji, or live octopus, is a popular dish in South Korea and Japan, but not one for the faint-hearted. The octopus is cut into pieces while still alive so that the tentacles wiggle around on the plate. Those who don’t chew their food enough risk getting a sucker stuck in the back of their throat!

Maggot cheese For a cheese sensation, why not try the Sardinian delicacy Casu Marzu? Made from sheep’s milk, the cheese is left outside for months to become riddled with insect larvae. The maggots wiggle throughout the cheese, digesting it as they go to make it runny and soft. Diners are advised to shield their eyes, as the maggots jump when disturbed! And, once eaten, they’ll happily bore through your intestines, too.

DANGEROUS FOODS

141

TOOLSHED TERRORS

Enter the dark zone of the toolshed at your peril. Danger lurks here for every do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiast. In the U.S., one in four people receiving emergency treatment in the hospital is injured in a DIY accident—that’s about four million people a year. Next time there’s a quick-fix job to be done at home, remember this simple truth—the tools are out to get you!

A step too far Heard the one about the guy who was airlifted to the hospital with a plank of wood nailed to his head after falling from a ladder? It’s not unusual. Ladders cause more accidents than almost any other item in the toolshed.

Close shave Beware—your lawn mower bites! Don’t adjust the blades with the motor running or wear sandals to mow the lawn. You’ll finish up minus fingers and toes. Look out for toys left lying in the grass, as they can bounce up and hit you in the face!

Sticky ending Glue comes in handy for different jobs around the house, but just be careful where you stick it. People end up in the hospital glued to all kinds of objects. Don’t go spilling it on the toilet seat, as one man did…

Nail power High on the list of DIY horrors are nail guns. One careless slip and the nail is buried in your anatomy (usually your hand or foot) instead of the wall or floor. One man in California had six nails removed from his skull after a nail-gun accident, but he survived!

142

Power play Electrocution by drilling into electric cables, leaks from puncturing water pipes, and eye injuries as a result of using a grinder without safety glasses… The catalog of power-tool disasters goes on and on. There’s one simple solution. Just turn the machine off!

Unhelping hand Fire starter Cutting edge From handsaws to chain saws, these tools demand respect. Most chain-saw injuries are to the legs and knees, as a result of slipping, dropping, or losing control of a running chain saw. The average chain-saw injury requires 110 stitches. Ouch!

You’re up in the attic using a blowtorch to burn off old paint, but the next thing you know, the whole roof is on fire and several fire engines are screeching to a halt in the street outside. It’s a bit of a blow, really.

Don’t use a screwdriver to get the lid off the paint can. If it slips, you’ll give yourself an injury. Now, where did you leave that hammer? It’s on top of the stepladder, so climb with caution. The vast majority of DIY accidents are caused by careless slips with hand-held tools, including hammers, screwdrivers, knives, and scalpels. Remember, tools rule.

First aid A first-aid kit is an absolute essential in the toolshed. Heading the list of common DIY injuries are cuts to the hands and fingers, followed by specks of dust or paint in the eye. A surprising number of people push parts of their body through glass windows or doors… painful!

In for the chop To all of those woodcutters out there— wear heavy boots when chopping logs and make sure the head of your ax is firmly attached to the shaft before taking aim. Otherwise, you’ll be getting axed, too.

DIY DISASTERS

143

DEATH BY IDIOCY Life is full of hidden dangers, and accidents are just waiting to happen. Despite this, some people go through life blissfully unaware of the stupidity of their own actions. This award ceremony salutes some of the truly idiotic ways in which people have brought an abrupt end to their lives. Read it and weep!

What a pane! This award goes to the gentleman who threw himself against the window of his 24th-floor office in an attempt to prove to a group of visitors that the glass was unbreakable. On his second attempt, he smashed through the glass and plunged to his death.

It takes two... Congratulations to the impatient driver who drove around the gates of a railroad crossing in a bid to beat an approaching train. He hit an oncoming car head-on because the driver coming the other way had the same idea! The train sped by unharmed.

Snakebite The American dream ended for one California man who picked an argument with a rattlesnake. When the man stuck his tongue out at the snake, the riled reptile retaliated by sinking its fangs into the offending item. The poor guy’s tongue and throat swelled and he choked to death.

144

That floored him A bungee jumper carefully measured his bungee cords so that they would stop his fall a few feet (meters) short of the ground. Unfortunately, he overlooked the fact that the cords were made of elastic. When the man jumped, the bungee cords stretched and he hit the floor headfirst.

Up, up, and away A Brazilian Catholic priest attached 1,000 helium-filled balloons to a chair and launched himself skyward. His goal was to raise money for his parish work, but the weather was not on his side—strong winds blew him off course and he drifted out to sea. He was never seen again.

Wrong number This one is dedicated to the man who was woken by a ringing telephone next to his bed. He reached out his hand to answer it, but grabbed his gun instead by accident. As he put the gun to his ear to speak, he shot himself through the head.

Cock-a-doodle-doo! Here’s one from the history books: One cold winter’s day in 1626, forward-thinking English scientist Sir Francis Bacon decided to see if he could preserve a chicken by stuffing it with snow. He caught a cold and died of pneumonia a week later.

Shocking story Annoyed by the molehills spoiling his lawn, a man drove metal stakes into the ground and connected them to a high-voltage power cable. The next day, he walked onto the lawn to see if he had succeeded in frying the moles and ended up electrocuting himself.

SILLY WAYS TO DIE

145

KILLER CAREERS Does the idea of a desk job make you yawn? Are you looking for daring challenges rather than a boring nine-to-five? Then career through our assault course and some of the most dangerous jobs in the world. All of them carry a high risk of injury and accidental death—so hold on tight to your hardhats!

Logger

T R TS A

Watch you don’t slip with that chain saw, and look out for falling trees and branches! Logging (cutting down forests) is high on the list of killer careers. Good choice if you love the great outdoors, but keep a first-aid kit close at hand.

Bomb-disposal expert This obstacle calls for a bomb-disposal expert. They are trained to make safe any explosive device, be it an IED (roadside bomb), unexploded World War II bomb, land mine, or car bomb. This job requires patience, skill, and mega amounts of courage.

Deep-sea diver Your next stop is the bottom of the sea. Deep-sea divers work in dark, murky waters searching for oil and gas or repairing damaged pipelines. It’s tough, dangerous work—but don’t surface too quickly. Bubbles can form in the blood in a potentially lethal condition called “the bends.”

Venom milker First, catch a poisonous snake. Next, rub its venom gland until it shoots venom from its fangs into a jar. Remember to keep some antivenin at hand— the chances of being bitten during venom milking are high. Fang-tastic work if you can get it! 146

Power-line technician Calling all live wires out there—installing and repairing high-voltage power lines is electrifying work (sometimes literally). Be prepared to work in blizzard and storm conditions— shockproof nerves and a head for heights are a must.

Crab fisher According to U.S. government figures, fishing for king crabs off the coast of Alaska is statistically the most dangerous job in the world. With waves as big as houses coming at you, one slip and you’re a goner—no one can survive in the freezing waters.

Miner !

Venturing deep under the ground to mine for coal, gold, diamonds, or other minerals is full of dangers. Air is in short supply, and if a rock collapse or gas explosion occurs without warning, you’ll be trapped. Not a career for the claustrophobic!

Safari ranger Those big cats don’t look so friendly. Neither do angry rhinos and snap-happy crocs, not to mention armed ivory poachers. You need to keep your wits and survival skills about you as a safari ranger.

!

Smoke jumper A wildfire is spreading fast. How to tackle it before it takes hold? Send in the smoke jumpers! These firefighters parachute into remote areas to put out forest fires. Holy smoke—what if the jump goes wrong?

Construction worker

FINI

Falls from ladders, accidents with machinery, injuries from collapsing scaffolding— construction can be a deadly business. Imagine plunging more than 40 stories from a skyscraper… It has happened.

SH

DANGEROUS JOBS

147

148

Launch yourself into empty space with only an elastic cord attached to your feet and wait for the rebound. Crazy or what? The first loony leapers were Pacific Islanders who jumped from cliffs with liana vines tied to their ankles. Today, bungee jumpers fling themselves from tall structures all over the world.

BUNGEE JUMPING

r so ross) f Looks motoc us strength le c y ic o (b rm y es eno s continuall requir er id R l. il and sk mselves to p he t h race u s u p s they ramp) a it m the li pipe ( al half a vertic ps a form le to per s in unt and st how r o s the air feats of azing off am dexterity e and at. balanc fl on the g ridin ! e ik b r On you

ESTYLEBMX E R F X ut BM easy, b eestyle

Too warm for snowboarding? Why not try your hand (or should that be foot?) at dirtboarding? A dirtboard, which is also called a mountainboard, is mounted on four wheels and can be ridden on any surface—grass, dirt track, concrete… You name it. You can even use it for land kitesurfing.

DIRTBOARDING

Take a deep breath and hold it for up to eight minutes—or longer, if you fill your lungs with pure oxygen first. Freediving is underwater diving without any breathing apparatus and is the closest you will get to swimming like a fish. Some freedivers descend to mind-blowing depths of 328 ft (100 m) or more.

FREEDIVING

PARCOUR

Leap walls, scale buildings , run across roof tops, and jump from obstacle to obstacle with only the strength of your body to help yo u. This extreme physic al sport, which originat ed in France, is also known as parcour, PK , and urban freefl ow. Whatever the label, it’s a cheap way for fast-moving ci ty dwellers to travel—the on ly fuel used is adrenaline.

Snooow-exciti ng… There’s no thing to beat the adrenaline rush of “surfin g” the fresh powder as you slide and float down a mountainsid e on your boar d—a thrilling combination of skateboarding, surfing, and skiing. Be st not to take any foolish ris though—avalan ks, ches and gian t tumbles can prove fata l.

SNOWBOARDING

EXTREME SPORTS

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MOTOCROSS

e extrem e s e h t of t ry one o deliver tha hen e v e d t n rw Each a guaranteed e terro h kicks in, r u p d s i us an sports aline r les go into anger n d e f r o d t a n sc he mome nd mu re not for soar, t a s , l g e n v i e l sa mp stress ctivitie d always rts pu a a t e s s t e r a th an the he rning: etwise a e r W t . s e v y i overdr hearted. Sta s. ntthe fai e safety rule th follow

Encounter thrills and spills galore in the supe rcharged world of motocross. These riders have to be mega fit as they struggle to keep control of their heav y all-terrain motorcycles. They can race at top speed over off-road dirt tracks or perform death-defying back flips, leaps, and acrobatic stunts on fiendishly designed cours es. Turn up the throttle—vroooom!

Ride giant killer waves as tall as houses on surfboards known as “guns” or “rhino chasers.” The brute force of a breaking wave can send you spinning way down below the surface with only seconds to get out before the next wave hits you. Stay under the water for three waves and you’re most likely waving goodbye forever.

BIG WAVE SURFING

E H T L E FE BURN

e-fa rw Try fre or helicopte bric fa e n h la it p w a n suit a s and m m d a bir the ar r bric e d n u The fa wings e legs. your body h t n e betwe out to give e to glid s spread you are free s. le d lift, an with the eag ase le h e r ig h o t p r u mbe e to m e e r t Just arachu ck your p d gently ba descen . Talk about th to Ear ’s-eye view! a bird

FLYING T I U S G WIN lling from earing

Looking to get downhill fast? Lie back on your luge board and let gravity do the rest. Street luge started among skateboarders back in the 1970s. Experienced lugers may reach speeds of up to 80 mph (128 km/h) as they hurtle down the course, their bodies suspended a mere 2 in (5 cm) above the ground. Awesome!

STREET LUGE

Channel 1: The great escape artist

STV 1

A padlocked steel box is lowered into a river. Inside, wrapped in chains, is Harry Houdini, the granddaddy of stuntmen back in the early 1900s. To the amazement of the crowd, he frees himself in three minutes and swims up to the surface.

