What's The Most Dangerous Place on Earth?
Summary
TLDRThis Vsauce video explores the most dangerous places on Earth, considering factors like temperature extremes, lack of oxygen, and natural disasters. It delves into the rapid fatality risks of Mount Everest's thin air and the Mariana Trench's water pressure, as well as the historical deadliness of diseases like the bubonic plague and malaria. The video also touches on human-induced dangers, such as pollution in La Oroya and radioactive hazards in Lake Karachay, contrasting with the natural 'safety' now found in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, where wildlife thrives in the absence of human activity.
Takeaways
- π 93% of all humans who have ever lived are now dead, indicating the Earth's history is vast and most of it involves the deceased.
- βοΈ Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, can be deadly within minutes to hours, highlighting the fragility of human life without proper protection.
- π Mount Everest's summit is perilous due to the thin air and lack of oxygen, which can lead to death within minutes for an unprepared individual.
- π The bottom of the Mariana Trench poses an immediate threat due to extreme water pressure and lack of oxygen, capable of causing unconsciousness in seconds.
- π₯ Falling into a lake of molten lava would result in an explosive reaction due to the body's water content turning into steam, illustrating the intense heat of lava.
- π¦ Historically, diseases like the plague and influenza have caused massive fatalities, with malaria potentially being the deadliest in human history.
- π Pollution and environmental hazards, such as in La Oroya, Peru, and Lake Karachay in Russia, can be extremely dangerous to human health.
- π The Global Peace Index ranks countries by safety, with Iceland being the safest and Somalia the least safe, showing the wide range of safety across the globe.
- πΊοΈ High murder rates are found in specific locations like Juarez, Mexico, and San Pedro Sula in Honduras, indicating areas of extreme danger.
- πΊ Fictional places like Cabot Cove from 'Murder, She Wrote' and real places like San Pedro Sula have exceptionally high murder rates, demonstrating the contrast between reality and fiction.
- β’οΈ The Chernobyl exclusion zone, while dangerous for humans, has allowed wildlife to flourish, showing how human absence can benefit other forms of life.
Q & A
What percentage of all humans who have ever lived are currently dead?
-93% of all humans who have ever lived are dead.
How does the lack of oxygen at the summit of Mount Everest affect humans?
-At the summit of Mount Everest, there is only one third as much breathable oxygen as at sea level, which can cause death within 2-3 minutes if a person is teleported there without acclimatization.
What would happen to a human body if it were submerged at the bottom of the Mariana Trench?
-At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the pressure would cause the lungs to collapse, and without oxygen, the brain would go unconscious in 15 seconds, leading to death in under 90 seconds.
How does a human body react when exposed to molten lava?
-The human body, mainly composed of water, would turn into steam explosively when exposed to the extreme heat of molten lava, which is four times hotter than an oven can get.
What historical disease caused the death of nearly 3% of the world's population in 1918?
-Influenza caused the death of nearly 100 million people in 1918, which was 3% of the world's population at the time.
Which micro-organism is responsible for causing malaria and how significant has its impact been on human history?
-Plasmodium, a micro-organism transmitted through mosquito bites, causes malaria and is estimated to have caused the death of half of all humans who have ever lived.
What is the most polluted spot on Earth according to the World Watch Institute on Nuclear Waste?
-Lake Karachay in Russia is considered the most polluted spot on Earth due to its high levels of radioactive pollutants.
Which country has the highest murder rate according to the Global Peace Index?
-According to the Global Peace Index, the country with the highest murder rate is Somalia.
What is the murder rate in Juarez, Mexico, and how does it compare to other locations?
-In Juarez, Mexico, the murder rate is 1,477 per million inhabitants per year, which is one of the highest in the world.
How does the murder rate in the fictional town of Cabot Cove from 'Murder, She Wrote' compare to real-world statistics?
-Cabot Cove from 'Murder, She Wrote' has a murder rate of 1,490 per million inhabitants, which was unmatched by reality until San Pedro, Sula in Honduras reported a rate of 1,588 per million.
What is the paradoxical effect of the Chernobyl disaster on wildlife?
-The Chernobyl disaster zone, while lethal to humans, has allowed wildlife, especially endangered species, to flourish due to the absence of human activity.
