SortStack #2323 — 2032-10-18

By size · Order from shortest to longest.

1. A single grain of pollen 40 µm

   Pollen grains have survived intact for millions of years, letting scientists reconstruct ancient forests from lake-bed sediment.

2. A common garden ant 5 mm

   Ants can lift objects many times their own weight thanks to their tiny size and the physics of scale.

3. A tennis ball 6.7 cm

   Tennis balls are pressurised with gas and slowly go flat, which is why fresh cans hiss when opened.

4. A great white shark 5.2 m

   Great whites can detect a single drop of blood diluted in 100 litres of water from hundreds of metres away.

5. A wooden utility pole 18.5 m

   Most are pressure-treated with preservatives so they can stand outdoors for 40 years or more without rotting.

6. The Channel Tunnel 50.5 km

   Trains run through three parallel tubes beneath the seabed, with a smaller service tunnel between them for safety.

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