If you've ever wondered what Earth would look like if humans disappeared overnight, this video may be the closest you're going to get. In a haunting walk-through of the Chernobyl reactor and the surrounding town of Pripyat, Derek from Veritasium shows us what a town looks like after it's been deserted for 30 years. And it's surprisingly peaceful.
The Chernobyl disaster took place on 26 April 1986. At the time, the residents were told they'd have to evacuate for two weeks at the most, and so the majority left everything they owned behind. What remains is a snapshot of the Soviet world 30 years ago, weathered by the passing decades.
What's particularly interesting is the way that the forest has quickly reclaimed the town, with plants and animals thriving in the ruined civilisation. In fact, if it wasn't for the Geiger counter angrily beeping away, you could easily believe that this was a pristine piece of wilderness.
But although it's invisible, the radiation has definitely left its mark, creating what's known as the 'red forest' near Chernobyl reactor number four, where the nuclear disaster occurred. The intense amount of radiation dumped in the area following the meltdown killed all of the trees, making their leaves turn an autumnal red.
Check out Derek's beautiful but sad footage above to see what the site of humanity's greatest nuclear disaster looks like today. And don't forget to check out Uranium - Twisting the Dragon's Tail, the documentary Derek was filming while visiting Chernobyl. It's going to be awesome.