Outlines
π Extreme Conditions and Deadly Places
This paragraph explores the concept of Earth's most dangerous places, focusing on the elements of extreme temperature and oxygen scarcity. It highlights how the human body struggles to maintain life in extreme cold, where without proper clothing, a person could die within minutes. The necessity of oxygen is underscored by the example of Mount Everest, where the thin air can lead to death within minutes without acclimatization. The paragraph also delves into the lethal pressures of the Mariana Trench and the immediate death that could result from such an environment. It contrasts these natural dangers with the rapid and explosive death that could occur from falling into a molten lava lake, emphasizing the body's composition of water and its violent reaction to such heat.
π¦ Microscopic Dangers and Human-Made Hazards
The second paragraph shifts focus to microscopic threats and human-induced dangers. It discusses the historical and ongoing impact of diseases like the plague and influenza, emphasizing their significant death tolls throughout history. The paragraph then transitions to discuss the deadly effects of malaria, caused by the micro-organism plasmodium, which has likely caused the deaths of half of all humans who have ever lived. It also touches on human-made hazards, such as the extreme pollution in La Oroya, Peru, and the radioactive contamination of Lake Karachay in Russia. The paragraph concludes with a discussion of the Global Peace Index, highlighting the safest and least safe countries, and noting the exceptionally high murder rates in certain locations, both real and fictional.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Mount Everest
π‘Mariana Trench
π‘Molten Lava
π‘Influenza
π‘Bubonic Plague
π‘Malaria
π‘La Oroya
π‘Lake Karachay
π‘Global Peace Index
π‘Chernobyl
π‘Temperature Inversion
Highlights
93% of all humans who have ever lived are dead, and for every person alive today, there are 15 who are no longer alive.
Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, can be lethal within hours or minutes.
The human body struggles to maintain temperature in cold environments without clothing.
At 0 degrees Celsius, a naked human would likely die within 20 minutes due to hypothermia.
Oxygen is more immediately necessary than warmth for survival.
Mount Everest's summit has only one third the oxygen of sea level, making it extremely dangerous.
A person teleported to Everest's summit would likely die within 2-3 minutes due to lack of oxygen.
The Mariana Trench's extreme pressure at 11 km deep would collapse lungs and cause unconsciousness in 15 seconds, death in under 90.
Falling into a molten lava lake would cause an explosive reaction due to the body's water content.
Influenza in 1918 killed nearly 100 million people, 3% of the world's population at the time.
The bubonic plague between 1347 and 1353 killed a third of Europe's population.
Malaria, caused by Plasmodium from mosquito bites, may have caused half of all human deaths in history.
La Oroya, Peru, has 85 times more arsenic in its air than is safe due to smelting pollution.
Lake Karachay in Russia is one of the most polluted places on Earth with lethal doses of radiation.
The Global Peace Index ranks Iceland as the safest country and Somalia as the least safe.
Juarez, Mexico, has an extremely high murder rate of 1,477 per million inhabitants per year.
Cabot Cove from 'Murder, She Wrote' has a fictional murder rate of 1,490 per million inhabitants.
San Pedro Sula in Honduras reported a murder rate of 1,588 per million inhabitants, surpassing Cabot Cove.
The Chernobyl exclusion zone, while still lethal in parts, has allowed wildlife to flourish, especially endangered species.
Transcripts
Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. 93% of all the humans who have ever lived are dead. For every
person alive right now, there are 15 people who are no longer alive. The Earth is dangerous...but
where is the most dangerous place on Earth? Ignoring freak occurrances, where is the most
persistently perilous place on the surface of our planet?
Well, let's being with temperature. Extreme heat and extreme cold can kill within hours,
if not minutes. In cold environments, without clothing, the human body, by itself, doesn't
do a very good job of maintaining a high enough temperature to live. It just takes too much
work. Even when you feel comfortable and warm, nearly half of your daily caloric intake is
used merely to keep your body's temperature where it should be.
If you took a human and stripped them naked and put them in an environment at 0 degrees
Celsius, they would die from having too cold of an internal temperature within about 20
minutes. We need warmth. But one thing we need more immediately than that is oxygen.
And that brings us to the summit of Mount Everest. This place on the surface of Earth
has incredibly thin air. At the top of Mount Everest there is only one third as much breathable oxygen
as there is down at sea level.
Climbers can endure the conditions for short periods of time if they acclimate for months,
but if you were to teleport from wherever you are right now directly to the summit of
Everest, you would most likely die within only 2-3 minutes because there isn't enough
oxygen.
Death would come even more quickly if you were at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
There, you would be submerged under nearly 7 miles of water, about 11 km, causing the
pressure around your body to exceed 15,000 pounds per square inch.