Channel 2: Hang on a minute Don’t miss your chance to see one of the classic movie stunts of all time when silent movie star Harold Lloyd hangs onto the hands of a clock high up above a city street in the 1923 movie Safety Last!. The mild-mannered actor designed and performed all of his own stunts.

Channel 3: The jumper In memory of Alain Prieur (07/04/1949–11/08/2007), stuntman supreme, who fearlessly leaped 16 buses on his motorcycle and jumped from 13,123 ft (4,000 m) without a parachute. Tragically, he died when his chute failed as he jumped between two gliders flying one under the other.

STV 4

Channel 4: Long-distance leaper Relive the moment that Ke Shou Liang makes a stupendous leap in his Mitsubishi sports car across the Hukou waterfall on China’s Yellow River in 1997. This movie actor and stuntman first hit the headlines after jumping his motorcycle over the Great Wall of China in 1992.

Channel 5: Jetman Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Yves Rossy, the Swiss pilot who flies with a jet-powered fixed wing on his back at speeds of up to 186 mph (299 km/h). Watch in disbelief as he crosses the English Channel in under 10 minutes on September 26, 2008.

Channel 6: Don’t look down You need a head for heights just to look at Eskil Ronningsbakken riding a bike upside down on a wire suspended 3,280 ft (1,000 m) above a Norwegian fjord! The extreme balancing acts of this fearless daredevil appear to defy the laws of gravity.

Channel 7: Urban climber Who’s that tapping on the window? Why, it’s Alain Robert, the French Spiderman with a passion for scaling skyscrapers. Cheered on by office workers more used to the sight of pigeons than headstrong climbers, he races to the top of the world’s tallest towers.

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STV 7

STV 2

STV 3

STV 5

STV 6

DANCING WITH DEATH All of our channels on Stunt TV are dedicated to the world’s greatest stuntmen and their death-defying feats of sheer lunacy. Gasp at the amazing bravado of these super-crazy heroes as they hang by their fingertips from skyscrapers with ice-cold calm or leap fearlessly across yawning gorges.

STUNT TV

CRAZY STUNTS

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six years later…

the skywalker of New York

They’re beautiful. Now it’s time to make my walk.

As a teEnager, PhilipPe Petit worked as a streEt jugGler and high-wire walker in Paris. One day, he went to the dentist with a toOthache. That’s when his crazy dream was born.

Overnight, they rigGed up the wire betweEn the towers. As a misty dawn broke over ManhatTan, PhilipPe stepPed out onto the thin steEl cable suspended 1,312 ft (400 m) above the ground.

Hey, bud! come back in!

What’s that guy doing up there?

He hasn’t got a safety harnesS!

He’s gonNa falL, he’s gonNa falL!

In the streEts below, New Yorkers on their way to work gazed up in astonishment. They could not believe their eyes.

Hey, guys, don’t push. Are you trying to kilL me?

PhilipPe came ofF the wire only when it started to rain. He was imMediately grabBed by the police.

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PhilipPe spent the next six years perfecting his skilLs as a high-wire walker. Shortly before the Twin Towers were due to open, he traveled to New York city.

You’re insane!

On the afternoOn of August 6, 1974, PhilipPe and his team smugGled the wire into the World Trade Center. they toOk the elevator to the 104th floOr and then climbed to the roOf.

I can’t bear to watch!

LoOk, the towers are almost finished. They are 110 stories high.

With steEly concentration, philipPe walked the length of the wire from one building to the other and then turned around and walked back again.

PhilipPe, they’re sending a helicopter for you. Get ofF now—it’s toO risky. Pouf!

Meanwhile, police ofFicers apPeared on the roOf. On seEing them, PhilipPe performed a litTle dance...

…At one point, he even lay down on the wire.

five days later… Why did you do it, PhilipPe?

The charges are dropPed.

Daredevil PhilipPe became an international hero overnight. He had pulLed ofF the ultimate high-wire stunt.

But you must give a streEt show for the children of New York.

There is no why. When I seE threE oranges, I jugGle. When I seE two towers, I walk.

Eek! It must be threE-quarters of a mile acrosS!

Are you realLy going to leap that, Evel? YUP!

The motorcycle daredevil who tried to jump the Snake River Canyon

He’s some crazy dude.

Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel regularly played with death jumping over cars, trucks, and buses. He lost count of how many bones he had broken in his body.

They say it cost more than $150,000 to build.

He decided to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, a feat that would be imposSible on an ordinary motorcycle…

Hope you make it, Evel.

the guy’s fearlesS!

I like doing things by the seat of my pants.

…so he built a rocket-powered Skycycle to get him acrosS. It would be his most daring stunt ever.

There he goes!

YeE-HAW! oOOH!

The Skycycle was launched up a steEp ramp. Previous test models had failed to clear the canyon.

I could have told him wings are betTer.

He’s going to crash.

He’lL drown.

aAaAH!

Evel presSed the butTon and the Skycycle roared up the ramp at 350 mph (563 km/H). It soared high into the air.

The parachute had unfurled toO early. Pushed by the wind, the Skycycle drifted back into the canyon down toward the swirling waters of the river 655 ft (200 m) below.

Back to the buses. What next, Evel?

The Skycycle came to rest on the rocks just short of the river. Miraculously, Evel walked away with only minor cuts and bruises.

Evel earned $6 milLion from the stunt. A few months later, he broke his pelvis after jumping 13 buses in London’s Wembley Stadium and went on to complete many more stunts and break many more bones. STUNT STARS

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This Slovenian swimmer battled against sunburn and exhaustion to swim the length of the Amazon River—a staggering 3,375 miles (5,431 km)—facing piranhas, anacondas, alligators, and parasitic fish that burrow into human flesh.

Martin Strel

Are you ready to push your body to the limits of human endurance, and beyond? These record-breaking athletes and explorers have done just that.

ENDURANCE

Imagine circling the globe using only muscle power. That’s what British adventurer Jason Lewis did. His epic 46,000-mile (74,000-km) journey around the world took him 13 years, cycling, Rollerblading, kayaking, and pedal boating. He survived malaria, a crocodile attack, and a near-fatal road accident along the way before making it home—alive, but very very tired.

This American athlete is the six-time winner of the Hawaiian Ironman triathlon event. In this supreme test of fitness and endurance, competitors complete a long-distance open swim, followed by a 112-mile (180-km) bike race, and a 26-mile (49-km) marathon run. It makes you tired just thinking about it.

Mark Allen

The first woman to swim the English Channel, Ederle set her record-breaking time of 14 hours 39 minutes in 1926, earning a ticker-tape parade in her home city of New York.

In 1911, this Norwegian explorer skied and dogsledded his way across Antarctica to reach the South Pole just days before British explorer Robert Falcon Scott.

Jason Lewis

Gertrude Ederle

Roald Amundsen

Tower running is the sport of racing up the staircases of skyscrapers. In 2010, German runner Thomas Dold won the annual Empire State Building Run Up for the fifth time after pounding up 86 flights (1,576 steps) in 10 minutes.

Thomas Dold

ENDURANCE

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This intrepid British explorer has reached the magnetic and geographic north and south poles and completed the Seven Summits “grand slam” by climbing the highest mountain on each continent. Not content with that, he set the record for the highest ascent in a hot-air balloon— 32,500 ft (9,906 m).

David Hempleman-Adams

British yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur set a world record in 2005 for the fastest solo nonstop voyage around the world. Her 27,000-mile (43,000-km), 71-day odyssey pitted her skills against gale-force winds and mountainous waves. In recognition of her achievement, Queen Elizabeth II made her a dame (the female equivalent of a knight) on her return to England.

Ellen MacArthur

In 1970, Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura became the first person to ski a course down Mount Everest. He covered 6,600 ft (2,011 m) in two minutes and fell another 1,320 ft (402 m) before sliding to a stop. In 2008, he made it to the top again, aged 75, and says that he’ll be back for his 80th birthday.

Yuichiro Miura

FRENZIED FESTIVALS Somewhere near you, a festival is happening right now. Why not join in with the madness and mayhem? From scaring devils and staging battles to messy food fights and crazy tests of courage, festivals are a great way to let off steam—and there is often a real element of danger to the organized chaos. When the festival’s over, life becomes safer and duller again. Until the next time, that is.

IVANKUPALA

A L E

M R

of n s i ides dea e g i s g illa th he o v n bo s. T e fla w e t h o t le on ing rom up st dd n f , line with seiz e mi e r, m dia er om th ea h, In noth rs fr le in y a ge po ery es e Ev Prad lt on l villa of a ver. ri pe iva op ya dh and he r the t f the a t o M er to iv top a r to s ched is atta

A M

T O G

A N O L PAMP N U R L L BU

ng to see you na in Spain festival lo p m a P t the nture, visi bullring for as ste of adve f the bulls town to the o e d For a real ta th a e h h g a u ro ce u th ra , n yo h if ru g u g ough— ng eno bulls bein e careful, th you’re dari B If . . ts ín e . re rm th st a Fe to de of San the narrow r trampled e through ing gored o e b they charg sk ri u oting, yo lose your fo

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Fire-leaping festiv als are held on Ivan Kupala (Saint John’s Day, July 7) in Poland, Ukraine , and Russia. Participants take tu rns jumping over the flames be cause the ritual is said to cleanse the body and mind , and bring good luc k. Water fights are also part of the fu n, and the festivitie s are well attended by locals.

CHE ESE E H T FES -ROLL TIVA ING BATTLE OFGES N L A OR Thi sb in izar roll Glou re ann c in u Mo g dow esters al eve st o hire n n a ft , E t ha s bro hem fi teep h nglan s been k d n i win en bo ish in ll, and . A ro held f nes ner or 2 rac und ap e i o get 0 s to r a so le at t rs rus chees 0 yea e is hd r kee re h he b ow se s o p th ead , bu ttom, n afte t ec o hee t r se. the lu ften w it. Mic ith c e o ky ne!

N A R K G SON R WATE FIGHT

g for ettin als s e th e loc ly is n Ita l when th nd hurl i a e r of Iv al festiva tumes a ebrating s u town el The uicy ann dieval co ey are c which j e h T s m i . 4 th 9 in icked er in noth w in 11 s up dres at one a k place gainst a reet. t o s a s o e t p g e oran ttle that n rose u s into th ve a a w n h b o a t e a ! es ntire ew b akes rang the e and thr , juicy o owing st e r n duk he th e the Sinc eans in t en b beat

EL COLACHO

In the Spa nish village of Castrillo dressed as de Murcia, the devil (E men l Colacho) laid in row s in the stre jump over babies et in an an the babies nual rite to from evil sp safeguard irits. This u place on th nusual eve e religious nt takes festival of C orpus Chri dates back sti and to the 17th century.

The largest water fight in the world takes place in Thailand. To celebrate Songkran (their new-year festival in April), people spray cars and passers by with hoses, water balloons, and water guns. Everyone ends up completely drenched, but as the temperature is about 104ºF (40ºC)—the hottest time of the year at the end of the dry season—no one really cares!

FESTIVALS

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Never set up home next to a cemetery.

Back out of a room without checking to see who or what’s behind the door.

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“I’ll just read this ancient spell out loud.”

Never, ever answer a ringing pay phone.

Open a closed door or closet if you hear strange noises on the other side.

“Who’s there?”

What not to say…

“I’ll be right back.”

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Never break into a tomb or burial ground.

Flee up the stairs from a monster on the loose. Once at the top, your only way out is to jump!

What not to do in a strange house…

Danger lurks at every turn in a horror movie, and don’t you wish there was some way to stop the people in them from making the same old mistakes again and again? This instruction card has been issued as part of a campaign to make horror movies a risk-free environment and to ensure that everyone gets through them unscathed to the very end.

HOW TO SURVIVE A HORROR MOVIE

RULES OF A HORROR MOVIE

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Be wary of anyone wearing a mask, most of all a clown’s.

Be tempted to investigate a strange baying sound at night. Just assume it’s a werewolf!

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Remember, however fast you’re running away from it, the beast is always just behind you—and you’re sure to fall over at least once… twice…

FOREST OF DEATH

Plan on camping out in any woods that have a spooky name!

