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From the composition of the universe to why giraffes have such long
necks these are 25 unsolved scientific mysteries that will leave you
scratching your head.
What is the universe made of?
Atoms, the building blocks of everything around us, only account for
5% of the total matter in the universe. The other 95% has come to be
called dark matter and dark energy. Apart from giving the mystery matter
a name, though, not much is known about it.
Why do we dream?
In spite of spending nearly 1/3 of our lives doing it, we still don’t
really have any clue as to why. Some possible explanations may be that
it helps with memory and learning.
Why do we even sleep?
Taking things back a bit further, scientists aren’t even clear on why we we actually need to sleep.
Where do we put all the carbon?
Ever since the industrial revolution, we’ve been sending most of the
carbon that was hidden beneath the surface of the Earth up into the
atmosphere. The question is…how do we put it back?
How do we get more energy from the sun?
Since fossil fuels are a finite source of energy, we will eventually
need more and the sun seems to be the most likely candidate. The only
question is, how?
What’s up with prime numbers?
Prominently used in cryptography to keep your Amazon shopping cart
secure, there is a weirdness to prime numbers that mathematicians over
the centuries have yet to figure out. The Riemann hypothesis, an
apparent pattern within the primes, has baffled minds for hundreds of
years.
19
How do we beat bacteria?
With the overuse and misues of antibiotics gradually making most
forms of bacteria resistant, science needs to come up with an answer.
Among the top contenders is DNA sequencing and deep sea searches for new
strains.
Can computers keep getting faster?
Your iPhone is more powerful than the computer that took NASA to the
moon. Will this sort of advancement in computer power continue? In large
part it depends on things such as quantum computing.
Will we ever cure cancer?
Unfortunately cancer seems to be built into our genes and the longer
you live the higher your chances of acquiring some form of it. On the
flip side, however, up to 50% of cancers are preventable. Just don’t
smoke, drink and eat moderately, stay active, and avoid over exposing
yourself to the sun’s radiation.
When can I talk to my robot?
Yea, we know Siri has jokes, but we mean actually talk. Like man to
man. Although AI is always improving, whether SkyNet will ever become
self aware is still unclear.
What’s at the bottom of the ocean?
This one seems a bit dumb. But seriously, 95% of the ocean is
unexplored. In fact, it has been said that is easier to get man to the
moon than to the deepest parts of the ocean.
What’s at the bottom of a black hole?
With general relativity and quantum mechanics in an apparent
standoff, science has yet to unify the two and come to some conclusive
understanding of how the weirdest parts of our universe actually work.
How long can we live?
Only in recent times has medicine started to view aging as a disease
rather than a fact of life. The question, however, isn’t really how to
live longer. It’s how to live longer well.
How do we solve the population problem?
By 2050 the population of Earth is estimate to be near 10 billion.
There is just no way the current infrastructure could support that.
Is time travel possible?
Although time travel into the future is technically possible (as your
velocity increases your experience of passing time decreases), time
travel into the past is still beyond the horizon.
Why do we yawn?
Although humans (along with most vertebrate animals) yawn scientists are still fairly clueless as to why.
Why does the placebo effect work?
Not only is the process by which it works disputable, the actual use
of placebos by physicians has also been a source of controversy.
Why are 9 out of 10 people right handed?
In the 160 years in which “handedness” has been studied we have
learned quite a lot, but we still cannot precisely describe why human
populations are biased toward right-hand use rather than left-hand use.
What causes rocks to sail across the desert floor?
In several locations around the world, rocks have been shown to scoot
along the desert floor, sometimes turning or reversing direction with
no good reason.
How do birds migrate to the same area every year?
Short of hiding a GPS beneath their wings, the best explanation thus far has to do with Earth’s magnetic poles.
Even crazier, how do Monarch Butterflies know where to migrate?
Like birds, monarch butterflies take part in an annual migration of
thousands of miles. The only weird things is that they only live 6
months and no butterfly ever makes the migration twice. So how do they
know where to go?
Why do giraffes have such long necks?
Although there are theories as to the reason, it has long been known that they do not use them for feeding.
How do cats purr?
You’d think someone would just grab a stray cat and take a look
right? Well, apparently it’s more complex than that. With theories
ranging from blood surging through the vena cava to the laryngeal
muscles.
Is light a wave or a particle?
The consensus is that light is both…at the same time. No one is really sure how that works though.
What causes gravity?
This one has stumped scientists perhaps more than any other mystery
on our list. Once again, classical physics and quantum mechanics butt
heads.
