Scary science from science experts

It’s officially scary season, but some aspects of our natural world can be frightening all the time.

Here are a few examples from Virginia Tech science experts Jordan Metzgar, Sterling Nesbitt, Lauren Childs, Pedro M. Monarrez, Patrick Huber, and Kate Langwig.

The scariest plants that grow in Southwest Virginia?

“Tree of heaven is one of the worst invasive plants in Virginia and is also a host plant for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect spreading in our area,” Metzgar said. “Poison ivy is hiding out everywhere in our neighborhoods and will only get worse with climate change. Finally, the aptly named destroying angel mushroom is quite the toxic local species.”

The scariest dinosaur that ever lived?

"Gigantoraptor would be one of the scariest dinosaurs to meet. It was one of the largest theropod dinosaurs, measuring up to 26 feet. It had large feathers that were likely colorful, three sharp, backward-curving claws on each hand, and a large beak without any teeth,” Nesbitt said.

“One aspect that would be scary:  We don't know what it ate. If it was a meat eater or omnivorous, we would not be safe. So, it would be terrifying because you would not know if it was going to eat you or not.”

The scariest animal in the world today?

“Responsible for nearly a million human deaths each year, the mosquito brings more misery and harm to humans than any other animal through transmission of deadly diseases including malaria, Zika, West Nile, and dengue,” Childs said.

“As insecticide resistance in mosquitos rapidly increases, we urgently need new ways to combat mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit. Our lab uses mathematical modeling to assess how new techniques impact the number of mosquitoes and the ability for mosquito-transmitted diseases to spread through the human population.”

The scariest time to be alive on planet Earth so far?

“Imagine living on Earth when nearly every living organism suddenly vanished. At least five times in our planet’s history, life has faced true horror — mass extinctions that wiped out most species in the blink of an eye, geologically speaking,” Monarrez said.

“The worst of these events, approximately 252 million years ago, was so devastating that it is nicknamed ‘The Great Dying; and the ‘Mother of All Mass Extinctions.’ Massive volcanic eruptions filled the air with greenhouse gases, the oceans became increasingly acidic and depleted of oxygen, and the climate warmed rapidly to unbearable levels, resulting in the collapse of ecosystems worldwide and the loss of 80 to 90 percent of all marine species and 70 percent of land species.

“This interval is a reminder that life on Earth has survived unimaginable horror before, and that extinction is the ultimate ghost haunting our planet’s past, present, and future.”

The scariest stuff in the whole universe?

“The universe is a dark place. Literally,” Huber said. “There is five times as much dark matter as there is ordinary stuff, which you and I and Halloween candy is made from.

“Dark matter is the ultimate ghost, invisible yet powerful. The key to unlocking its secret may lie concealed in billion-year-old gemstones found in the deepest, darkest mines, hidden from sunlight and cosmic rays. The Huber lab recently commissioned a first-of-its-kind microscope to see sparks of light in ancient minerals that would betray the footprints of this ultimate ghost: dark matter.”

You know what’s not scary, though? Bats.

“Contrary to popular belief, bats aren’t blind, don’t fly into your hair, and won’t drink your blood — at least not in the United States,” Langwig said. “Bats can live for more than 40 years and can only have one baby per year. This makes them particularly vulnerable to stressors, and bats in Virginia have declined more than 90 percent due to a recently introduced disease called white-nose syndrome.

“Rather than fearing bats, consider helping them out by taking actions like decontaminating your gear after visiting caves, planting native plants that attract insects, or contributing to the restoration of wetlands that serve as vital bat habitats.”  

For more information about the research or to schedule interviews, contact Margaret Ashburn in the media relations office at mkashburn@vt.edu or Lon Wagner at lon@vt.edu.