What not to do when staying away from home…

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Never watch a horror movie when you’re in a horror movie.

Linger in a deserted town. The streets are empty for a reason. Take the hint and get out while you can.

Banshee You’ll probably hear the banshee before you see her. This moaning spirit specializes in hanging around the house wailing when a family member is about to die. The mournful cry of a banshee can shatter glass, so have your earplugs handy.

Grim Reaper No one can escape the Grim Reaper. A stern figure in a hooded black cloak, he carries a scythe (an implement for cutting grass) as a sign of impending death and holds up an hourglass to show that your time is running out. You’d better quickly eat your dinner just in case.

COME DINE WITH… It is a dark and stormy night, and you’re lost in the woods. You begin to panic when, through the trees, you see lights. Finding yourself outside a gloomy old house, you knock on the door. As it creaks open slowly, you see a table filled with food and drinks. But look at the dinner guests! Who are these creepy creatures inviting you to come dine with them? And will this be your last supper? 160

Zombie

Werewolf

If you have a say in the seating plan, avoid sitting next to the zombie. One of the living dead, he feeds on human flesh and so is something of a picky eater. His appearance leaves a lot to be desired, and he’s not much of a talker, either, as he doesn’t have a mind.

Take care if one of the guests starts sprouting hair. He could be a werewolf—a shape shifter who changes from a person to a wolf and back again. A silver bullet will stop him in his tracks or you could try defending yourself with your silverware if he is coming too close.

Poltergeist

Mummy

Tables and chairs are flying through the air, and you can hear pots and pans smashing to the floor in the kitchen. There is definitely a poltergeist around. These invisible spirits like to let off steam by causing a commotion. Take cover!

Brought back to life by an archaeologist who broke into an ancient Egyptian tomb and carelessly revived an ancient curse, the mummy is clearly very angry about something. But if you’d like some after-dinner entertainment, he’s an excellent wrap artist.

Vampire

Ghoul

Don’t expect garlic on the menu when you dine with vampires, as they can’t stand the smelly stuff. If a vampire is looking pale and interesting, he hasn’t tasted human blood for a while. If you want to stop him from dining on you, be sure to have a crucifix ready.

This gloomy fellow has just dropped in from the graveyard, where he likes to hang out with the local corpses and skeletons. He groans a lot, and it’s never easy to cheer him up. However, he does love snacking on piles of bones, so don’t bother passing him the vegetables.

Woman in white Feel a chill in the air? The temperature drops when ghosts like this shadowy lady are around. Ghosts can walk straight through solid walls, and they have often endured tragic deaths and seem to be searching for something… the salt and pepper perhaps?

THE UNDEAD

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NO ESCAPE!

DANGEROUS DRIVING

With jellylike legs and a pounding heart, you’re running as fast as you can from the monster whose hot breath is bristling the hairs on the back of your neck. This nasty nightmare seems stressful in itself but could in fact be your mind’s way of dealing with any stress in your waking life.

Behind the wheel of a car that is speeding dangerously out of control, unable to use the brakes or steering, this nightmare may drive you around the bend. And, strangely, you don’t have to be a driver to experience it. Psychologists think that this nightmare is caused by anxiety about the inability to control events in real life.

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FREE-FALLING

Have you ever dreamed that your teeth are crumbling or falling out in a pile on the floor? Many people do. It could mean that you are feeling angry and clenching your teeth in your sleep or you may be worried about the way other people view you. Then again, it could just be time that you paid a visit to the dentist.

TOOTHY TERRORS

Balancing on scaffolding over a vast, empty space, you’re unable to look down, but the next minute, you’re falling… Running along a cliff, the ground stops suddenly and, oh no! Over you go… Nightmare! Falling is a common dream theme, reflecting inner insecurities and a feeling that there’s a lack of solid grounding in your life. Thank goodness you wake up before you hit the ground!

GET ME OUT OF HERE!

What a disaster! You have wandered into the middle of a battle zone with explosions going off all around you. Or buildings are collapsing, or you are about to be swamped by floods, or frizzled in a fire… This is one of the most frightening types of dreams. It leaves you quivering with fright for a long time after you’ve woken up, unable to shake off feelings of terror and impending doom, and could reflect personal problems that you feel are raging out of control.

DISASTER SCENARIO

If you’re unsure about how to act in a situation in the real world, your dreams can be about being trapped in an enclosed space, such as a cage or a locked room, unable to escape or scream for help. Someone who has regular dreams about this may be feeling trapped in a doomed relationship or a dead-end job.

NIGHTMARES AND PHOBIAS

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FEAR OF FEATHERS

Do feathers give you feelings of panic? Sounds like you’re suffering from pteronophobia. Avoid birds!

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FEAR OF LIGHTNING

Officially known as astraphobia, this fear of lightning and thunder can affect animals as well as people.

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FEAR OF SPIDERS About 50 percent of women and 10 percent of men are said to have arachnophobia.

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FEAR OF SHADOWS

Is that a monster? No, it’s something much worse for someone with sciaphobia. It’s the shadow of a monster!

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FEAR OF MIRRORS

People who suffer from eisoptrophobia will not even hang up a mirror in case they see their own reflection.

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What hideous horrors are lurking in the dark depths of your subconscious? While fearsome phobias torment you during your waking hours, there are terrifying nightmares waiting to disturb your sleep. Sweet dreams…

ALL IN THE MIND

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FEAR OF SNAKES

FEAR OF NEEDLES

Some experts think that ophidiophobia has an evolutionary link to the fear of snakes felt by our Stone Age ancestors.

Do you shudder at the thought of giving blood? That may be because you’re tryanophobic.

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S L I R E P T PAS

t some a k o lo a e k ta y today? Just h g u our unluck o t n e r o a d s e g t in ic fl Think th t history in alt out death and a h t s r o r r o of the h rulers de rous than s a s b r le a h t b u e R r o m ancestors. referred skills were p l e a h t ic g s r a u w s e , r destruction earing tortu oothed dinosaurs t il a n e o t d n r-t beneficial, a stioning. From dagge pain. ue a method of q sassins, the past was as to assorted

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ZONE 3—MEDIEVAL JAPAN Test your survival skills against the NINJAS— trained assassins who use disguise and stealth to track down and silence their enemies. Specialty weapons are the shuriken (a star-shaped throwing blade) and knives. Surprise is their tactic as they scale buildings and climb trees to descend on their enemies from above.

zone 4—SPANISH MAIN In this zone, you’re fighting off the PIRATES of the Caribbean. Swashbucklers such as Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, and Captain Kidd prey on Spanish ships loaded with gold bullion. Your goal is to avoid walking the plank or being keelhauled (dragged under the bottom of the ship and up the other side). Shiver me timbers!

ZONE 2—DARK AGE EUROPE Pit yourself against the VIKINGS. These fierce fighters from Scandinavia have sailed their dragon ships along the coasts and down the rivers of western Europe on a quest to murder, raid, and loot wherever they go. Prepare to be afraid—some of these ax-waving, battle-hardened warriors may go berserk by working themselves up into a frenzy until they feel no pain. Scary!

ZONE 1—ROMAN EMPIRE Your opponents are the HUNS, mounted archers who have powered their way from central Asia to destroy crops and villages and spread terror throughout the Roman Empire. Be warned—the faces of these barbarian warriors are scarred to make them look scarier. Their fearsome leader, Attila, is known as “the scourge of God.” Your goal is to eliminate him. Once he is out of the way, Hun resistance will fade away.

KILLERS ON THE LOOSE This game is divided into seven time zones, each one controlled by a ruthless and cunning band of killers straight out of the pages of history. Your objective is to refine your defense strategies to outwit and defeat them, picking up survival points along the way. You’ll need a different set of skills to complete each zone. Good luck! 166

1. HUN

2. VIKING

zone 5—19TH-CENTURY INDIA

zone 6—OUTBACK

Try to track down the THUGGEES, followers of an Indian cult who combine robbery and ritual murder in the name of Kali, the goddess of destruction. First, they jolly up to groups of traveling merchants. Then, as night falls, they creep up silently on their companions, whip out a scarf, and throttle them. The original thugs!

Prepare to do battle with the BUSHRANGERS! Hiding in the Australian outback, these runaway convicts and criminal outlaws are wanted for rustling cattle, robbing banks, and attacking travelers. Most notorious of all is Ned Kelly, who wears a suit of armor and an iron helmet and is on the run for killing three policemen.

zone 7—VICTORIAN LONDON Visit the dangerous depths of the London underworld, where GAROTERS lurk in the smoggy gloom. These heartless villains seize respectable pedestrians from behind by putting a thin wire or rope around their throat and then beating them senseless and picking their pockets. No wonder the local magazine Punch has advised Londoners to wear spiked metal collars for protection!

zone 8—AMERICAN WILD WEST You need to be quick on the draw to survive in this zone. There will be gun battles galore against trigger-happy gangs of WILD WEST GUNMEN. This mob is out to rob trains and banks and evade arrest by sheriffs and other law enforcers. Among the heroes and villains you’ll meet are legendary outlaw Billy the Kid, train robber Jesse James, and horse-thief-turned-lawman Wyatt Earp. Get shooting!

SelecT: kILLERS AND BATTLE ZONES 3. NINJA

4. PIRATE

5. THUGGEE

6. BUSHRANGER

7. GAROTER

8. WILD WEST GUNMAN

KILLERS OF THE PAST

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WORLD OF PAI N Tongue tea rers Thes

e large iro the tongues n pincers are ideal fo r tearing ou of heretics t (anyone wh beliefs disa ose religiou gree with th s ose of the ch permanentl urch) to y silence th em. A simp device. Rec le but effec ommended tive by Tomás d the head o e Torquem f the Spanis ada, h Inquisitio “I wouldn’t n, who said leave home , without on e.”

Iron maiden Is there someone you’d like to put in a closet and forget about? The iron maiden may be just what you’re looking for. This coffinlike box is lined with deadly spikes, so once your victim is locked inside, you can leave them to bleed to death. Beware of cheap forgeries—ours is the genuine article.

They certa inly had w ays of ma scream in king you days gone by. This to catalog, is rturers’ sued by H ouse of To reveals by rment, Inc gone meth ., ods and p punishme itiless nts for de aling with sinners… traitors, or anyone who simp out of line ly stepped . Recomm ended rev reading fo olting r interroga ting gangs the Inquis of ition and other eage r torturers .

ALL FIRED UP Burning at the stake remains the tried and tested way of getting rid of undesirables. Our “Handy Heretic Kit” comes complete with bundles of wood, a stake, ropes, flint lighter, and a full set of instructions. Previous customers include the executioners of Joan of Arc.

Feeling stretched? Be the first torturer in your neck of the woods to own a rack. This cunning device stretches the body of the wretch you’re tormenting until you can hear the bones crack. Even the most stubborn soul is bound to confess once the rollers start turning...

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Wheel of torture Looking for something new in the pain department? How about the latest “Fiery Furnace” wheel of torture? Most wheel operators were satisfied with breaking their victim’s arms and legs by striking them with a hammer as the body revolved around. But our new model has the novelty add-on feature of roasting the prisoner as he turns. Special offer: starter package of charcoal included.

Dunked! Crabby old crones in village after village have been punished time and time again throughout history on suspicion of witchcraft. This tried-and-tested method will settle any doubts for good—sit the said person in the ducking stool, lower it into a river or pond, and hold her under the water for several minutes. If she drowns, you’ll know for sure that she wasn’t a witch.

French guillotine Introducing the latest idea in execution, from our Parisian friends in France. The inventor, Dr. Guillotin, claims that the French guillotine is much more humane than previous methods and will revolutionize public executions. A steel blade is raised on a rope and allowed to drop on the victim’s neck, severing it from the body. We are unable to confirm reports that some heads have been seen blinking or speaking seconds after being cut off.

BRAZEN BULL

SCREWED UP Naughty suck-a-thumbs will never suck their thumbs again if you order one of our wide range of thumbscrews. These handy devices do just what it says on the label. Ex-screw-ciating pain as the screw is turned, crushing the thumbs between the plates, is guaranteed. Just as effective on fingers and toes.

