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Science holds the key to things that can’t be explained otherwise, they say. But, there are certain things that have left even the scientists baffled.
Take these following listed 17 for an instance:
1. Why do we yawn?
No, it is not only when our mind, body, and soul is desiring bed. And yes, it seems contagious. These are the theories based on our daily experiences and observations. But, figuring one solid answer behind this involuntary body function is a task science hasn’t been able to nail just as yet. They say yawns regulate the temperature of our brain. But, is that a fact to be sealed? No one knows.
2. What would it be like to fall into a black hole?
Would you land onto a fairy land? Or, would it seem like falling into the seemingly endless depths of a well? Such questions are good for those who like to imagine. But what does science have to say about it?
Some say that once a person enters through a gigantic black hole (I don’t know why and how anyone would do that), they wouldn’t notice anything peculiar while crossing the horizon.
An alternate theory says that once they enter, they will be fried crisp. But if this is, in fact true, it is a slap in the face of one of the three theories in theoretical physics.
3. Why do certain animals purr?
The sounds cats make while being petted are usually assumed as a sign of contentment. However, the concept of purring is still not precisely explained in the scientific literature. Scientists say cats have what is known as a unique “neural oscillator” in their brain. It is this oscillator, that together with the larynx (voice box) and laryngeal muscles, is responsible for the purring of cats. But that explains ‘how’, not ‘why’.
The purring of other animals like- mongoose, bears, rabbits, squirrels, guinea pigs, elephants, gorillas, etc., is largely unexplained.
4. Placebo effect
What I knew of placebo was- you give a medicine to a patient without revealing to him the type/name of the medicine. It might as well be no real pill or an empty injection. But, the patient remains unaware of it. He believes that the dosage will work, and as long as his belief stays intact in the pill, it works.
Now, is it just about curing people by making them believe? It remains one of the massive mysteries in the field of medical science.
5. Déjà vu
Things that happen in the present make you feel like you are revisiting your past. It is a feeling that hits us seldom. But when it does, we get fascinated and engulfed in its mystery.
A theory says that when your brain fails to encode a new memory properly, or when it doesn’t properly draw familiarity between new memory and old memory, déjà vu strikes.
But, of course, this is one of the many ideas they have come up with. But the exact cause that triggers this strange experience remains unknown.
6. Bigfoot
Some say it is mythical. But scientists like to believe it is a cryptid- an animal whose existence they have failed to prove. There are theories that it might as well be just a large animal misunderstood for a Yeti. Recently they investigated 2 hair samples and got a lead, which said that the Bigfoot might be a relative of the ancient polar bear walking around the Himalayas. There is another theory that says he might be a human relative from 13,000 years ago. Scientists seem pretty convinced about the creature’s existence.
But to human minds, it still remains a myth that they are unlikely to believe unless super solid evidence arises.
7. Why do cows face only either north or south while grazing/resting?
This is a bizarre thing that even the most curious of minds would have failed to observe. Going through thousands of Google Earth’s satellite images, scientists observed that the cows graze only in either of these directions. Is it something to do with the Earth’s magnetic poles or a technique to ward off predators that no one ever thought of? Some animal species, though, are known to possess an internal compass, but scientists are perplexed.
8. How did all the golden jellyfish in the Jellyfish Lake die in 1998 and return in 2000?
The Jelly fish lake, on the Eil Malk island in Palau, experienced this bizarre mishap in the year 1998 when the population of jelly fish declined to 0. They theorized that the increase in temperature due to El Niño weather event made it impossible for certain algae that live in the golden jelly fish medusae to survive, and hence they died off. But it is a probability more than a sure-shot reason.
In January 2000, the golden Jelly fish medusae started to re-appear.
9. Naga fireballs
An often occurrence on the Mekong river, this phenomenon is also known as Mekong lights, whereby glowing balls of varying sizes rise mysteriously from the river to the air. They travel for about hundreds of meters before finally disappearing. The phenomenon is reported to occur mostly at the end of October, which marks the end of Buddhist Lent.
Some say the fireballs are released by the mythical creature, Naga serpent. Some have even tried to put a scientific angle to it. But, exactly how these fireballs shoot up in the air from the water, remains a big question mark on the scientists.
10. Why some terrestrial animals moved back to water?
While most marine animals traveled out of the sea world and developed limbs to adapt to the land life, some moved to the water. They evolved into whales, manatees, and seals, and no one knows why they even moved back in the first place.
Did they fall into the waters, or were they compelled to because of certain harsh conditions they faced on the land?
They say moving from water to land was easier. But moving back to the water required a lot of practice to adjust with the life in the deep. These animals navigate through the water using the power of their tales and it took them a long time to learn to paddle – a sign that they had limbs earlier?
11. Multi-cellular organisms that live without oxygen
As if the fact that some bacteria and simple organisms can sustain without oxygen was not unbelievable enough, they discovered a class of complex (multi-cellular) organisms called Loricifera phylum in the depths of Mediterranean sea, that thrive in oxygen-less environments. Moreover, scientists also lack the information on their evolution history.
12. A Saturn hurricane- The Hexagon
Cassini, an unmanned spacecraft, has been orbiting Saturn for about 11 years now. It has spotted a massive hurricane, with a massive eye, and high winds over the planet. Its existence is intriguing because, unlike terrestrial hurricanes, whereby they are sped by warm oceans, Saturn doesn’t have any ocean to begin with. Then why the hurricane? Also, unlike Earth hurricanes, the one on the Saturn is limited to the north pole and the extremely baffling part is that its eye is a constant hexagon.
A mystery NASA is still trying to solve.
13. Earthquake light
Mysterious luminous flashes in the skies in the areas prone to tectonic, seismic and volcanic disturbances. It is observed that the lights flash the sky while the earthquake is occurring, but in addition, there have been sights of flashes before and after the occurrence of earthquakes. An example of this would be the 1975 Kalpana earthquake.
The research into these bizarre lights is ongoing and this is one research we would want to be proven soon.
14. The Moon illusion
Strangely enough, the moon appears larger on the horizon than it does when high up in the sky. So is the case with stars and constellations. Why this illusion occurs, however, is still an ongoing debate.
15. Intuition
We all preach the importance of following what are intuition says. Most times, our intuitions are wrong when implemented in real life, but some times they are right. But, what’s the deal with this science of gut feeling or sixth sense? Sometimes referred to as ‘readily available knowledge’, intuition remains difficult to study and prove.
16. Psychic powers and ESP (Extra Sensory Perception)
There are many psychic displays that still remain a virgin puzzle. Scientists have tested some who claim to have psychic powers, but the efforts have gone in vain so far.
17. Near death experiences
People who defied death after having seen it very closely often share some mysterious experiences. They talk about the typical, ‘tunnel of light’, they see re-unions with their loved ones, experience floating up in the air, and various versions of seeing and experiencing peace. Such experiences give strength to the talks of life after death.
There have been proofs, but none has been used as a solid evidence.
Mysteries are what keep our imagination working. But certain ones like the aforementioned are no less than diseases to the curious heads. They can cling onto your brain and ride on your nerves like a hamster running on its wheel. Just as the tiny rodent who keeps running towards nothing, there are high chances of you never reaching anywhere with these mind-boggling mysteries.
But that reminds me, why does a hamster runs so much? 😉
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