25
What is the universe made of?
Atoms, the building blocks of everything around us, only account for
5% of the total matter in the universe. The other 95% has come to be
called dark matter and dark energy. Apart from giving the mystery matter
a name, though, not much is known about it.
24
Why do we dream?
In spite of spending nearly 1/3 of our lives doing it, we still don’t
really have any clue as to why. Some possible explanations may be that
it helps with memory and learning.
23
Why do we even sleep?
Taking things back a bit further, scientists aren’t even clear on why we we actually need to sleep.
22
Where do we put all the carbon?
Ever since the industrial revolution, we’ve been sending most of the
carbon that was hidden beneath the surface of the Earth up into the
atmosphere. The question is…how do we put it back?
21
How do we get more energy from the sun?
Since fossil fuels are a finite source of energy, we will eventually
need more and the sun seems to be the most likely candidate. The only
question is, how?
20
What’s up with prime numbers?
Prominently used in cryptography to keep your Amazon shopping cart
secure, there is a weirdness to prime numbers that mathematicians over
the centuries have yet to figure out. The Riemann hypothesis, an
apparent pattern within the primes, has baffled minds for hundreds of
years.19
How do we beat bacteria?
With the overuse and misues of antibiotics gradually making most
forms of bacteria resistant, science needs to come up with an answer.
Among the top contenders is DNA sequencing and deep sea searches for new
strains.
18
Can computers keep getting faster?
Your iPhone is more powerful than the computer that took NASA to the
moon. Will this sort of advancement in computer power continue? In large
part it depends on things such as quantum computing.
17
Will we ever cure cancer?
Unfortunately cancer seems to be built into our genes and the longer
you live the higher your chances of acquiring some form of it. On the
flip side, however, up to 50% of cancers are preventable. Just don’t
smoke, drink and eat moderately, stay active, and avoid over exposing
yourself to the sun’s radiation.
16
When can I talk to my robot?
Yea, we know Siri has jokes, but we mean actually talk. Like man to
man. Although AI is always improving, whether SkyNet will ever become
self aware is still unclear.
15
What’s at the bottom of the ocean?
This one seems a bit dumb. But seriously, 95% of the ocean is
unexplored. In fact, it has been said that is easier to get man to the
moon than to the deepest parts of the ocean.
14
What’s at the bottom of a black hole?
With general relativity and quantum mechanics in an apparent
standoff, science has yet to unify the two and come to some conclusive
understanding of how the weirdest parts of our universe actually work.
13
How long can we live?
Only in recent times has medicine started to view aging as a disease
rather than a fact of life. The question, however, isn’t really how to
live longer. It’s how to live longer well.
12
How do we solve the population problem?
By 2050 the population of Earth is estimate to be near 10 billion.
There is just no way the current infrastructure could support that.
11
Is time travel possible?
Although time travel into the future is technically possible (as your
velocity increases your experience of passing time decreases), time
travel into the past is still beyond the horizon.
10
Why do we yawn?
Although humans (along with most vertebrate animals) yawn scientists are still fairly clueless as to why.
9
Why does the placebo effect work?
Not only is the process by which it works disputable, the actual use
of placebos by physicians has also been a source of controversy.
8
Why are 9 out of 10 people right handed?
In the 160 years in which “handedness” has been studied we have
learned quite a lot, but we still cannot precisely describe why human
populations are biased toward right-hand use rather than left-hand use.
7
What causes rocks to sail across the desert floor?
In several locations around the world, rocks have been shown to scoot
along the desert floor, sometimes turning or reversing direction with
no good reason.
6
How do birds migrate to the same area every year?
Short of hiding a GPS beneath their wings, the best explanation thus far has to do with Earth’s magnetic poles.
5
Even crazier, how do Monarch Butterflies know where to migrate?
Like birds, monarch butterflies take part in an annual migration of
thousands of miles. The only weird things is that they only live 6
months and no butterfly ever makes the migration twice. So how do they
know where to go?
4
Why do giraffes have such long necks?
Although there are theories as to the reason, it has long been known that they do not use them for feeding.
3
How do cats purr?
You’d think someone would just grab a stray cat and take a look
right? Well, apparently it’s more complex than that. With theories
ranging from blood surging through the vena cava to the laryngeal
muscles.
2
Is light a wave or a particle?
The consensus is that light is both…at the same time. No one is really sure how that works though.
1
What causes gravity?
This one has stumped scientists perhaps more than any other mystery
on our list. Once again, classical physics and quantum mechanics butt
heads.
Source: list25.com
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