Specially designed for those among you with classical tastes, we are delighted to present this well-crafted and artistic reproduction of an ancient Greek torture device. The victim is locked inside a hollow brass or bronze (brazen) bull, before a fire is lit underneath. The unlucky unfortunate is then roasted to death.

TORTURE METHODS

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MURDER MOST FOUL Hello, hello, hello—what’s going on at the seaside? It looks like some very dubious characters have found their way into our puppet show. Don’t be fooled by these puppets, girls and boys—they are all infamous murderers. Can you help Policeman and Crocodile bring our Mr. Punch and his fiendish friends to justice? That’s the way to do it!

Mystery man

Heartless mother

Ax murderer

Doctor death

Bungling Policeman will never catch elusive Jack the Ripper, the notorious serial killer who haunted the gaslit streets of old London town in 1888. He stabbed his female victims to death, and his identity remains a mystery to this day.

In 1892, Francesca Rojas of Argentina bludgeoned her two young sons to death so that she could marry her boyfriend. Rojas confessed all after a bloody fingerprint on the door was identified as hers—a first for forensic science.

One hot summer’s day in Fall River, Massachusetts, church-going Lizzie Borden brutally attacked and murdered her stepmother and father with an ax. She got away with it, though, after a jury failed to convict her in 1892.

Creepy Dr. Crippen gave his wife a fatal injection, cut up her body, and buried the pieces before trying to escape to Canada with his girlfriend. The ship’s captain alerted police, who were waiting for him as he stepped ashore.

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Looking for love? Hard-working, unattached male would like to meet attractive young lady with a view to marriage. Must be rich. I can help you to invest your money. Interested? Send photo to BK, Hungary.

Kiss of death

Double trouble

In 1914, a man named Béla Kiss went off to war. Later, neighbors complained of a foul smell coming from large oil drums stored in his yard. They forced them open and found the pickled bodies of 24 women inside. Kiss had used newspaper advertisements to attract his victims.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow went on a two-year robbing spree across the U.S. in the 1930s. This dastardly duo wasn’t clowning around—they shot and killed 13 people, including nine police officers, before dying in a hail of bullets. INFAMOUS MURDERERS

171

WEAPONS OF WAR Ever since our Stone Age ancestors first bashed one another over the heads with flint clubs, the battlefield has been a place of extreme danger. With the passage of time, the weapons used have become more and more powerful and more and more lethal. But with these weapons of mass play time, war has been waged in the sandpit; who's the king of the castle here?

Chariot In about 1500 BCE, the ancient Egyptians and Hittites fought pitched battles in light two-wheeled war chariots. Pulled by horses and highly mobile, each chariot carried a driver and an archer armed with a short bow to fire arrows down onto the enemy.

Cannon The invention of gunpowder by the Chinese in 900 CE transformed warfare. Cannons—heavy guns mounted on wooden carriages that fired stones and shells (explosive missiles)—were widespread in Europe from the 1400s onward, when battles became bloodier than ever.

Musket This gun was in use from the late 1600s until about 1850. It fired iron balls and had a bayonet (dagger) attached to the end of the barrel. Soldiers would fire their muskets in a single volley and then charge the enemy with their bayonets.

Tank The heavily armored tank came into its own as a combat weapon during World War II (1939–1945). Equipped with tracks for all-terrain mobility and mounted with a gun in a rotating turret, its purpose was to advance forward and break through enemy lines. 172

Th i so s sh be ldie ort s r sta use s wa wor Gla bb d fo s a d c diu Ro ing r c fea arri u s m e an at t ttin rso d b wi so he e g, c me y R th ldi o w h n a h ers em opp eap man ea als y in ing on l vy , t eg o jav we the thru hat iona c eli nt thi r s n a to ck ting ould y ,a nd wa of da r ar bat nd gg m tle. er. ed

Trireme This very fast warship was used by the ancient Greeks. It was powered by three rows of oarsmen seated on benches one above the other. A bronze-covered ram called a beak, which projected from the bow (front) of the trireme, was used to batter and sink enemy ships.

Fighter plane Flying was still in its infancy when warfare took to the air for the first time during World War I (1914–1918). Fighter planes were armed with machine guns, timed cleverly to fire between the propeller, and the pilots danced with death as they fought daring one-on-one battles in the sky.

Poison gas World War I saw the use of a horrible new weapon—poison gas. Chemicals (chlorine, phosgene, or mustard gas) that caused terrible burns and blindness were released into the enemy trenches. And if a soldier wasn't wearing a gas mask, the chemicals attacked the lungs after being breathed in.

Mace Medieval knights rode into battle armed with a mace. This weapon consisted of a heavy knobbed head mounted on a wooden shaft. A blow from a mace had great force and was powerful enough to smash through armor and chain mail.

Crossbow First used in Asia about 2,500 years ago, the hand-held crossbow was the supreme killing machine of late-medieval European warfare. It shot an iron bolt with enough force to penetrate a knight's armor at a distance of 600 ft (180 m).

WEAPONS

173

MAD MONARCHS

Nero (37–68 ce)

The pages of history are full of accounts of bloodthirsty monarchs who bullied and harassed their subjects (and their nearest and dearest) in truly horrible ways. Some of them were murderous psychopaths, while others were just crazy for power. Join these unruly rulers at the mad monarch’s tea party. What do they have to say for themselves?

I murdered two wives, tra la… And drowned my mother at sea, tra la la. Oh, what a musical emperor I am! They say I played my lyre while Rome burned—fiddlesticks! I took decisive action: I turned the Christians who started the fire into human torches to light my garden.

Caligula (12–41 ce) Many people think that I’m crazy, but what’s the point of being the Roman emperor if you can’t have a little fun? It was a good laugh to order live criminals to be fed to the lions and tigers in the arena. And if any of you sneak a look at my bald patch, you’ll be headed the same way!

Basil II (958–1025) As the Byzantine emperor, I have to constantly be on the lookout for rebels. One time, my army captured 15,000 enemy Bulgars. I ordered that 99 out of every 100 should be blinded, but the 100th should lose only one eye. That way, the half-blinded men could lead the others home. It was a sight for sore eyes.

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Timur the lame (1336–1405) I’ll be remembered as the last of the great Mongol warlords. My technique was to invade first and ask questions later. I burned whole cities to the ground, slaughtered the populations, and built giant towers out of their skulls. Not so lame after all, am I?

Qin Shi Huang (259–210 bce)

ranavalona the Cruel (1782–1861)

That’s nothing, Nero. When some stuffy old scholars disagreed with me—me, the first emperor of China!—I buried hundreds of them alive. And see those terra-cotta soldiers over there? I have 8,000 of them guarding my tomb. Thousands of people died building it, but as long as I’m safe for all eternity, who cares?

People say that I murdered my husband to make myself queen of Madagascar. I’m not telling. But it’s true that I terrorized and starved my subjects. One favorite trick was to dangle my enemies above a ravine and then cut the rope, More tea, anyone?

Vlad the impaler (1431–1476)

6

10

Ivan the Terrible (1530–1584) My Russian subjects made me really angry, so I set my private army on them. For seven years they went on the rampage—looting, burning, killing, and torturing. They wore black, and their emblem was a dog’s head and broom. Down, Fido—I’ll feed you an aristocrat soon.

Mmm, these stake sandwiches are absolutely scrumptious! As the prince of Wallachia, I’m always having to deal with my rotten enemies—thousands and thousands of them over the years. I like to impale them on wooden stakes. It’s the best entertainment I know. You should try it, Ivan.

MAD MONARCHS

175

In 1914, Bosnia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many Bosnian Serbs thought it should belong to Serbia.

That’s where the Archduke wilL die on June 28.

The Black Hand, a secret terRorist group based in Serbia, hatched a plan to asSasSinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian throne, on his ofFicial visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

You know your orders.

For bosnia!

O-HUNG AUSTR ARIA bosnia

N E M PI

For bosnia!

RE

belgrade Sarajevo

serbia

June 28, 1914. With his wife, Sophie, by his side, the Archduke prepared to drive through the streEts of Sarajevo. Seven would-be asSasSins, each armed with a gun and grenades, were concealed among the crowds lining the route.

Not toO fast, driver.

sudDenly, as the motorcade drove slowly past...

…but the driver saw the grenade coming and put his foOt on the gas.

oh, franz, it’s terRible!

aAah! freEdom for bosnia!

I want to seE the town.

helLlp...

The grenade bounced ofF the back to explode under the wheEl of the car behind it, wounding several people.

What a lovely day for an outing.

Franz Ferdinand was furious when he reached the ofFicial reception. Your HighnesSes, we are honored.

…Disaster! no one had told the driver of the change of plan, and he toOk a wrong turn into a narRow streEt. One of the asSasSins, 20-year-old student gavrilo princip, was standing on the corner as the car went past.

honored? they threw a bomb at me!

i did it...

176

for my country!

death to the archduke!

bang bam

He canceled the afternoOn’s planNed army inspection and set out to visit the wounded at the hospital instead.

Princip tried to kilL himself by swalLowing cyanide, but when it failed to work, he tried to turn the gun on himself. Angry bystanders wrestled him to the ground. He was put on trial but was toO young to receive the death penalty and died of the deadly disease, tb, threE years later in jail.

As the car stopPed to reverse back down the road, Princip rushed at it, firing his pistol.

sophie… no… don’t die…

One bulLet struck Franz Ferdinand in the neck; the other hit Sophie in the stomach. Both died within minutes.

the Great war they’re calLing it…

It wilL alL be over by Christmas.

The Archduke’s asSasSination plunged Europe into conflict: Austria declared war on Serbia, RusSia came to Serbia’s supPort, and Germany backed Austria. France and great britain joined RusSia’s side. By August 1914, World War I had begun.

Although most people believed that the war would be over in months, the fighting lasted four terRible years. over by christmas, my foOt.

they can shoOt at that if they like!

t ra

a

t ta

bam

By the time it ended in November 1918, 10 milLion soldiers and more than six milLion civilians had lost their lives.

Religious mystic Grigori Rasputin claimed to have special powers of healing. His enemies said he was a fraud. But the czar and czarina of RusSia believed that he could cure their son, Crown Prince Alexei, who sufFered from hemophilia (uncontrolLable bleEding), and toOk rasputin to their hearts.

In 1914, RusSia entered World War I against Austria and Germany. czar Nicholas II went to take personal comMand of the RusSian army, leaving the czarina, the four princesSes, and litTle Alexei behind in Saint Petersburg. My duty is to defend Mother RusSia.

The worst is over. Now let him rest.

My poOr Alexei!

Be brave, my darling. Bye-bye, Papa!

You’ve saved his life. What would we do without you?

Rasputin became closer than ever to the royal family.

The war went badly for RusSia, and many people blamed the czarina, who was German by birth, and her close friend and adviser, Rasputin. The czarina’s a German spy.

RusSia must be saved!

Yusupov invited rasputin for a late-evening snack at his palace. He gave him pastries and wine laced with cyanide, taking care not to consume any himself.

Have one of these delicious pastries.

Two hours later, Rasputin was stilL alive. Yusupov could not believe it. He left the roOm to confer with the other conspirators before returning with a loaded pistol.

They’re laced with poison!

got any more of those tasty pastries?

The mad monk is her evil genius.

rasputin must die!

Four aristocrats, led by Prince Felix Yusupov, decided that it was time to get rid of the mad monk.

Yusupov was sure that Rasputin was realLy dead this time. he’s dead, right?

right?

I shouldn’t realLy— sugar’s bad for me. Oh welL, if you insist.

Rasputin rushed out into the courtyard, folLowed by his asSasSins. they felLed him by two more pistol shots, Then beat him over the head.

just to be sure we’ve got him this time!

The asSasSins dragGed the body of Rasputin to the frozen Neva River and dropPed it into a hole in the ice.

This should fix him!

