7 Science Phenomena That Are Basically Magic

3. Frankenstein Butterflies

There's definitely something magical about the miracle of metamorphosis, but no matter how amazing it looks from the outside, that's nothing compared to what's going on in that mysterious cocoon. You might think that, when a caterpillar retreats into its cocoon for some quality alone time, it probably sprouts wings and a few legs out of its body.

In fact, the metamorphosis of a caterpillar is less of a growth spurt and more akin to melting down scrap metal. Within the chrysalis, the caterpillar's entire body breaks down into what can only be described as an organic goo of proteins. Floating around in this goo are things call imaginal cells which, like stem cells, have the potential to become anything. These get to work and build a new body that is structurally distinct from a caterpillar's.

The most amazing thing is that, somehow, the resultant butterfly that emerges from this goo actually retains the memories of its past life as a caterpillar. In tests, it has been shown that caterpillars that have been conditioned to avoid certain smells retain this aversion as butterflies. This rather raises the question of where the hell caterpillars keep their memories.