Mind-Blowing Mysteries Remain Unsolved
Nature continues to leave us in awe. While natural phenomena like the Northern Lights can be explained, other extraordinary events leave us in the dark. From magical mysteries on Earth to alien suspicions in space, there are bizarre occurrences that science cannot explain.
1. The Dancing Plague
This was not a welcomed dance party. In the city of Strasbourg in 1518, hundreds of people were infected by the Dancing Plague. For several days, people literally danced themselves to death with uncontrollable body movements that led to fatal exhaustion. Theories speculate that the infectious dancing could’ve sparked from mass hysteria or ergot poisoning but it’s very uncertain.
United States Public Domain on Wikimedia
2. The Bermuda Triangle
Try not to get bent out of shape but this is a mean triangle. With Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico as each point of the triangle, several planes and ships have disappeared without a trace in that part of the Atlantic Ocean. There are ongoing investigations about the mysterious vanishings but we’re nowhere near finding a trace. Theories range from natural phenomena to paranormal activities.
3. The WOW! Signal
A powerful radio signal from outer space puzzled astronomers at Ohio State University. The signal lasted a shocking 72 seconds which inspired its name as the “Wow! Signal”. Since the 70s, its origin remains a mystery. Whether it was alien communication or a celestial event nobody knows.
Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO) on Wikimedia
4. The Taos Hum
This phenomenon is secret music to our ears. Locals of Taos, New Mexico have reported a low-frequency humming noise in parts of the area. Scientists and acoustic experts alike have yet to find the source of the mysterious sound, suggesting it could be caused by geological processes or psychological phenomena.
5. The Tunguska Explosion
In 1908, a gigantic explosion blasted over 2,000 square kilometers of forest in the Tunguska region of Siberia. Many folks believe it was the impact of a meteor or comet but there is no physical evidence to support this belief. Other speculations include explosive natural gas or a sign from extraterrestrials.
6. The Hessdalen Lights
Glowing orbs light up the sky in the Hessdalen valley in Norway but noone knows why. These mysterious lights have been dancing across the sky for decades but their energy source is unexplainable.
7. The Nazca Lines
In southern Peru, there is a series of large geoglyphs scratched into the desert plains dating back to 500 BCE. The sandy sketches include illustrations of animals, plants, and geometry but it's their visibility that puzzles us. You can only fully see them from the air above, making researchers wonder about their purpose and creation.
8. The Bird Migration
Having a “bird brain” must mean you’re good at navigating. Numerous species of birds migrate thousands of miles each year without using Google Maps. Scientists can’t figure out how they don’t get lost, suggesting they might use visual landmarks or sense of smell to locate their whereabouts.
9. The Naga Fireballs
The full moon brings a fire-breathing river serpent at the end of the Buddhist Lent. Around this time of autumn every year, Thailand’s Mekong River puts on an explosive show of fireballs that blast spontaneously out of the water. Legend has it that Naga, the mythical serpent, haunts the river and spits out fire once a year.
10. The Big Bang Theory
The birth of the universe is the biggest mystery of all time but scientists’ closest explanation is the Big Bang Theory. Their evidence suggests that the universe was created by an extremely dense and sweltering hot state that exploded into a continual space 13 billion years ago.
rNASA's James Webb Space Telescope on Wikimedia
11. The Contagious Yawn
Feeling sleepy?–– This phenomenon might wake you up! Yawning seems pretty normal to most of us but it’s actually an unexplainable function. When we are around a yawner we often begin to yawn ourselves which would indicate that yawning is also contagious.
Joseph Ducreux & Google Cultural Institute on Wikimedia
12. The Storm On Saturn
In the north pole on Saturn there is a storm in full force the size of two Earths. From above, it appears to be in the shape of a hexagon but its peculiar shape is unexplained and it has yet to calm down.
Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI on Wikimedia
13. The Drunken Forest
Locals think the trees are drunk but this forest is also known as the “Dancing Forest” in Russia. Pine trees grow in curvy, twisted shapes that spiral towards the sky. To onlookers the trees look like they’re dancing and their bizarre formations are unique to this part of the world. They were planted in the 1960s which could explain a few things.
14. The Humpback Whale Super-Groups
Humpbacks are solitary creatures that generally swim and live their lives independently. Recently however, the whales have been found feeding in packs of 20-200 off the coast of South Africa. Marine scientists are still trying to figure out what has influenced this change in behavior but it could be due to their rise in population. (Or they finally realized it’s more fun to dine with friends?)
Whit Welles Wwelles14 on Wikimedia
15. The Dark Matter
The makeup of dark matter in outer space is as mysterious as the universe itself. One theory suggests that dark matter is made up of unidentified particles that humans haven’t discovered yet. Another theory proclaims that it’s made of primordial black holes. The fact of the matter is that we’re still in the dark about this phenomenon and we’re far from figuring it out.
Smithsonian Institution on Wikimedia
16. The Ocean’s Twilight Zone
You can’t dive deep enough to discover the underwater world yet. The dark depths of the ocean’s “twilight zone” are 200 meters below the surface where sunlight cannot reach and neither can we. There’s plenty of fish in the dark sea as scientists believe more marine life lives there than anywhere else.
Twilight Zone Expedition Team 2007, NOAA-OE. on Wikimedia
17. The Planet Venus
As the second planet from the sun, planet Venus was thought to have been created at the same time as Earth with life-supporting water just the same. However, at a toasty 900 degrees Fahrenheit, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system unable to inhabit life and astronomers don’t understand why.
18. The Slime Mold
This brainless yellow goop is somehow smart. Slime mold is a simple single-celled organism with complex skills. It can solve mazes, track time, and make safe decisions but it doesn’t have a brain which is causing scientists to lose their minds.
19. The Lightning Balls
During thunderstorms there have been rare occasions where lightning wasn’t only striking from the sky. There have been sightings of light spheres that glow and crackle as they hover around common spaces like houses, airplanes, and city streets. These lightning balls vanish after a few seconds and their electrifying existence is unexplainable.
20. The Animal Rain
It hasn’t rained cats and dogs yet but unfortunately, that isn’t the case for other animals. On a few rare occasions there have been animals like blackbirds, fish, and frogs raining down from the sky. These bizarre showers happened during tornadoes leading us to believe the cause could be from waterspouts. Although the bigger question unanswered is why has it only been one species each time?
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