In 1917, the ComMunist Revolution forced czar Nicholas from the throne, AND vladimir LENIN, the LEADER OF THE BOLSHEVIKS, EMERGED AS the NEW LEADER. power to the people!

That’s the last we’lL seE of him! goOd idea!

That’s what you said the last time!

aAaArgh! But when he bent over the body, the crazy mystic opened an eye to glare at him.

ThreE days later, it bobBed up again. An autopsy showed that the tough monk had died of drowning.

The folLowing year, the entire royal family was brutalLy murdered by the Bolsheviks.

ASSASSINATIONS

177

MEDICAL HORRORS Welcome to the House of Horrors, where each room contains a scene of surgical ghastliness. Before pain-numbing anesthetics arrived in the 19th century, any procedure that involved cutting into the body was painful and was carried out as rapidly as possible. Even in the 20th century, gruesome but useless procedures such as ice-pick lobotomies were still happening.

1

1

THIS IS GIVING ME A HEADACHE!

Hole in the head

Need relief from a bad migraine or a feeling of depression? Then try a procedure that dates back to the Stone Age. Trepanation involves using a flint tool to make a circular hole in the skull bone that exposes the brain and allows the “demons” causing the problem to escape.

2

HA! HA! THIS WIlL COST YOU AN ARM AND A LEG!

Amputation

Saw at the ready, his patient strapped in place, this surgeon is poised to cut off the diseased arm. The operation will be painful, but he should be able to amputate the arm in under a minute. If blood loss isn’t great, and the wound doesn’t become infected, his patient may survive.

3

New teeth

The man in the chair has horrible tooth decay, the result of eating refined sugar, a new product in the 18th century. His dentist removes rotten teeth and replaces them with “new” ones taken from executed criminals or dead paupers. These transplants won’t last and may also carry disease.

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2

4

Bloodletting

This unfortunate woman is being bled by a surgeon. Why? It was once believed that certain ailments were the result of having an “excess” of blood in the body. The remedy was bloodletting—cutting into a vein with a sharp knife and allowing the “excess” to flow out.

6

Burn and seal

Casualties of war often have hideous injuries. In older times, battlefield surgeons would seal wounds with boiling oil to stop bleeding. This surgeon is using a more modern method— red-hot irons—to seal a wound. You may hear some sizzling!

SAY aAaARGH!

3

4

I LOVE A GoOD BARBECUE…

OH DEAR, I FeEL QUITE FAINT.

6

sSShHH, I HAVEN’T STARTED YET!

DID YOU SAY THIS WAS YOUR FIRST OPERATION?

7

5

5

Gallstone removal

This patient has a hard stone in his gallbladder causing unbearable pain. Let’s hope his doctor has the skill of 18th-century surgeon William Cheselden. This speedy operator used a sharp curved knife and could cut into the gallbladder and remove a stone in only 45 seconds.

7

Ice-pick lobotomy

Dating from the 1930s, this gruesome procedure, called a lobotomy, was used for treating mental illness. The surgeon is about to hammer an ice pick through the back of the patient’s eye socket and into his brain in the hope that it will change his behavior. It’s more likely to drive him insane! HISTORICAL SURGICAL PROCEDURES

179

KILLER CURES The swindlers who peddled fake medicines to make money from the sick were known as “quacks.” Although their cures didn’t necessarily kill people, remedies supplied by these quacks could be dangerous and leave the patients even worse off. Other tonics and treatments were so useless that they did nothing at all. On offer here are some examples of toxic therapies and ridiculous remedies.

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No more pain Opium is a drug extracted from the poppy flower. Opium dissolved in alcohol (and called laudanum) was very popular in the Victorian era as a painkiller or sleeping pill. It took awhile for people to realize that it was dangerously addictive.

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Spot the mistake Joshua “Spot” Ward was an 18th-century quack who invented remedies called “Ward’s Pill” and “Ward’s Drop” that made him rich. Made with various poisonous substances, Ward’s harmful remedies caused violent sweating as the body tried to expel the toxic ingredients. 180

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Secret recipeEnglish quack

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181

THE MOST DANGEROUS

JOBS IN HISTORY The poor folks in this bus line have some of the worst jobs in history. They’ll be shot at, exposed to hideous diseases, and they will generally risk life, limb, and a sore behind in order to earn a buck. So if you don’t want a job where you’re likely to die before you punch out, don’t even think about getting onboard with these sorry souls.

Arming squire Ever dreamed of becoming a knight? To get your foot in the door, you first need to risk your neck on the battlefield as a knight’s squire. Without so much as a helmet yourself, your role is to rearm your knightly master. And when the fighting’s over, guess who has to clean up the mess…?

182

Searcher of the dead

Lancaster gunner

Roman gladiator

First in line, an old woman of plague-riddled 17th-century Europe was the favored candidate for the job of “dead body inspector.” A sharp eye to spot plague victims was essential. Not a job with long-term prospects, as the deadly disease is highly contagious.

Cramped in a tiny turret, at the rear of a lightly armored plane that is showered with bullets night after night, the gunner of a Lancaster Bomber plane had a tough job just staying alive. The life expectancy of a rear gunner on this British World War II plane was said to be only five missions.

Although some ancient Roman gladiators may have been famous, most were poor slaves who were trained to fight in front of bloodthirsty crowds. If they lost their bouts in the arena but didn’t die of their wounds, they could be killed by an executioner.

Whipping boy Back in Tudor England, royal children could be punished only by the king. Tutors who needed to discipline their charges had to punish the royal child’s companion instead, whose job it was to take all of the beatings to save the royal backside. It was a real pain in the bum.

Lady in waiting

Royal food taster

In medieval India, a princess’s lady in waiting had a comfortable life. Until her mistress’s husband died, that is. Then, his wife and all of their servants were thrown onto the funeral pyre to keep him company in the afterlife. No need to worry about references…

You may have “royal” in your title, but accepting the job of royal food taster is nothing but a royal blunder. Employed throughout history by monarchs, the job entailed sampling food in case it had been laced with poison by a would-be assassin. Take this job, and each meal could be your last.

Petardier’s assistant During the English Civil War, small bombs called petards were used to blow open walls and fortifications. But first, someone had to attach them to the walls and fortifications. Step up the plucky petardier’s assistant, ready to dodge flying bullets to get the job done… if the bombs didn’t blow him up first. DANGEROUS JOBS IN HISTORY

183

THE MOST DANGEROUS AGE? Living is an age-old risky business. Disease, famine, war, fire, floods, or earthquakes may cut lives short in a heartbeat. But, around the world, life expectancy has slowly risen over the centuries, although at different paces in different places. Trace the human lifeline, beat by perilous beat, on this cardiogram of existence and follow the changing threats to human survival throughout the different periods of history.

Stone Age 150,000–7000 BCE Life was tough during the Ice Age. Living in caves and hunting wild animals with spears and arrows meant that most people died before they were 25. As Earth warmed up, hunter-gatherers were able to find more animals and plants to eat. In time, life became easier and people lived longer.

184

Classical Age 600 BCE–400 CE War just kept getting tougher and meaner. The Greeks were always fighting one another when not fighting the Persians, while the Romans would pick a fight with anyone. Galley oarsmen and gladiators were unlikely to live long in their line of work. On the plus side, the Greeks were good at medicine and the Romans believed in sanitation.

Early civilizations 4000–1200 BCE Times were good for kings and priests at the top but difficult for everyone else, such as farmers, soldiers, and common laborers. Diseases like smallpox and measles spread as they were passed to humans from newly domesticated livestock. The chances of being killed in battle, slain as a prisoner, or sacrificed upon the death of a ruler were scarily high.

Age of exploration 1500–1750 Europeans spread guns and disease around the world as they built up trading empires and colonies. Enslaving “uncivilized” native peoples, they then began a deadly trade in human lives, deporting African slaves to the New World. Within the European homelands, too, thousands more were killed in the wars of religion that swept across the continent as Catholics and Protestants battled it out for supremacy.

20th century Although life expectancy in the western world exceeded 75 years by the year 2000, in the poorest countries it was only about 40 years. More people died in war than in any other century, with 20 million deaths in World War I and 55 million in World War II alone. Millions more died in terrible famines and disease epidemics, such as the flu and AIDS.

Industrial Age 1750–1900 Middle Ages 400–1500 CE With barbarian invaders, Viking raiders, Mongol horsemen, castle sieges, and frequent famines, the Middle Ages were a dangerous time for kings and serfs alike. The worst event of all was the Black Death (bubonic plague), which wiped out one third of Europe’s population in the 1340s.

Better medical knowledge and improved sanitation meant that people could expect to live longer and longer… but only if they were rich. For industrial workers living in crowded, polluted cities, life expectancy was much lower. More than 500,000 Americans died in the terrible slaughter of the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865.

THE MOST DANGEROUS AGE

185

BLASTS FROM THE PAST What’s with this scene of rampage and riot? These skin-slashing, bone-crushing prehistoric animals are among the biggest and most dangerous creatures that have ever lived on Earth… Run for your life!

rus 3 Giganotosauy dinosaur,

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1 Titanoboa Frightened of snakes? You soon will be if this giant boa constrictor is after you. Measuring 40–50 ft (12–15 m), this hissing reptile was twice as long as the anaconda—the longest snake in the world today—and lived in the South American rainforests about 60 million years ago. 186

2 Giant sea scorpion The biggest bug of history lived on Earth 400 million years ago and was an amazing 8.2 ft (2.5 m) long—the size of a large crocodile. Not something you’d want to meet on an afternoon stroll.

Predator X 3 Look out! With a bite 10 times stronger than any animal alive today, this pliosaur (marine reptile) will make mincemeat of your motorboat. The most fearsome monster ever to swim the seas, it ruled the Jurassic oceans about 147 million years ago.

2 Megalodon More than twice as long as the great white shark—its closest living relative—Megalodon was a massive 40 ft (12 m) long. It could open its toothy jaws 7 ft (2 m) wide—enough to gobble up a Jet Skier in a single gulp.

4 Giant rodent Between four and two million years ago, a rodent as large as a buffalo grazed the vegetation of South America. Its skull alone was more then 20 in (50 cm) long. Known as Josephoartigasia monesi, this giant guinea pig weighed a heavy, person-squashing ton (tonne).

Diatryma 3 A giant flightless bird that lived 56–33 million years ago, Diatryma used its clawed feet to bring down small mammals. It then finished them off with a bone-crushing bite to the back of the neck from its large parrotlike beak. Pretty Polly!

