Scientists, researchers, and curious children are always cutting things in half just to see what’s inside. As a result, we’ve had to chance to see the cross-section of trees, 800,000-year-old ice cores, and the inside of an Oreo cookie.
But, there’s more to the world than what we’re used to seeing in its whole form. Have you ever wondered what a banana tree trunk or rattlesnake rattle looks like on the inside?
Well, get ready to find out! These bizarre photos show us what everyday objects look like when they’re cut in half, and you won’t believe how crazy beautiful they are!
1) Canon camera
Most people wouldn’t dare cut their expensive camera in half. But it’s a good thing this person did, because gives us quite the different “view” of what’s going on from the inside of the lens.
2) Fukang meteorite
This meteorite was discovered in Fukang in China in 2000, but it’s much older than that. It’s estimated to be as old as the earth itself – 4.5 billion years old to be “exact.”
Meteorites usually look like ugly chunks of rock on the outside, but boy do they look gorgeous sliced and diced!
3) Pearls
Pearls are the shiny DIY treasures of the oyster world, and no person in their right mind would cut theirs to pieces. Lucky for us, some crazy person did exactly that, but they still look just as sweet – they resemble tiny little Gobstoppers candy!
4) Banana Trunk
Most of us don’t even know what a banana tree looks like much less its trunk. But the inside of of this one looks like a tiny, swirling galaxy. They Mother nature, you sure know how to deal sweet surprises!
5) Adding machine
Most people don’t even know what an adding machine is, so looking at the inside of the one is going to be just as new and incredible as trying to figure out what it looks like whole.
Suffice it to say, there’s a lot of moving pieces in this souped-up calculator! It was used as a bookkeeping tool until personal computers took over the process in the 1980’s.
6) Rattle snake rattle
Venomous rattle snakes are native to the Americas (both North and South), and their most recognizable feature is the “rattling” sound they make.
What causes the rattling sound? Well, this cross-section of the rattle doesn’t provide many clues – it’s totally empty! It turns out that these segments are sort of like muscles, and when they contract and collide, it makes the infamous rattling sound.
7) Bloodwood tree
It’s not hard to see where this tree (Pterocarpus angolensis) got its name. A cross-section of this South African tree reveals a very bright red sap that seems to bleed like an open wound.
The wood doesn’t shrink or swell easily, which is why it’s a favorite for building things like canoes.
8) Tortoise skeleton
Tortoises (and turtles) are actually reptiles, but they’re the only ones who sport hard, bony shells. This one never made it out of its shell when it was cut in two, and it’s unbelievable to see how well its fleshy body fits just like a glove with its hard outer shell.
9) Mark Twain Tree
This cross-section of a sequoia has interesting annotations about important historical notations that date from 550 to 1891.
This certainly puts a whole new perspective on what it means to get old, when you’ve lived through both the burning of the Alexandria Libraryand the Civil War.
10) Space Junk
This is a simulation of what happens to spacecraft in outer space when small debris and other objects pummel the outside out of the craft.
It was done in the safety of a lab. The small aluminum ball is travelling at 4.2 miles per second and is aimed at a block of aluminum that’s 7 inches thick. The impact it left behind has a depth of 2 inches.
11) Poppy capsule
The poppy flower is pretty to look at, but its fraught with a deep dark history. This plant is the source of opium, which later led to the creation addictive prescription drug versions that help curb pain.
When you look at it this way, cut if half, you’re reminded about the beauty of nature. It’s easy to imagine how each of those little white balls are almost like mini Vicodin pills.
12) Tree Fern
This cross-section of a fern looks like a work of art! Ferns are one of the oldest plants in the world, and there’s over 10,000 species of them that are populating our planet right now. Victorians were obsessed with these leafy plants, and at one point the fad was even named Fern Fever.
Looking at this gorgeous cross-section, it’s easy to see how they fell in love with this plant.
13) Split Rock in New Zealand
Tokangawhā, whic is also known as Split Apple Rock, is sitting in Tasman Bay off of the South Island of New Zealand. The unique fracture is its most interesting feature. It was caused when a fracture in the granite was repeatedly exposed to rain and waves.
14) Firework shell
Fireworks are works of art when they light up the sky, but now we get to see the source of where those sparkly lights come from.
The Chinese invented fireworks, but it was the Italians who introduced colored fireworks to the world. As for these modern fireworks, this is the source of its magic.
15) ‘Lasagna’ style bulb planting
A good lasagna has multiple layers of pasta, cheese and meat. This style of bulb planting takes its cue from the tasty Italian dish, and multiple layers of bulbs are planted so they bloom at different times. Basically you get more of a harvest out of one single container.
16) Hedgehog
This is by far my favorite “halfsies” of the bunch! Hedgehogs are absolutely adorable, but it seems like they’re mostly just quills! The muscles on its back help raise and lower the quills, which are mostly hollow.
In case you were wondering, here’s what it’s tiny little body looks like underneath its armor.
17) Wasp nest
Now here’s something you never want to get up close and personal with, especially if you’re allergic to wasps or bees.
Wasps seem like angry little insects that will sting you if you look at them the wrong way. But, they’re not aggressive unless you provoke them, which unfortunately some of us do out of fear.
Thankfully, this wasp nest was already abandoned by the time it was sliced in half.
18) Cable from the Golden Gate Bridge
Those cables on the Golden Gate Bridge are ginormous, but it might scare you to know that it’s not made from one single piece of metal.
Each cable has 27,572 individual wires that are then bundled into 61 strands. It looks pretty sold when you look at the cross-section of it, thankfully it’s strong enough to hold up the bridge.
19) CT Scanner
The CT scanner, or CAT scan, is that claustrophobic coffin-like machine in hospitals that scans your head, or body, from multiple angles. It’s very high tech and complex, and this cross-section shows just how complicated the machinery really is.
It’s popular because it allows doctors to see inside the human body without having to cut it open. Ironically, we get to see the inside of the CT scanner precisely because it was cut in half!
20) Military tank
The British introduced tanks during World War I, and early versions like this one show just how cramped they could get.
It looks quite comical when it’s chopped up in half (the guy in front looks like he’s doing a leg press at the gym), but inventions like this helped changed the face of military forces around the world.
21) Bowling ball
What gives the ball the momentum it needs to roll down the alley and hit the pins is a heavy block of weight on the inside. Not all manufacturers make cores the same way (some are shape like light bulbs, others are elliptical), but this is what one bowling ball looks like cut in half.
22) Subsea power cables
Electricity transmit power between continents, or even to outlying islands, via huge undersea power cables like this one. Installing cables like this is difficult and very expensive. So we’re quite lucky to be able to see what one looks like when it’s sliced into a cross-section like this!
23) Old Zippo lighter
Zippo lighters were (and still are) an iconic brand that’s been around since the 1930’s. It’s gained popularity due to its “wind proof” flames and fashionable exterior design which included a flip top.
24) Cactus
One can only imagine how many clothes and protective outerwear it took to cut this cactus in half! The plant’s claim to fame is its thorny exterior, which is coated in thousands of sharp little needles.
Cacti are found in dry climates around the world. Some of them, such as Peyote and San Pedro, produce a substance called mescaline that is a psychedelic hallucinogen.
25) Accordion
The accordion, which is part of the wind family, isn’t exactly the world’s most popular instrument. But, when it was invented back in 19th century Germany by Friedrich Buschmann, it was a hit!
Its name is derived from Akkord, which means “musical cord” or “concord of sounds.”
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