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“What Is The Biggest Mystery We Still Aren’t Close To Solving?” (25 Pics)
In this day and age, on the surface level, it seems like we know a lot about how the world, the human body, and the universe all work. And though we do know quite a bit, there’s still lots of room for scientific progress. Some theories aren’t as solid as you might think, and there are plenty of questions that have researchers puzzled.
Internet users took to an online thread to share what they think are the biggest still-unanswered mysteries that we don’t seem to be close to fully solving yet. Read on to get your creative juices flowing and to think about something bigger than "what should I have for dinner?"
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Why we dream. Brain runs a midnight movie with zero budget and wild plots. Why?
Marnie 1 day ago
It's simple: Dreams are when we roll our eyes back into our heads and see what we're thinking (or so I decided when I was 4). It still makes a bit of sense to me :-)
Crystalwitch60 23 hours ago
😂😂😂 that’s deep for 4 yr old you , but I like that narrative lmao it does make sense actually 😂
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Lisa T 1 day ago
It’s weird, I have aphantasia, so I can’t visualise things in my mind’s eye, or “picture” a thought. Only found out like three years ago people can actually SEE images while thinking about something. But I have always had very vivid dreams, and I lucid dream a lot. I still remember some dreams from 45 odd years ago, too.
Jp@nda 14 hours ago
That's interesting, I can't imagine what that would be like. It's like the people that have no inner monologue going and just exist with a silent brain
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Chaos Pandas Unite 22 hours ago
There’s research that suggests it’s a byproduct of the brain ‘washing out’ and replenishing neurotransmitters used up during the day.
LizzieBoredom 19 hours ago
Your brain weighs less when you get up than when you go to bed. Chemical flush.
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Jumping Jellyfishes 1 day ago
Brain gets bored while night systems run and repair, so it entertains itself.
Colleen Glim 1 day ago
Been asking myself this question lately. I’ve been stressed at work (because Christmas) and have been talking/yelling in my sleep lately
Stardust she/her 23 hours ago
I can remember every dream I’ve ever had since I was 5 to the point where there’s a literal cinematic universe in my dreams and locations I’ve been visiting for years that don’t even exist. My friends think this indicates I don’t sleep well
Chaos Pandas Unite 19 hours ago
Or you have a very vivid dream life and it’s profound and valuable and cool? Or I mean I look at it that way. I think we’re the poorer for it when we can’t remember our dreams. We spent so much of our life asleep; sleep and dream life are a huge part of human life, not just our waking life. A lot of cultures find utility and another way of knowing through dreams.
Load More Replies... Panda Kicki 1 day ago
Well, otherwise the whole Dream Productions would be out of jobs. Duh. (I love that Pixar made a whole mini series about them)
Boo 15 hours ago
I don't know how I managed to be able to do this, but if I have a dream go in a direction I don't like, I can concentrate and change it. Although I wake up in the morning with a headache from hèll though.
Lady Eowyn 13 hours ago
Lucid dreaming. Sometimes I can control what I dream about. Unfortunately doesn't work with nightmares and night terrors.
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Mel in Georgia 10 hours ago
Recently had a totally meta dream. I often have dreams about "my" house that is massive and has unexplored rooms. In my recent dream I was directing a houseguest to a bathroom way down the hall of "our" enormous basement. He said, "Wow, you have a really big house!" I replied, "You know, it's funny - I have dreams about having a house bigger than this with lots of weird rooms." Then I woke up, thought about it, and laughed. My dreams are getting repetitive!
Crystalwitch60 23 hours ago
Yes why lol, I’m good at interpreting dreams ,but I’d love to know how we dream n why , n also why a lot never dream at all 🤷♀️n why some of us can recall all our dreams ,every bit of em , I can it’s freaky lol ,
Lady Eowyn 13 hours ago
Everyone dreams, even animals. It's just that most don't remember their dreams. REM sleep.
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Der Kommissar 9 hours ago
dreams are your brain's way of letting off steam. You have several dreams every night. You just remember one or a few of them
Lee Gilliland 15 hours ago
It sorts the brain somehow and there are suspicions it goes all the way down to some fish.
TotallyNOTAFox 20 hours ago (edited)
Easy to answer, the brain processes and sorts memories and thoughts during sleep and utilizes the visual- and audio areas for it too. The areas for motion are usually disabled so we don't actually act. What really s***s is being conscious while dreaming because it's not really relaxing
RELATED:
#2
What consciousness really is. How does meat think?
#3
What kind of life lives in our oceans . Current scientific estimates say that we have only discovered 10-25% of marine species.
Robin Roper 1 day ago
When we find out, the next thing would be figuring out how to s***w it up.
Though we don’t fully understand why people sleep, there are some solid, quality theories that scientists are working with.
For example, recent research suggests that the primary purpose of sleep for humans may be to remove toxic and metabolic waste from the brain.
According to one perspective article, if these toxins are allowed to build up, they might compromise brain functionality.
Meanwhile, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that during sleep, brain cells propel fluid into, through, and out of the brain, cleaning it of waste.