At normal swimming depths you can always hold your breath, but that far down, with
that much pressure, your lungs would collapse immediately, and without oxygen your brain
would go unconscious in 15 seconds, and you'd be dead in under 90.
You would die pretty much just as quickly as someone who walked into outer space without
a suit on.
But falling into a molten lake of lava is probably the most spectacular way to go. Contrary
to what you see in many movies, your body wouldn't just burn a little bit and slowly
sink as if it were in quicksand. Instead, there would be a lot of fireworks. Hot, molten
lava is liquid rock, 4 times as hot as your oven can ever get. And the human body is
mainly made up of water, which, when exposed to that kind of heat, turns into steam...explosively.
There's a fantastic video right here on YouTube where a guy throws a bag of organic material
containing a lot of moisture into hot lava. It doesn't just sink in, it causes a miniature
eruption. I highly suggest you go watch it.
But what if we want to measure danger not by how quickly you would die, but by the actual
total number of fatalities caused. Well, for this, we're going to need to get much, much
smaller. Like, microscopic.
In 1918, influenza killed nearly 100 million people, which, at the time, was 3% of the
world's entire population. But places where and when the plague has spread rapidly are
even scarier. Between 1347 and 1353, a third of everybody in Europe died because of the
bubonic plague, an infection caused by Yersinia Pestis.
It's easy to think of the plague as something from way back in the past, but it is still
here. Of course, now we have antibiotics, which can help in most cases, but, believe it or
not, in America alone, 5 to 15 people still get the plague every year.
In terms of total fatalities, however, the plague and influenza are nothing compared
to the danger caused by this guy: plasmodium.
It's a micro-organism that can get into our blood because of mosquito bites, and causes
Malaria. Across the totality of human history, the number of deaths attributed to Malaria
is unbelievable. Researchers like Nobel laureate Baruch Blumberg have studied the history of
the human genome and human migration, and determined that of all the humans who have
ever existed, it is likely that half died from malaria.
So, in terms of total fatalities across all of human history, a place where plasmodium
could enter the blood stream because of a mosquito bite, statistically speaking, could
be called the most dangerous place on Earth.
But let's switch gears for a moment and talk about places that are dangerous not because
of Earth, or Earth's creatures, well, actually, just one specific creature: us.
La Oroya is a mining town in Peru where the murder rate is low but pollution is high.
The town's smelter emits pollution into the air and temperature inversions in the atmosphere
above the town trap gasses within, causing the town to have 85 times more arsenic in
its air than is deemed safe.
But that's nothing compared to Lake Karachay in Russia. It was named the most polluted
spot on Earth by the World Watch Institute on Nuclear Waste.
The lake contains so many radioactive pollutants that you can receive a lethal dose of radiation
merely by standing for one hour near certain parts of the lake.
The Global Peace Index ranks countries by how safe they are. It takes into account a
number of factors including crime and political corruption. The safest country, according
to the Index, is Iceland. And the least safe is Somalia.
But for the highest murder rate you'll have to go to Juarez, Mexico, where out of every
1 million inhabitants, each year 1,477 of them are murdered.
I've always found it amazing just how many serial killers Miami seems to have on the
show "Dexter." But Miami is a big city and so despite all those serial killers, it's
murder rate in the show is not the highest of any fictional town from a TV show. That
honor goes to Cabot Cove, the town where "Murder She Wrote" occurred. An analysis of "Murder
She Wrote" episodes revealed 274 murders, but a population in the town of only 3,500,
making Cabot Cove's murder rate 1,490 per million inhabitants.
Until recently that number was unmatched by reality, but last year, the city of San Pedro
Sula in Honduras reported a murder rate of 1,588 murders per million inhabitants.
Let's conclude by revisiting pollution, specifically the Chernobyl accident, and a certain oxymoronic
danger. For 10 days in 1986, radioactive isotopes spilled out of a blazing reactor core, forcing
mass evacuations. It's more than 25 years later now and many parts of the exclusion
zone remain incredibly lethal. But without humans there, many parts of the exclusion
zone have seen wildlife flourish, especially endangered species which can go to the exclusion
zone, live, reproduce, and be safe...from us. We managed to ruin a place to the point
at which it endangered our lives and we had to leave and in doing so we left parts
of it a little bit safer for other forms of life.
You can read more about all of these topics by following links down in the description
below.
Keep learning.
And as always,
thanks for watching.
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)