World's Largest

The blue whale has long been considered the largest animal to have ever existed, even dwarfing the biggest known dinosaurs. But now a new species threatens to steal the crown, and upends what we thought we knew about whale evolution.

Three Gorges Energy has connected the world's first 16-megawatt monster offshore wind turbine to the power grid. With a mind-boggling 260-meter (853-ft) rotor diameter, this towering colossus will supply clean energy for about 36,000 Chinese homes.

Looking like a huge high-tech snow globe, the Sphere is the world's largest spherical structure and hosts the world's largest LED display on its exterior. This has now been officially illuminated for the first time with a Hello World message.

3D-printed architecture is really taking off in the USA. Another major milestone comes from Printed Farms, which is nearing completion on what it calls the world's largest 3D-printed building, a "luxury horse barn" in Florida measuring 10,100 sq ft.

Modern timber construction continues to go from strength to strength, with the latest major development recently revealed for Sweden. Described as the world's largest wooden construction project, it will include 2,000 homes made from timber.

Rolls-Royce has completed the first ground tests on its massive UltraFan engine, claiming it's at least 10% more efficient than any other large aero engine in service today. This carbon/titanium beauty will roll out on airliners in the 2030s.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has revealed plans to build the world's largest spokeless Ferris wheel. The huge metallic ring will rise an impressive 180 m over the South Korean landscape, and host almost 1,500 passengers per hour.

The China State Shipbuilding Corporation has delivered its MSC Tessa megaship to the Mediterranean Shipping Company. With a deck area of about four football fields, it's capable of loading up to 24,116 TEU containers at a time, stacked up to 26 deep.

Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of what may be the largest penguins that ever lived. The bones, found on a beach in New Zealand, belonged to a giant bird that was more than three times the size of the biggest living penguins today.

Extreme engineering is becoming the norm as offshore wind continues to scale up. Sweeping the area of 12.3 standard NFL fields each rotation, with gargantuan 140-meter (459-ft) blades, the MySE 18.X-28X will be the largest wind turbine ever built.

The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) is upping the ante on offshore wind, announcing it's building the largest and most powerful wind turbine ever, making a peak 18 megawatts with an enormous 260-m (853-ft) diameter on its three-bladed rotor.

Researchers have discovered the largest plant in the world – a meadow of seagrass off the coast of Western Australia that covers a total of 200 sq km (77 sq miles). The entire expanse has grown from just one seedling, spreading by cloning itself.