4 Godzilla This terrifying monster from the deep is an ancestor of the crocodile. It had a head like a dinosaur’s, and its body ended in a fishlike tail. No wonder they call it Godzilla! Officially named Dakosaurus andiniensis, it thrived 135 million years ago. PREHISTORIC TERRORS

187

Index A

accidents bizarre 130–131, 144–145 common 138–139, 142–143 crashes 46, 108, 110–113, 144 adrenal glands 123 African eye worm 118 African wild dogs 27 AIDS 125 aircraft 108, 112 crashes 46, 108 fighter planes 173, 182 Alaska 37, 54, 147 algae 63, 65 aliens 41, 88–89, 95 Allen, Mark 154 alligators 44 altitude 50, 112 Amazon region 47, 154 ambush bug 21 amebic dysentery 133 ammonia gas 49 amputation 178 Amundsen, Roald 154 anaconda, green 18 animals 8–31, 43, 44, 45, 47, 49, 50 experimental 102–103 prehistoric 186–187 raining down 63 in space 72, 76 anthrax 94 antibiotics 121 ants 23, 26, 47, 98 Arctic 36–37, 66, 67 ascaris 118 ash clouds 52 assassinations 95, 176, 177 asteroids 68, 69, 81 astronauts 72, 73, 74, 77 atomic bomb 94, 107 atoms 106–107 Australia 66, 167 autonomic nervous system 122–123 avalanches 50 avian flu virus 101 axes 143, 170

B

B cells 121 babies 139, 157 bacteria 92, 100, 116–117, 120, 121, 124, 132, 134–135, 139 defenses against 121 Baghdad 133 balloons 108, 145 banshees 160 barracuda 26 Basil II, Emperor 174 188

bats 18, 21, 49 beaches 138 bears 15, 16, 19, 48, 50 polar bears 14, 36, 66 beaver fever 37, 133 Becquerel, Antoine Henri 104 bed, falling out of 131 bed of nails 127 bedbugs 20 bees 22, 27, 47 bends, the 112 Bermuda Triangle 40–41 birdmen 149, 150, 151 birds 14, 17, 18, 21, 24, 27, 37, 187 Black Death 124, 185 see also plague black holes 69, 84, 87 blizzards 50, 51, 62 blood 122–123 bloodletting 178 bloodsuckers 20–21, 124, 133 blowtorches 143 blowfish 140 BMX freestyle 148 boats 109, 155, 172–173 see also ships and shipwrecks body’s defenses 121, 122–123 bomb disposal 146 bombs 94, 107, 183 lava and cowpie 53 Bonnie and Clyde 171 Borden, Lizzie 170 Borneo 45, 49 botflies 45, 132 bronchioles 122 bugs 20, 21, 45, 49 bull run, Pamplona 156 bungee jumping 126, 144, 148 bushrangers 167 butterflies, monarch 25 Byers, Eben 105

C

cacti 43 Caligula, Emperor 174 cama 103 camels 42 cancer drugs 105 cane toads 24 cannibals 45 cannon 172 car crashes 110–111, 144 carbon dioxide 64 cassava 140 castor bean 32, 141 caterpillars, puss moth 25 catfish 31 cats, big 9, 14, 15, 18, 47, 50, 186 cats, mutant 103 cattle 131 caves 48–49 caiman 44 centipedes, poisonous 49

CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) 64 Chagas disease 133 chain saws 143, 146 chairs, tilting 138 chariots, war 172 cheerleading 130 cheese 141 cheese-rolling festival 157 cheetahs 15 chemicals 64, 65 Chile 55, 133 chimera fish 28 China 55, 66, 98, 109, 125, 150, 175 Chinese liver fluke 119 chloroform 92 cholera 124 civilizations, early 184 clairvoyants 97 classroom 138–139 cliffs 138 climbing 155 urban 150 clones 103 coconuts 131 cold places 36–37, 39 colds 116, 139, 145 construction workers 147 coral, crenulated fire 31 cosmic strings 86 cougars 50 cowpie bombs 53 crab fishing 147 crash-test dummy 111 crashes 46, 108, 110–113, 144 crevasses 50 crickets 27, 49 Crippen, Dr. 170 crocodiles 9, 46, 187 crossbow 173 crust, Earth’s 52, 54 Curie, Marie and Pierre 104 currents, ocean 38, 40, 67, 138 currents, river 45, 48 cuttlefish 24

DE

dark matter 83, 85 Dayak tribes 45 dead, returning from the 96, 160, 161 death zone 51 deceleration project 112–113 dehydration 44 dengue fever 101 derechos 59 deserts 42–43, 59 diarrhea 116, 120, 124, 133, 134 dinosaurs 186–187 dirtboarding 148 diseases 8, 97, 100–101, 124–125 body’s defenses against 121 causes of 116–117, 120–121 holidays and 132–133 parasites 118–119, 133 tick-borne 20, 50, 133

and time travel 86 typhoid 134–135 diving deep-sea 146 free 148 land 126 DIY hazards 142–143 dogs 27, 37 feces of 133 and rabies 132 scientific studies of 96, 97, 103 in space 76 Dold, Thomas 155 doll’s eyes 33 dolphins 16, 26 drought 66 ducking stool 169 dust devils 59 dynamite 99 E. coli (Escherichia coli) 116, 129 Earmouse 102 earthquakes 54–55, 67 ebola fever 125 Ederle, Gertrude 154 Einstein, Albert 87, 106–107 electric eels 30 electrical devices 56 electrons 107 elephantiasis 119 elephants 9 endurance 126–127, 154–155 energy, kinetic 110–111 epidemics 124–125 escape artist 150 Everest, Mount 50, 155 executions 168, 169 exploration, age of 185 explorers 36, 37, 39, 154, 155 explosives 98–99 extinctions, mass 68–69 eyes 122 danger from the Sun 38, 43 parasite 118 snowblindness 37, 50

FG

facial expressions 96 falcons 14 fangtooth fish 29 feces 133, 134, 135 festivals 156–157 fight-or-flight response 122–123 fire 56–57, 64, 143, 168 wildfires 56, 62, 66, 147 firefighters 56, 147 fire-leaping festivals 156 firestorms 54 fire walking 126 first-aid kits 143 fish 23, 26, 28–31, 67, 103, 128 piranhas 27, 45, 46 poisonous 24, 140 fleas 20, 124 floods 60–61, 66 flu virus 101, 116, 125, 139

food 128–129, 132, 133, 139, 140–141 food taster 183 forest fires 56, 64 Forssmann, Werner 93 Fox, Rodney 12–13 Franz Ferdinand, Archduke 176 frogs poisonous 25, 45, 140 red-eyed tree frog 18 frostbite 37, 50 Fujita scale 58 fungi 49, 120 fuse, safety 99 G force 112–113 galaxies 84, 85 gallstones 179, 181 garoters 167 gases, poisonous 49, 56, 173 gases, research into 92 germs see bacteria; viruses geysers 54 Ghinsberg, Yossi 47 ghosts and ghouls 161 Giganotosaurus 186 gila monster 43 glaciers 50, 68 gladiators 182 gladius 172 glass, broken 138, 144 global warming 66–67 glucose 122–123 glue 142 goats, genetically modified 102 Greeks, ancient 172–173, 184 greenhouse gases 64, 66 Grim Reaper 160 Gruinard, island of 94 guillotine 169 gunner, Lancaster 182 gunpowder 98–99, 172 guns 145, 172

hookworm 133 hornets, Asian giant 23 horror movies, surviving 158–159 horse latitudes 40 hot dogs 129 Houdini, Harry 150 Humboldt, Alexander von 92 Huns 166 hurricanes 40, 58, 59, 61, 66 hygiene 116–117, 134 hypothalamus 122 hypothermia 48 hypoxia 51

H

ladders 142 lady in waiting 183 Lagoon Nebula 85 lamprey, sea 29 landslides 54 larkspur 33 lava 53 lawnmowers 142 leeches 20, 46 left-handers 130 Leishmania 133 Lewis, Jason 154 light pollution 65 lightning 46, 63, 72, 131, 163 lions 9, 14, 48 litter 65 liver 123 Lloyd, Harold 150, 151 lobotomy 179 logging 146 London 64, 167 Great Fire of 56 luge, street 149 lungs 122, 133

hailstones 63 Haldane, John Scott 92 hamburgers 129 hand hygiene 116–117, 134 hantavirus 101 hawks, Harris’s 27 hazmat suits 101 head lice 119 heart 93, 122 heat deserts and jungles 42–47, 59 thermal pollution 65 heat stroke 44 hemlock, water 33 Hempleman-Adams, David 155 Heyerdahl, Thor 39 high-wire acts 150, 151, 152 hippopotamuses 30, 44 historic hazards 166–187 HIV 125 holidays 132–133 hooded pitohui 24

IJK

ice, melting 66, 67 ice age 67 icebergs 36, 39 India 64, 67, 156, 167, 183 Industrial Age 185 Inuit 37, 66 iron maiden 168 Ivan the Terrible 175 Jack the Ripper 170 jaguars 18, 47 Japan 125, 166 jellyfish 9 jobs, dangerous 146–147, 182–183 jungles 44–47 Jupiter 81 khareshwari 126 kinkajous 16 Kiss, Béla 171 kissing bug 133 kitchens 139 Knievel, Evel 153 koalas 16 Koepcke, Juliane 46

L

189

M

MacArthur, Ellen 155 mace 173 machinery accidents 130 maggots 46, 132, 141 magma 52, 53 malaria 8, 133 manchineel tree 32 Manhattan Project 94 Manjit Singh 127 Marburg virus 101 Markov, Georgi 95 Mars 80–81 Marshall, Barry 92 measles 125 medical science 92–93, 97, 105, 178–181 meditation 127 melamine 128 Men in Black 89 mercury (chemical) 65, 128, 180 Mercury (planet) 80 methane 41, 64 mice, genetically modified 102, 103 Middle Ages 166, 168–169, 185 milk powder, contaminated 128 Milky Way 84, 88 mining 99, 147 Mir Space Station 77 mirages 36 Miura, Yuichiro 155 monarchs, mad 174–175 mosquitoes 8, 20, 100, 101, 119 motocross 149 motorcycle stunts 150, 153 mountain lions 14, 48 mountainboarding 148 mountains 50–51, 155 MRSA 121 mud holes 44 mummies 161 murderers 166–167, 170–171 muscles 123 mushrooms, poisonous 141 musk oxen 15 musket 172

NO

nail guns 142 nails, bed of 127 Napoleon Bonaparte 124 narcissus 33 Native Americans 124 navigation 109 Neptune 81 Nero, Emperor 174 nervous system 93, 122–123 neutron star 85 neutrons 104, 107 nightmares 162–163 nightshade 32 ninjas 166 nitrogen oxide 64 190

nitroglycerin 99 Nobel, Alfred 99 nocturnal animals 18–19 noise pollution 65 norovirus 116 nuclear fission 107 nuclear radiation 64 nuclear weapons 69, 94, 107 ocean sunfish 28 octopus blue-ringed 31 eating alive 141 oil rigs 41 oil slicks 65 opium 180 Oranges, Battle of the 157 orcas 26 otters 17 owls 18 oxygen, lack of 50, 51 oysters 132 ozone layer 64

PQ

pandas 16 pandemics 124–125 pangolin, white-bellied 19 papilloma virus 116 parachutes 73, 147, 149, 150, 153 parasites 118–119, 133 parcour (parkour) 148 party poppers 131 pathogens 120–121 PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) 65 pesticides 65, 128 petardier’s assistant 183 Petit, Philippe 152 phagocytes 121 phobias 163 pinworm 118 piranhas 27, 45, 46 pirates 41, 166 plague 56, 86, 124, 180, 182, 185 planets 80–81 plants 43, 45, 67 poisonous 32–33 plastic 65 plates, Earth’s 54 platypus 17 Pluto 80 poison-arrow frogs 25, 45 poisonous perils animals 24–25, 45, 49 assassinations 95 cleaning fluids 139 food 140–141 gases 49, 56, 173 plants 32–33 polar bears 14, 36, 66 poles 36–37 pollution 64–65 poltergeists 161 Portuguese man-of-war 22

possum, common brushtail 19 power plants 64, 65 power tools 143 power lines, repairing 146 predators 18–19, 44 propionibacterium 116 protists 120 protozoans 133 pyroclastic flow 52 quack remedies 180–181 quicksand 44, 138 Qin Shi Huang 175

