When you think of the largest living organisms on Earth, you might imagine a massive whale, a giant redwood tree, or perhaps an enormous coral reef. But one of the planet’s largest known organisms is far less noticeable; it is a fungus growing mostly underground in Oregon, USA . Image from www.planet-wissen.de Known as the “Humongous Fungus,” this extraordinary organism belongs to the species Armillaria ostoyae . Scientists discovered that its underground network covers an astonishing more than 2,300 acres , making it roughly the size of 1,600 football fields ! Image from commons.wikimedia.org But how can a fungus become so enormous? The answer lies beneath the forest floor. What we commonly recognize as mushrooms are actually only the visible reproductive structures of the fungus. Most of the organism consists of a vast network of thread-like structures called mycelium , which grow through soil and around tree roots. The Humongous Fungus is believed to have spread g...
Imagine getting stuck in traffic; not for an hour, not for an entire day, but for more than 10 days! That’s what happened to thousands of drivers in China in 2010. In August 2010, a massive traffic jam developed on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway , also known as the G6 Beijing-Lhasa Expressway . The congestion stretched for approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) , turning an ordinary journey into a frustrating ordeal for thousands of travelers. Image from chinadaily.com.cn What Caused the Traffic Jam? The traffic jam was largely caused by a combination of road construction, heavy traffic, and an unusually large number of trucks using the highway. The situation became even worse when vehicles were unable to move freely through the affected section. Some drivers found themselves moving only a few kilometers; or sometimes barely moving at all in an entire day. Image from www.recordchina.co.jp A Traffic Jam That Became a Temporary Community With thousands of vehicles trapped on the ro...