People Are Sharing Beautiful, Day-Brightening Facts That Sound Totally Made Up, But Are Actually 100% True - BuzzFeed

I’m a lifestyle and pet writer with over a decade of experience in copywriting, covering viral animal moments, well-being topics, and lifestyle trends.

With so many tragedies in the news and challenges in day-to-day life, it can be all too easy to fall into patterns of negativity.

However, as Threads user @ravinderpelia reminded everyone, life can also be fascinating, fun, and oh-so-beautiful. They asked viewers to share completely true facts that could brighten someone's day, and reading through the responses could put a smile on anyone's face.

Here are a few of the best responses:

You are made of stardust:

Cows can have best friends, and they can change each other's lives for the better:

The healing power of a hug:

As Cari Browning, RN, LCSW, explains, hugs also help to lower our cortisol (aka stress hormone) levels. If there's no one around to hug, anyone can unlock these self-soothing powers by simply placing a hand over their heart.

The opposite of paranoia, pronoia:

What a group of fireflies is called:

Being so close to a cure for colon cancer:

How mothers carry their children's DNA as long as they live:

This phenomenon is called fetal microchimerism, and it can occur in either direction. While DNA is usually exchanged between mother and baby, other nutrients, hormones, and cells are transferred to the fetus, while carbon dioxide and metabolic waste products are transferred from fetus to mother.

Puffins who began to imitate their (decoy) friends out of politeness:

In 2007, the director of the National Audubon's Seabird Restoration Program, Stephen Kress, placed decoy puffins along the coast of Maine to lure the seabirds back to a spot where, in the 19th century, they were hunted nearly to extinction. Not only did the plan work, but the puffins even began bonding with the one-legged decoys. Soon, they were imitating them, too!

The magic of neuroplasticity:

Baby spoonbill birds' adorable nickname:

While this is not a scientifically recognized name for the baby birds, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been using the term for almost a decade.

"We nicknamed baby Spoonbills 'Teaspoons' in 2017," shared Karen Swaffield, Warden at RSPB Fairburn Ings in Yorkshire, "and the name has stuck!"

Otters' adorable way of ensuring they're never alone:

Otters typically sleep in groups called rafts to stay warm, together, and safe from predators. This also helps them conserve energy while sleeping, especially if they wrap themselves in kelp and hold onto one another.

Chickens can recognize many familiar faces:

Plastic-eating bacteria:

The name for a group of bunnies:

Fun fact: While this word is now officially recognized, it was first used by a group of Canadian teenagers who added it to Wikipedia as a joke.

The extraordinary odds of existing at all:

Do you know what a group of ladybugs is called?

That humans have to pretend to sleep before sleeping for real:

Why dogs evolved eyebrow muscles:

A bone marrow transplant that "eats" HIV:

Recently, a 63-year-old Norwegian man nicknamed the "Oslo Patient" also achieved remission of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant. The cherry on top? The donor was his brother.

All the love in the world:

The magic (AKA science) of reciprocal IVF:

Life can be absolutely incredible if you know where to look. These mind-blowing facts are amazing reminders of everyday magic, from the way our bodies work to the minuscule odds of being alive on Earth at the same time as loved ones. I, for one, plan to take none of it for granted.