“These neurons are miniature pumps. Synchronized neural activity powers fluid flow and removal of debris from the brain. If we can build on this process, there is the possibility of delaying or even preventing neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, in which excess waste – such as metabolic waste and junk proteins – accumulate in the brain and lead to neurodegeneration,” explains neurologist Li-Feng Jiang-Xie, PhD, first author and postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Pathology & Immunology.
#4
Tossing out one less existential, but who pirated the WGN signal with a Max Headroom skit in the 80s.
Lots of theories, but no real evidence and no one has any idea who did it.
Kudos to the people involved for actually keeping their mouths shut for 40 years. Makes me think it was one person that did it all on their own. What are the chances of more than one person keeping a lid on that?
On the one hand, I want the guy(s) who did it to come out and admit it and how they did it. Statute of limitations has to be up right?
But I get why they don’t. I’m sure the Feds would find some way to convict them of something if they came forward, statute of limitations be d****d.
nottheactualphoto 1 day ago
"Two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead." - Ben Franklin, or somebody
#5
What the universe, or multi-verse, is inside of. Like where is the end and if there is no end what is it all in? My brain can't handle this, no amount of theories can make me stop wondering.
Daisydaisy 1 day ago
I used to lie awake as a child trying to think about this and just freaking out
#6
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition that causes a very strong urge to move the legs. The urge to move usually is caused by an uncomfortable feeling in the legs. It typically happens in the evening or at night when sitting or lying down. Moving eases the discomfort for a short time.
The Other Guest 1 day ago
It's super annoying, too, both for the person who has it (me) and the person who shares their bed (Mr OG).
“It is critical that the brain disposes of metabolic waste that can build up and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. We knew that sleep is a time when the brain initiates a cleaning process to flush out waste and toxins it accumulates during wakefulness. But we didn’t know how that happens. These findings might be able to point us toward strategies and potential therapies to speed up the removal of damaging waste and to remove it before it can lead to dire consequences,” notes Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, the senior author on the paper, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology & Immunology, and a BJC Investigator.
According to Kipnis, if you can enhance the cleaning process in the brain, it would be possible to sleep less and remain healthy.
“Not everyone has the benefit of eight hours of sleep each night, and loss of sleep has an impact on health.”
#7
The brain.
I have brain cancer, and when I was first diagnosed with it I asked how it happened and my doctor shrugged and told me that they don't really understand how brain cancers develop and that we are just stepping our toes in the door for treatment for it.
#8
What the hell Goofy is supposed to be, given the existence of Pluto.
The Other Guest 1 day ago
This isn't a mystery at all: he's a dog. He first appeared in the 1932 cartoon "Mickey's Review," and was originally named Dippy Dog. This was changed to Goofy in 1934, with his first appearance under that name being "Orphan's Benefit." The difference between the two is that Goofy is an anthropomorphic character, and Pluto is not.
From your perspective, what are the biggest, most important mysteries that remain unanswered to this very day, dear Pandas? What theories do you personally think most people take for granted, even though there’s still room for research?
What do you do to stay up-to-date with scientific breakthroughs? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
#10
The Bronze Age Collapse. As a history nerd, it keeps me up at night.
Skara Brae 1 day ago
Look up "sea peoples" on youtube. Unknown people from the sea (duh) attacked the countries around the eastern Mediterranean, about the same time as a long drought. Only the Egyptian civilization survived.
#12
The placebo effect—how our brains can literally heal the body.
Nikki Sevven 1 day ago
I just read a study where the participants had a DNA analysis, then were asked to think of their favorite relative for 20 minutes every day for one month. At the end of the month, the participants' genetic expression leaned more heavily toward that favorite relative.
#13
We don’t seem to be making any headway in deciphering Linear A, the Minoan writing from. Which is kind of odd because there’s a rather big sample size and it’s in a pretty central location whose people and culture influenced a lot of our touchstones today, but there’s really been no progress to speak of.
Kira Okah 1 day ago (edited)
The lack of a big sample size is what is standing in the way. Around 1400 samples, mostly fragmentory and heavily damaged, by comparison Linear B has over 6000. Another reason is that most of those are also quick notes instead of full sentences, and we have zero bilingual references. We have deciphered numerals in Linear A, and have some clue of fractions, and a few are close enough to Linear B to make a guess. Note also that Linear A doesn't encode a known language, we don't know Minoan, and we don't know if all Linear A texts are in the Minoan language.
#14
How do parasites know how to control the behavior of their hosts? Particularly things like fungus, which don't appear to actually have minds of their own?
Also, how does something evolve to learn how to do that?
Luke Branwen 23 hours ago
Unlike most religions who see God as some kind of magical being, I believe God, or some universal consciousness we may call God, is more akin to a scientist and evolution is their way of creation. And some of their experiments yielded horrifying results 😅
#15
If the universe continues to expand, what is it expanding into?
Colleen Glim 1 day ago
But what is it expanding from? The idea of a humongous ball of nothingness that exploded begs the question, how did it explode?