RS

rabies 132 rack 168 radiation 64, 104–105 radioactivity 104–105, 181 radium 105 rain 43, 44, 48, 63 Ranavalona the Cruel 175 Rasputin 177 rattlesnakes 144 red sprites 63 relativity, theory of 87, 106–107 rhinovirus 116 Richter scale 55 ricin 95, 141 rivers flooding 60 jungle 45, 46, 47, 154 underground 48 rock falls 50, 51, 147 rockets 72 Rocky Mountain spotted fever 50 Rojas, Francesca 170 Romans 166, 172, 174, 182, 184 rosary pea 33 Roswell incident 95 Russia 175, 177 safari rangers 147 sailing 155 salamanders, fire 25 salmon, genetically modified 103 Salmonella 116 salt 129 sand spider 43 sand flies 133 sandstorms 42, 66 Santonio, Santorino 93 Sargasso Sea 41 SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) 125 satellites 79 Saturn 81 scabies mite 119 schistosome worm 133 scientific experiments 92–97, 101–103 scientists, mad 92–93, 97, 112–113 scorpions 9, 23, 43, 186 sea cucumbers 25 sea snake 31 sea urchins, flower 30

seals, leopard 37 seas 38–39, 61, 138 Bermuda Triangle 40–41 creatures 9, 15, 16, 22, 26, 28–31, 38 currents 38, 40, 67, 138 diving 146 rising levels and warming 67 waterspouts 40, 58 see also fish; sharks; waves seat belts 111, 113 seaweed 41 sewage 65 sharks 9, 10–13, 187 megamouth 29 sheep, genetically modified 102 ships and shipwrecks 38, 39, 40, 41, 109 Simpson, James Young 92 skateboarding 138 skiing, extreme 155 skuas 37 skunks 17, 19 skyscrapers 150, 152, 155 sleeping sickness 118 slow loris 16 smallpox 100, 124 smog 64 smoke jumpers 147 snails, cone 22 snakes 8, 18, 31, 45, 144, 163, 186 venom milking 146 sneezes 139 snow 50, 51, 59, 62, 145 snowblindness 37, 50 snowboarding 148 snowshoes 37 South Pole 37, 154, 155 Soyuz missions 73 space, deep 84–85 space adaptation syndrome 74, 75 space junk 78–79 Space Shuttle 72, 73, 82–83 Space Station 77 space travel 72–85, 97 animals and 72, 76 health 74–75 landings 73 spacesuits 73, 79 “Spanish” flu 125 spectacled bear 19 speed tests 112–113 sperm whales 28, 38 Sphynx cat 103 spiders 18, 43, 45, 96, 163 spontaneous combustion 57 sports, extreme 148–149, 154–155 squalls 59 squid 15, 29 squire, knight’s 182 standing baba 126 Staphylococcus 116 Stapp, John Paul 112–113 Stargate project 97 stinging tree 45 stingrays 23 stings 22–23 Stone Age 184

stone-throwing festival 156 stonefish 24 storm surge 61 storms 39, 40, 47, 58, 59, 62, 63, 66, 109 lightning 46, 63, 72, 131, 163 Strel, Martin 154 strength 127 stuntmen 150–151 submarines 39 sulfur dioxide 64 Sun 38, 43, 64, 69 superbugs 121 supernova 84 surfing, big-wave 149 surgery 178, 179 swallowing objects 130 swans 17 swarms 26–27 swimming, long-distance 154 Szilard, Leo 107

T

T cells 121 tanks 172 tapeworm 133 tarantula hawk wasp 23 tarantulas 18 teeth, false 178 termites 47 Thuggees 167 thumbscrews 169 ticks 20, 50, 133 tidepooling 138 time travel 86–87 Timur the Lame 174 Titanic 39 TNT 99 toads 24, 180 tobacco 64, 181 tools 143 tornadoes 58, 62 in space 85 torture 168–169 tower running 155 trans fats 128 transport 108–113 trees 32, 45, 47 trepanation 178 triathlon 154 trireme 172–173 Trypanosoma brucei 118 tsunamis 54, 55, 61 tuberculosis 100 tuna, contaminated 128 twentieth century 185 twisters see tornadoes Typhoid Mary 134–135 typhoons see hurricanes typhus 124

UV

umbrella, poisonous 95 uranium 104

Uranus 81 vaccines 121 vampire bats 21 vampire finches 21 vampires 161 Venus 80 Vikings 166 viperfish 28 viruses 116–117, 120, 124, 125 defenses against 121 Vlad the Impaler 175 volcanoes 52–53, 67, 69

WXYZ

wait-awhiles 45 wars 69, 166, 172–173, 176, 177, 182, 183, 184, 185 warts 116 Warwick, Kevin 93 washing machines 139 wasps 23, 122 water boiling 139 in the desert 43 drinking too much 129 pollution 65 salt 39, 43, 67 water fight 157 waterspouts 40, 58 waves big-wave surfing 149 rogue 38, 41 storm tide 61 tsunamis 54, 55, 61 weapons 172–173 explosives 99 nuclear 69, 94, 107 secret 94–95 weather cold 36–37, 39, 43 freak 62–63 heat 42–47 rain 43, 44, 48, 63 snow 50, 51, 59, 62, 145 see also storms; winds weever fish 30 weightlessness 74, 83, 97 werewolves 160 West Nile virus 100 whales 28, 38 whipping boy 183 Wild West 167 winds 38, 58–59, 62 katabatic 36 see also hurricanes; tornadoes wingsuit flying 149 World War I 176, 177, 185 worms, parasitic 118, 119, 133 Wuchereria bancrofti 119 x-rays 105 yellow fever 97 zombies 160 191

Acknowledgments DK WOULD LIKE TO THANK: Gail Armstrong, Army of Trolls, Ben the illustrator, Mick Brownfield, Seb Burnett, Kat Cameron, Rich Cando, Karen Cheung, Mike Dolan, Hunt Emerson, Lee Hasler, Matt Herring, Matt Johnstone, Toby Leigh, Ellen Lindner, Mark Longworth, John McCrea, Jonny Mendelsson, Peter Minister, Al Murphy, Neal Murren, Jason Pickersgill, Pokedstudio, Matthew Robson, Piers Sanford, Serge Seidlitz, Will Sweeney, and Mark Taplin for illustrations. www.darwinawards.com for reference material for “Death by idiocy.” Stephanie Pliakas for proofreading. Jackie Brind for preparing the index. Stephanie Pliakas and John Searcy for Americanization. The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs: (Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-center; f-far; l-left; r-right; t-top) Endpaper images: NHPA / Photoshot: Daniel Heuclin (bird). Corbis: Tom Grill (beaker). Corbis: Hal Beral (cuttlefish). iStockphoto.com: diane39 (toy soldier with trumpet). iStockphoto. com: MrPlumo (mountain warning icons). Alamy: anthony ling (puppets). Getty Images: Popperfoto (Bonnie Parker). Getty Images: (Clyde Barrow). iStockphoto.com: Fitzer (frames). iStockphoto.com: messenjah (toy soldier crawling). Getty Images: S Lowry / Univ Ulster (SEM tuberculosis). Science Photo Library: Hybrid Medical Animations ( AIDS virus). Getty Images: (Dr Crippen). Alamy: INTERFOTO (doctor’s outfit). Corbis: Lawrence Manning (toy stethoscope). iStockphoto.com: jaroon (men in chemical suits). Corbis: Creativ Studio Heinemann / Westend61 (salamander). Getty Images: CSA Plastock (orange toy soldier). iStockphoto.com: Antagain (wasp side view). Getty Images: Schleichkorn (hantavirus). iStockphoto.com: ODV (dynamite). Getty Images: (toad). Getty Images: Science VU / CDC (West Nile virus). Corbis: Wave (monarch butterfly, side view). Corbis: Randy M Ury (monarch butterflies). Getty Images: Renaud Visage (wasp in flight). iStockphoto.com: grimgram. iStockphoto.com: YawningDog (medicine bottle). Getty Images: Retrofile (woman with hands over mouth). Getty Images: SuperStock (frightened woman). 2-3 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 4-5 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 6 iStockphoto.com: jamesbenet. 6-7 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 18 Alamy Images: Arco Images GmbH. Getty Images: Peter Lilja (c). 18-19 Getty Images: Ian Logan (t). 19 Alamy Images: Bob Gibbons. Getty Images: Don Farrall (bl); Nick Gordon (br); GK Hart / Vicky Hart (cb). 20 Corbis: CDC / PHIL (bl); Dennis Kunkel Microscropy, Inc / Visuals Unlimited (tr); Dr David Phillips / Visuals Unlimited (br); Visuals Unlimited (tl). 20-21 iStockphoto.com: Paha_L (bc). 21 Alamy Images: Peter Arnold, Inc (clb). Getty Images: Retrofile (cl); SuperStock (r). naturepl.com: Pete Oxford (tr). 22-23 Getty Images: Panoramic Images. 24 Corbis: Hal Beral (bl); Stephen Frink (cb); Tom Grill (beaker). NHPA / Photoshot: Daniel Heuclin (tc). 24-25 Corbis: Image Source (tc); Sebastian Pfuetze. Getty Images: (bc). 25 Corbis: Creativ Studio Heinemann / Westend61 (bc); Tom Grill (tr); Randy M Ury (tl/monarch butterfly); Wave (t/monarch butterfly, side view). 34 iStockphoto. com: JulienGrondin. 34-35 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 38 iStockphoto.com: lissart (tr); msk.nina (ftr); Vlorika (tl) (b). 38-39 iStockphoto.com: Jeroen de Mast (t/background). 39 Getty Images: SSPL via Getty Images (1/c). iStockphoto.com: lissart (tl) (bl) (cr); msk.nina (cla) (cra) (fbl); Vlorika (tr) (br). 40-41 iStockphoto.com: Platinus. 44 Getty Images: Dave Bradley Photography (tl); Joel Sartore (bl). iStockphoto.com: Barcin (cl) (crb) (tr); StanRohrer (br). 44-45 Getty Images: Adalberto Rios / Szalay Sexto Sol; Jean Marc Romain (b). 45 Alamy Images: Lonely Planet Images (cra). Corbis: Rob Howard (bc); Jim Zuckerman (fbr). Getty Images: Reinhard Dirscherl / Visuals Unlimited, Inc (tl). iStockphoto.com: Barcin (cl) (fcra) (tr). Science Photo Library: Sinclair Stammers (cla). 50 Corbis: Association Chantal Mauduit Namaste (ftl); Galen Rowell (ftr). iStockphoto.com: MrPlumo (tc) (bc) (bl) (br) (c) (ca) (cb) (cl) (cla) (clb) (cra) (fcra) (tr). 50-51 Getty Images: Jupiterimages. 51 Getty Images: AFP (cr). iStockphoto. com: julichka; MrPlumo (tc). 52 Getty Images: Stockbyte (bl). 52-53 Corbis: Dennis M Sabangan / epa (cb). Getty Images: InterNetwork Media (tc); Wayne Levin (bc); Tom Pfeiffer / VolcanoDiscovery (ca). iStockphoto.com: jeremkin. 53 Getty Images: Steve and Donna O’Meara (br); Time & Life Pictures (tr). 54 Corbis: George Hall (tr); James Leynse (cl). 55 Corbis: Bettmann (tl) (b) (tr). 56 Alamy Images: Pearlimage (tr). Corbis: Pascal Parrot / Sygma (cl). Getty Images: (tl/painting); Stephen Swintek (cr). iStockphoto.com: klikk (cl/frame); kryczka (tl). 192

