24 Fascinating Pics That Look Like They Shouldn't Be Possible

Just because something is unlikely doesn't mean it's impossible. And when you expect that a thing can't happen, it often still does. How else do you explain the Cubs' World Series drought?

There's no reason they should have gone without a championship for a full century, but they went 108 years between titles. And by the end, there was no good reason to expect them to ever win one again. But they did.

Just like the Cubbies, here are a few more things that seem like they shouldn't be possible, but clearly were.

1. This perfectly timed pic captured what it looks like when a baseball bat hits a ball.

Reddit | gengrievous07

It's long been said that the hardest part of baseball is hitting a round ball with a round bat, and it looks like at least one of them doesn't stay round for long.

2. Can you even imagine the amount of patience it must have taken to get these rocks to stack up so well?

Reddit | Ryanite

The more you look at it, the more you appreciate how perfectly balanced it all has to be.

3. This ant has been infected with cordyceps, a parasitic fungus that does something downright amazing.

Reddit | SorenTheOwl123

The fungus takes over the ant's brain functions, effectively making it a zombie that does the fungus' bidding.

4. You don't prop up a building mid-collapse without good reason, and this job sure qualifies.

Reddit | visionarygirl

After an earthquake in Taiwan, authorities needed to prop this building up while rescue operations helped people evacuate. It did come crashing down later.

5. Here's something you definitely don't see every day: a hunter's arrow embedded in a deer's ribs.

Reddit | notyouravrgd

The deer must have run off after being hit, because its bones grew back around the arrow.

6. Another example of supreme patience and balance: this beautiful stack of coins.

Reddit | Ryanite

The pattern is amazing — so much better than tucking it away in a piggy bank — but I'd hate to think a cat might just come along and brush up against it.

7. There are two things I love about this photo: first, how the window creates a rainbow on the table next to the flowers.

Reddit | aaronth07

And second, how the chair divides the rainbow's spectrum up into four neat rows.

8. Although you can hold it in the palm of your hand, this organism is a single cell.

Reddit | mud_tug

It's valonia algae, also known as bubble algae or sailor's eyeballs, for obvious reasons.

9. This could have been so much worse, so it's good to see that everyone is okay, but there are still some questions.

Reddit | scottyfcs

Mainly, how did that massive truck wedge itself under the small part of the underpass? Just, how?

10. This guy's hand is in some impossibly clear water. 

Reddit | murkymerky

If you didn't notice the line on his wrist, you wouldn't even guess that his hand is in water. Admit it, you thought that was dry ground at first, right?

11. When the steam coming off your morning joe lines up just right with the sunlight, you can sometimes make out the individual droplets of water hanging in the air.

Reddit | Kyjoza

Just like a little cloud.

12. Probably the most intricate artwork I've ever seen, this scene was made by layering a loaf of glass and then slicing into it like bread.

Reddit | chezzy79

Color me impressed by that craftsmanship!

13. Okay, so this isn't made from layer upon intricate layer of glass, but how many artists work comfortably in the medium of melon?

Reddit | nouareallallleft

Because whoever did this is an artist, for sure, and has been practicing.

14. Here's a pretty amazing chemical reaction anyone can replicate in their own kitchen.

YouTube | Household Hacker

All you need is a little milk on a plate, some food coloring, and a couple of drops of dish soap.

Look what happens when you add the dish soap to the dye in the milk!

I would never have expected that reaction.

15. Rain clouds are supposed to be dark and dreary things that swallow the horizon, not big, fluffy pyramids, right?

Reddit | camerondnls2

But here's an otherwise delightful cloud pouring out its contents over the water.

16. See, now this is a proper storm front. In fact, it's almost too perfect.

Reddit | Morpegom

It's like the sky is pulling up a blanket to block out the sun after a rough night.

17. How on earth could a tree possibly grow like this?

Reddit | thatshipfromfirefly

And it clearly did grow. Best guess, from Reddit user laminate_that: "There was an injury to the tree. It tried to compartmentalize the injury by growing bark out to close off the wound. The tree grows out in four directions trying to close off the wound. The injury was too large and bark missed each other and is still trying to search for the other side."

18. This is a plant that can't do the one thing that plants are supposed to do: photosynthesize.

Reddit | Reddit

It doesn't have any chlorophyll, which is why it's white. So, to gain nutrients, it steals from nearby fungi.

19. Nasty storms aren't out of the ordinary, but it's not often that they'll turn the sky so dark that street lights turn on.

Reddit | fasttalkindave

This was taken at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, according to the poster.

20. This handful of sliminess isn't a fish — it's a tadpole.

Reddit | Afro_Herper

Guys, it hasn't even reached its final form. Or maybe it has. Researchers believe it has a huge hormonal imbalance, which accounts for its large size, but might prevent it from ever turning into a frog.

21. You don't see light reflecting off an eyeball in a ring of dots every day.

Reddit | Jalkot

That's because the light is actually reflecting off the stitches inside the eye after a cornea transplant.

22. This incredible picture of the sunrise taken from the 121st floor of the Burj Dubai gives a great sense of just how tall the world's tallest building is.

Reddit | RoseGoldRubberBand

You know you're up high when you can see other skyscrapers poking up from the clouds and they're well below you.

23. This dizzying spiral staircase up a sheer cliff is not for the faint of heart.

Reddit | oligarchyoligarchy

Although climbing it might strengthen your heart, even as it makes your head spin. If you feel up to the challenge, it's in China.

24. I knew snakes came in some vibrant and interesting colors, but I didn't know they could be downright shiny.

Twitter | @painthands

This is the sunbeam snake, native to Southeast Asia. Although sunbeams are definitely attractive and aren't venomous, they're not recommended as pets.