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In 2015, the highest temperature for the Antarctic Continent was recorded—63.5 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded on the Argentine Research Base near the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, according to the World Meteorological Organization. As it turns out, visiting Antarctica is on our list of the 25 Adventures You Should Have Before You Die.

It may not surprise you that Antartica is the coldest place on the planet, but what might surprise you is just how cold it gets there—temperatures on the East Antarctic Plateau have been found to dip to minus-133.6 degrees Fahrenheit, drawn from data acquired by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey

Though for years El Aziza, Libya was reputed as the hottest place in the world, with recorded temperatures of 136 degrees Fahrenheit in 1922. But those measurements have since been invalidated by scientists. Due to its disqualification, the honor went to Death Valley, CA, which recorded temperatures of 134 degree Fahrenheit in July 1913.

If you're looking for a seriously steep cliff, you'll find it on Canada's Baffin Island in Auyuittuq National Park in the northern part of the country. Named Mount Thor, it has a 4,000-foot rock face that has proved daunting for climbers, with 30 attempts made before a four-man team from America finally succeeded in 1985 (it only took them 33 days).

That's right—some scientists believe we still have a second moon. That's not to say another giant white planet in the sky, more like a small asteroid that has been pulled into the Earth's orbit. This was found by a team of scientists running simulations on a supercomputer that determined that at least one mini-asteroid (about three feet in diameter—compared to the moon's three thousand miles of diameter) circling the planet at any given time

That's the theory at least, put forward by a computer model that attempted to figure why the side of the moon that faces Earth is relatively low and flat and the one that faces away has a much thicker crust. The model suggests that there was once a "companion moon" that collided with the far side of our current moon.

Not that you'd be able to get at any of it. But scientists estimate that the oceans of the world contain approximately 20 million tons of gold. Not on the ocean floor—in the water itself, in tiny particles of approximately 13 billionths of a gram per liter. And for more shocking facts, check out these 30 Things You Always Believed That Aren't True.

"Cosmic dust" sounds magical, but chances are you've inhaled a good amount of it just on your way to work. On a daily basis, dust from meteorites, comets, and other solar bodies fall to earth in tiny particles that increase the levels of sodium and iron in the planet's atmosphere. Scientists studying the phenomenon estimate that altogether, about 60 tons of cosmic dust is falling to earth daily.

At least, that's one scientific theory based on the idea that ancient microbes may have relied on a molecule called retinal, rather than chlorophyll, to absorb the sun's rays. Retinal (which can be found in organisms such as halobacteria) absorbs green light and reflects back red and violent light, creating a purple color. And for more ways to deepen your knowledge about the world around you, check out these 50 Facts About Life Everyone Should Know.

When we think of lakes, we usually think of tranquility and summers relaxing by them—not lethal explosions. But Africa has experienced just that sort of thing over the years, when bursts of volcanic gases rise to the surface, leaving destruction in their wake.