56-57 iStockphoto.com: Juanmonino (t); paphia (wallpaper); Spiderstock (c). 57 Dreamstime.com: Tomd (r). Getty Images: Andreas Kindler (cl). iStockphoto.com: bilberryphotography (tr); Pojbic (bc); stocksnapper (fbr). 62 Getty Images: Colin Anderson (r); European (cb). iStockphoto.com: Michael Fernahl (bl/burned paper); kWaiGon (bl/smoke); manuel velasco. 62-63 Getty Images: Arctic-Images (raindrops). iStockphoto.com: Grafissimo (t/frame). 63 Corbis: Jim Reed (tl/hailstone); Peter Wilson (r). iStockphoto.com: Dusty Cline (bl); DNY59 (cr); hepatus (bc) (tc); Jen Johansen; Andreas Unger (tl). Science Photo Library: Daniel L Osborne, University of Alaska / Detlev van Ravenswaay (tc/red sprite lightning). 66 Corbis: NASA (bl); Radius Images (cl). Getty Images: Andy Rouse (br). iStockphoto.com: UteHil (tl). 66-67 Corbis: Bettmann. 67 Corbis: Arctic-Images (tc); Orestis Panagiotou / epa (bl); Visuals Unlimited (tr). Getty Images: Georgette Douwma (br). iStockphoto.com: Ybmd (tl). NASA Goddard Space Flight Center : http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov (bc). 68 iStockphoto.com: -cuba- (fbl/Coloured glossy web buttons); grimgram (fcl); k-libre (fclb/web icons); natsmith1 (c) (cr). 69 Getty Images: Harald Sund (bc). iStockphoto.com: -cuba- (bl); Denzorr (tc); ensiferum (ftl); narvikk (br); TonySoh (tl); Transfuchsian (tr); yewkeo (ftr). 70 iStockphoto.com: bubaone. 70-71 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 72 Corbis: Bettmann (cb); William G Hartenstein (cra). Getty Images: Time & Life Pictures (tr). Science Photo Library: Detlev van Ravenswaay (cr). 72-73 iStockphoto.com: ZlatkoGuzmic. 73 Corbis: Bettmann (fbl) (fcl). Getty Images: (fclb); Chad Baker (tl); Don Farrall (cla); Stuart Paton (tr); SSPL via Getty Images (ftr). Science Photo Library: NASA (ca). 74 Corbis: HBSS (cl). NASA: (bl). 75 iStockphoto.com: angelhell (cb/leg muscles) (tc/brain); Eraxion (ca/heart); lucato (bc/hand); mpabild (c). 80 Corbis: Denis Scott (bc) (ca). Getty Images: Stocktrek RF (cr). iStockphoto.com: bubaone (l); lushik (bl); Mosquito (tc); rdegrie (fcl). 80-81 NASA: JPL-caltech / University of Arizona (b). 81 Corbis: Denis Scott (cl) (bl) (br). Getty Images: Antonio M Rosario (fcr); Time & Life Pictures (tc); World Perspectives (fcl). iStockphoto.com: Qiun (fbr). 82 Corbis: Hello Lovely (cl); Image Source (br); Kulka (tr). iStockphoto.com: Ljupco (bl/hip hop artist). 82-83 Corbis. 83 Corbis: Bloomimage (tc); Peter Frank (crb/beach); Klaus Hackenberg (cr/floodlights); Bob Jacobson (tr); Radius Images (br/deckchairs). 90 iStockphoto. com: browndogstudios. 90-91 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 92 Corbis: Library of Congress - digital ve / Science Faction (cr). Getty Images: (r) (l); Time & Life Pictures (cl). 92-93 Getty Images: Charles Hewitt. 93 Alamy Images: INTERFOTO (tc/ Santorino Santonio). Corbis: Bettmann (c). Getty Images: (r). iStockphoto.com: huihuixp1 (tc/frame). 94 Corbis: Dennis Kunkel Microscropy, Inc / Visuals Unlimited (cl/anthrax spores); National Nuclear Security Administration / Science Faction (tr/mushroom cloud); Sion Touhig (cla/dead sheep). iStockphoto.com: adventtr (br); arquiplay77 (tc); goktugg (tl/lined paper) (ca/Top Secret); Oehoeboeroe (tc/confidential stamp) (cr); ranplett (tr) (bl). 94-95 iStockphoto.com: benoitb. 95 Alamy Images: offiwent.com (fbl). Corbis: Handout / Reuters (tr). iStockphoto.com: deeAuvil (t/ folder); evrenselbaris (cl/ink splats); jpa1999 (c/open book); Kasiam (c/pen); Oehoeboeroe (tc) (cb) (cr); subjug (b/folder). 98 iStockphoto.com: gynane (br); spxChrome (tl) (cb); wir0man (fclb). 98-99 iStockphoto.com: lordsbaine; pederk (explosion). 99 Getty Images: Jeffrey Hamilton (br). iStockphoto.com: GeofferyHoman (bc); ODV (tr); spxChrome (bl) (cla). 100 Getty Images: S Lowry / Univ Ulster (cla); Dr F A Murphy (ca); Bob O’Connor (bl); Science VU / CDC (cra). iStockphoto.com: jaroon (bc) (br) (cb). Science Photo Library: CDC (tr). 100-101 iStockphoto.com: Fitzer. 101 Corbis: Sean Justice (b/rope barrier); Visuals Unlimited (tr). Getty Images: Clive Bromhall (clb); Bob Elsdale (tc); Bob O’Connor (bl); Schleichkorn (cr). iStockphoto. com: jaroon (br) (bc); pzAxe (ftl). Science Photo Library: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (tl); Science Source (cl). 102 Alamy Images: ICP (tl/shop interior). iStockphoto.com: Geoffery Holman (br); LisaInGlasses (cr/shop sign). 102-103 Alamy Images: Art Directors & Trip (shop window). iStockphoto. com: avintn (b). 103 Alamy Images: ICP (tr/shop interior). 106-107 iStockphoto.com: tibor5. 108 Corbis: Library of Congress - digital ve / Science Faction (tl). 109 Corbis: Caspar Benson (cr/ treasure chest); Fabrice Coffrini / epa (br/figures); Michael Freeman (clb); Reed Kaestner (bc); Radius Images (c/skeleton). 114 iStockphoto.com: hunkmax. 114-115 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 118 Corbis: Dr John D Cunningham / Visuals Unlimited (fbl); Tomas Rodriguez (bc). Science Photo Library: BSIP Ducloux / Brisou (crb); Clouds Hill Imaging Ltd (fbr); Eye of Science (bl). 118-119 iStockphoto.com: gmutlu. 119 Corbis: Dr Dennis Kunkel / Visuals Unlimited (fbr); Photo Division (br); Christine Schneider (fbl); Visuals Unlimited (bl) (cr). Science Photo Library: E R

Degginger (c). 122 Getty Images: Charles Nesbit (3/bc/wasp); Renaud Visage (2/bc/wasp). iStockphoto.com: Antagain (1/bc/ wasp ) (4/bc/wasp) (5/bc/wasp) (6/bc/wasp). 124 Alamy Images: Mary Evans Picture Library (crb); Old Paper Studios (clb). Corbis: Bettmann (cra). Getty Images: Theodore de Bry (cla). iStockphoto. com: tjhunt (tr) (bl) (br) (tl). 124-125 iStockphoto.com: hanibaram. 125 Alamy Images: Peter Treanor (cr). iStockphoto. com: tjhunt (t) (br) (c) (clb). Science Photo Library: Hybrid Medical Animations (bl); National Museum of Health and Medicine (tc). 128 Getty Images: David Chasey (cr). iStockphoto.com: alashi (cb); IgorDjurovic (t); JohnnyMad (fbl); ULTRA_GENERIC (bl); WendellandCarolyn (clb) (c). 128-129 Alamy Images: David Cole; Freshed Picked (c). 129 Getty Images: Tom Grill (fbr). iStockphoto. com: EuToch (cb); WendellandCarolyn (br); windyone (bc). 132 Getty Images: Manfred Kage (tl). iStockphoto.com: -cuba- (fbl) (fclb/refresh icon); k-libre (fcl/home icon) (clb/hotel icon) (tc/restaurant icon); roccomontoya (ftl); RypeArts (fcla); xiver (bc/Pointing finger). Science Photo Library: Eye of Science (cra); A Rider (bc). 132-133 Getty Images: Kallista Images (background). iStockphoto.com: k-libre (3/Web icons set). 133 iStockphoto.com: Pingwin (ftr/insects) (cra/volume icon); runeer (ca/icon); ThomasAmby (tl/award ribbon); xiver (ftr/pointing finger icon) (clb) (crb) (fclb). Science Photo Library: (tl); Herve Conge, ISM (bc); Eye of Science (br); National Cancer Institute (bl); Sinclair Stammers (ca). 136 iStockphoto.com: 4x6 (l); apatrimonio (r). 136-137 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 138-139 iStockphoto.com: zoomstudio (t/old grunge postcard). 139 iStockphoto.com: zoomstudio (b/old grunge postcard). 144-145 iStockphoto.com: soberve. 148-149 Corbis: Sandro Di Carlo Darsa / PhotoAlto. 150 Corbis: Reuters (br). Getty Images: (tr); AFP (cr). 150-151 Corbis: Annebicque Bernard / Sygma (b); Kirsty Wigglesworth / POOL / Reuters (monitors). Getty Images: Jorg Greuel. 151 Corbis: Jean-Christophe Bott / epa (cl); Pascal Parrot (tr); Tim Wright (br). Getty Images: (tl); Barcroft Media via Getty Images (cr). 154 Corbis: CHINA PHOTOS / Reuters (cb); James Nazz (tr/lockers) (br); Andy Rain / epa (cla). Getty Images: (ftl) (tc); Caspar Benson (cra); Brian Hagiwara (tr/pink and green bottles); Popperfoto (fcl); Stockbyte (tr/ orange bottles); WireImage (clb). iStockphoto.com: Pannonia (crb). 155 Corbis: Stephen Hird / Reuters (cla) (bl/ lockers); James Nazz (tl/lockers). Getty Images: (clb); AFP (br); Jeremy Woodhouse (fbl). iStockphoto.com: PLAINVIEW (cr). Miura Dolphins: (tl); Akira Kotani (tc). 156 Corbis: Frank Muckenheim / Westend61 (br). Getty Images: AFP (cra). 157 Corbis: Image Source. Getty Images: (cla). 160 Alamy Images: Photos12 (c) (tr). Getty Images: Headhunters (l); Geir Pettersen (ca); Kamil Vojnar (tc). 161 Alamy Images: Photos12 (tl/head) (cr). Corbis: Bettmann (r). Getty Images: Chip Simons (cra). The Kobal Collection: Hammer (cla). 164 iStockphoto.com: Denzorr (r). 164-165 iStockphoto.com: pialhovik. 168 Alamy Images: Paul Laing (bl); Pictorial Press Ltd (br). Corbis: Eric Thayer / Reuters (tl). Getty Images: (cr). iStockphoto.com: sx70 (t). 168-169 iStockphoto. com: goktugg (splashed paper); spxChrome (folded poster background). 169 Alamy Images: INTERFOTO (clb); Timewatch Images (cla). Corbis: Bettmann (tl); Chris Hellier (br). fotolia: AlienCat (tr). Getty Images: SSPL via Getty Images (bl). 170 Alamy Images: INTERFOTO (fcl) (clb) (fbr); Ian McKinnell (cl) (crb). Corbis: Bettmann (cra); Lawrence Manning (fcrb/stethoscope). Getty Images: (fcr); Sam Chrysanthou (c). 170-171 Getty Images:; Matt Henry Gunther (bc). 171 Alamy Images: anthony ling (br); Ian McKinnell (tl). Getty Images: (cr); Burazin (fbr); Popperfoto (fcr). 172 iStockphoto.com: messenjah (clb). 173 Getty Images: CSA Plastock (tr). iStockphoto.com: diane39 (bc); matt&stustock (br); messenjah (cb); wragg (crb). 180 iStockphoto.com: AdiGrosu (tl/stethoscope); buketbariskan (crb/snail shells); dirkr (fcra/black liquid in medicine bottle); EmiSta (ca/mouse); Floortje (cra/ bandage); kamisoka (tr/old envelope); kramer-1 (bc/label); LuisPortugal (ftr/snail) (ca/medicine bottle) (cb/three bottles); Luso (fclb/empty bottle); pjjones (tr/toad); pkline (bl); rzdeb (cra/ blood stain); sharambrosia (br/pestle & mortar); Westlight (tl/ corks). 180-181 iStockphoto.com: PhotographerOlympus (floor); zmeel (tc/cardboard box). 181 iStockphoto.com: Angelika (tl/ cardboard box); BP2U (crb); cloki (ftr/smoke); Ekely (ftr); EmiSta (br); kramer-1 (fbr/label); lvenks (bc); mayakova (cb); ranplett (ftl); topshotUK (bl); Westlight (fcrb/corks) (cr/bottles); YawningDog (cl/ brown bottles); Alfredo dagli Orti (tr). 184 Corbis: Gianni dagli Orti (tl). Getty Images: DEA / M Seemuller (bc). 184-185 The Bridgeman Art Library: Private Collection (b). 185 The Bridgeman Art Library: Private Collection / Johnny Van Haeften Ltd, London (tl). Corbis: National Nuclear Security Administration / Science Faction (tr); Stapleton Collection (br) Jacket images: Front: Corbis: Randy M Ury (butterflies); Getty Images: Renaud Visage (wasp); iStockphoto.com: ODV (dynamite) All other images © Dorling Kindersley For further information see: www.dkimages.com