Who doesn’t love learning new things? Our brain floods our body with dopamine when we see, to quote the American rock band Semisonic, an F. N. T. That stands for “fascinating new thing”. And although the group was singing about a girl, the reference still stands, right? A spiky tiny mushroom or a transparent octopus can be a fascinating new thing too.

The subreddit r/fascinating then is heaven for those who want to satisfy their curiosity and get a dopamine rush. It’s a Reddit community with over 40k members where people post interesting pictures and facts. Check out our selection from the subreddit below!

Bored Panda also got some thoughts from an insider. One of the moderators from r/fascinating, WeirdPineapple, was kind enough to answer some questions. Check out our short interview with him below!

#1 Ronald Mcnair, The Boy Who Refused To Leave The Library

Image credits: ThaProtege

The r/fascinating subreddit is not the only community that Weird Pineapple is a mod on. There are 9 communities in total under his wing. r/fascinating is the third on the list in terms of member count.

Nevertheless, it still ranks in the top 5% percent of the largest communities on Reddit. And it’s not only facts and pictures we can find there. Community members don’t shy away from posting videos with interesting facts as well.

#2 Perspective

Image credits: ShivaniKr

#3 The Lesser Known 1st Starry Night Painting By Vincent Van Gogh

Image credits: DoctorWhoIsCool

We asked WeirdPineapple how he became one of the moderators for this community. “I originally became involved as I was working on a handful of projects, and /r/fascinating happened to be one of them.”

The mod tells Bored Panda that the subreddit wasn’t in the best state when he came on board. “It was a bit dilapidated when we originally got there, but we managed to promote some growth and better content. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s been a long process that is not done yet.”

#4 The Puffer Fish Skeleton And The Way It Works Is Simply A Marvel Of Nature

Image credits: reddit.com

#5 Rare Octopus With Completely Transparent Head

Image credits: Primo2000

#6 What A Wonderful Time To Be Alive!

Image credits: Unusual-Yam-4837

The Redditor tells us why he holds this particular community dear to his heart. “This subreddit was a passion project I had alongside a tremendous team, who also helped build some of the biggest communities you still see on Reddit today. It had a solid foundation and just needed a push and some cleaning up.

#7 Chinese Explorer Zheng He’s Ship Compared To Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria. Both Lived And Sailed At The Same Time (Repost /R/Pics)

Image credits: JamesPriestley

#8 This Is How Mt. Fuji Cuts Through The Clouds

Image credits: readitonreddittho

#9 The Moon During A Total Solar Eclipse Revealing A Vast Solar Corona

Image credits: depressoham

This mod has extensive experience, yet the beginning of the subreddit was still a challenge. He says he used to spend a lot of time moderating the community. “But communities become more established and you incorporate a decent auto-mod system, you end up with a mostly autonomous community,” WeirdPineapple explains. “Manual spam-removal is still essential, however,” he adds.

#10 The Canadian Rockies By Dan Schyk

Image credits: TheWalkingBob

#11 This Couple Met In Wwii, Then Got Married In Germany. The Wife Traded A Soldier Two Cartons Of Cigarettes For A Parachute To Make Her Wedding Dress

Image credits: thejesster61

#12 Oldest Living Thing On Earth. Methuselah, A Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, Is 4,853 Years Old

Image credits: heybrehhhh

The Redditor says the most challenging part is monitoring trolls. “It’s mainly a battle of fighting paid spam and misinformation posts, as with many subreddits with any traction. I understand making a name for yourself or your community, it just needs to be done within the proper channels.”

#13 Fairy Pools, The Isle Of Sky, Scotland By Nikola Niki

Image credits: TheWalkingBob

#14 This Tiny Mushroom (Possibly Mycena Subcyanocephala)

Image credits: PuzzleheadedLet8

#15 Big Old Snail

Image credits: William2882

There’s a somewhat fascinating fact about WeirdPineapple himself. He says working as a Reddit mod led to him starting a career as a professional racer. In fact, one of the communities he oversees, r/capps, is a place where he can document his achievements.

#16 What Lightning Does To Sand

Image credits: Snotmeister

#17 Only Straight Lines

Image credits: rephan

#18 Inside The Mouth Of A Leatherback Turtle

Image credits: SnackSize_

“I never expected where I’d end up when I started working with/on Reddit over a decade ago,” the mod confesses. “But professional racing was not in the top five that I saw coming if I even had a top-five back then.”

#19 Gerrymandering Explained: How Elections Are Stolen By Redistricting

Image credits: Heath-Relecovo

#20 This Is A Human Nervous System That Took Over 4000 Hours To Dissect. There Is Only 4 In The World

Image credits: Saltcityhype

#21 Allegheny National Forest By Zack Frank

Image credits: TheWalkingBob

The Reddit user also feels a lot of gratitude towards the platform and its other users. “I’m extremely thankful for what Reddit has been able to do for both me and the communities I oversee,” WeirdPineapple says.

#22 Monument Valley, Arizona By Paul B. Moore

Image credits: TheWalkingBob

#23 Researchers Studied The Effects Of A 20-Minute Walk On The Cognitive Performance Of A Group Of Children. This Is Fascinating

Image credits: Rollyman1

#24 Mt. St Helens The 17th Of May, 1980 vs. 4 Months Later

Image credits: primaengima

We throw the word ‘fascinating’ around quite a bit here on this post. Oxford Learner’s Dictionary describes it as being ‘very interested.’ But that doesn’t really do it justice, does it? When we say that we’re fascinated, it’s not just that we find it very interesting. There’s something stronger – it captivates our attention.

#25 This Is What All The Nerves For Your Teeth Look Like

Image credits: Heath-Relecovo

#26 This Is My Left Hand, I Was Born With It And I Can Still Do Plenty Of Stuff

Image credits: OneHqnded

#27 A 3300 Year Old Wig

Yes you read that right! This is the wig of Merit, wife of Kha, found in the tomb of the couple (TT8) in Thebes, present-day Luxor, Egypt. The wig was beautifully constructed of human hair. The wig can now be seen in the Museo Egizio, Torino, Italy.

Image credits: BloodhoundLightBob52

Simone Redaelli Ph.D. links fascination to mystery. “Fascination occurs when our attention is involuntarily captured by a given environment. Being a potential source of unprecedented knowledge, a mysterious setting easily attracts us and it is therefore a source of fascination.”

#28 Two Baby Geese Touching Beaks

Image credits: Birdsandbirdyss

#29 Comparison Of Actual Distances On The Mercator Projection Map

Image credits: Heath-Relecovo

#30 Mathematical Analysis Of The Electrical Signals Fungi Seemingly Send To One Another Has Identified Patterns That Bear A Striking Structural Similarity To Human Speech

Image credits: Nourinn

We can say something similar about the entries on this list from /fascinating. The creators of the subreddit chose the name very aptly. Let us know which pictures captured your attention involuntarily. Upvote your favorites and let us know what you liked in the comments!