#16
Who was D.B. Cooper and what happened to him and the money?
#17
What was before the big bang.
Stardust she/her 22 hours ago
How can a ‘before’ exist before the creation of time itself? Humans are a foolish species to assume that we have the capacity to understand the very fabric of reality when all we were made to do was survive on a planet we were tailored for. Perhaps in a billion years we may have evolved the capacity to understand the universe we live in but not today
#18
How to reliably prevent or stop hiccups. For such a universal experience, its not terribly well-understood since it happens so infrequently, unpredictably, and for (usually) such a short period of time.
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 day ago
When I had hiccups as a child my mum would say "hiccup again and I will give you £20" . I never managed to get that £20. Not once.
#19
What does sleep actually do, and why do we need it? On the surface, it seems obvious, but there seems to be a lack of general consensus on why it's necessary. Some species require very little sleep, some require a lot.
We can point to anecdotes regarding how different animals do it, and even the benefits that come from sufficient sleep.
We have some good ideas about what sleep does for the body, along with theories as to why this is a necessity. But in terms of a definitive answer, things seem kind of murky.
Robin Roper 1 day ago
It is known that sleep is a necessary biological process that allows the body and brain repair, restore, and recharge. During sleep, waste is removed from the brain. Other biological processes occur so all this is what sleep actually does.
#21
Intelligence is a concept we understand. Animals don't know what intelligence is, and yet they might or might not use it. What are some other concepts similar to intelligence that we have no idea exist and we have no way of knowing they exist. It's a big assumption that we can understand everything in the universe using intelligence.
Daisydaisy 1 day ago
Slime moulds, with no nervous system or anything like a brain, can learn. Our understanding of "intelligence" is perhaps very limited
#22
Not biggest on a universal or global scale, but locally near Philadelphia, a couple has been missing since 2005 and vanished without a trace. They were at a bar and after leaving were never seen again. Car missing, no activity on phones or credit cards. Just gone. A lot of speculation but so far no leads and it bugs me. If interested just google “missing South St couple Philadelphia”.
#23
What really happens if you try to enter a black hole and what’s on the other side? We will likely never know.
Marnie 1 day ago
A black hole is not actually a hole, so why assume one could "enter" it? The other side is just the other side. Like the other side of our sun from where we're currently located. We do know that we could not currently survive approaching closely to a black hole, because the gravity would stretch us. I think OP is thinking a black hole IS a "worm hole" - that that's a fact, but we just don't know how worm holes work yet.
#24
Our brains and bodies and the exact reasons we do things like yawning.
#25
One day my dog was running along the fence with the neighbors dog, which both of my dogs have done for years. I call him to come back inside and 1/3 of his ear was missing. It looked like someone had just stripped a piece off the edge for some beef jerky or something (he had Lab ears, if that helps you imagine haha)
After freaking out for a second (and before I loaded him into the car to head to the ER vet), I looked all up and down the fence where they run, I tried to see if the neighbors dog had blood on or around his mouth - maybe she got Boo's ear when they were running. NOTHING. No ear strip, no blood, nothing along the path he runs. I looked for days too. Whenever the dogs were outside, I was outside looking for Boo Boo's ear and never found it.
While, honestly, thank god. It would have probably made me puke to find his ear strip well after the fact, but I really would like to know what happened.
That's my biggest mystery.
#27
Who pulled the panic button out of AOC’s office.
#28
What really happened to those guys who escaped Alcatraz?!
#30
Prime numbers remain quite a mystery. I was going to say that they aren't close to finding patterns or ways for identifying the "next" prime number, but tbh I don't know if that's true. Apparently this summer it was published that mathmeticians developed a new method for *defining* prime numbers.
I'll leave this up as I think it fits the topic, but I'll let other correct me if we are closer than I thought.
Colleen Glim 1 day ago
Iirc, and math class was a long time ago, prime numbers are numbers that are only divisible by themselves
#31
I think it's bizarre so many people in our government are saying aliens are real and people are just brushing it off as a nothing burger.
#32
Aliens. For decades we had several testimonies from people ranging from farmers to astronauts and the highest government officials. Yet the discussion always hits the wall with the simple question: where is the evidence? No matter who discusses the topic we never get over the issue of the lack of credible evidence. Reason tells me that it is impossible that we are the only living conscious beings on this ever expanding universe. But if visitors are always coming in and out, where is the actual proof and why do they not present themselves to us?!
Mike Goslin 1 day ago
It's a big universe (lots of posts on that topic in this thread) There could be millions of alien races and, on the average, we would never run into each other.
#33
Spontaneous Human Combustion
Ball lightning
Ancient iron alloys that do not rust.
#34
How to cure cold so that our body doesnt shutdown for a few days.
Ace 1 day ago (edited)
The range of treatments available today for many commonplace viral infections like colds is taken for granted by many, but you don't have to go back much more than a hundred years or so when just being under the weather for a few days would have been regarded as a cure, rather than the serious consequences that were common then.
#35
The Malaysian flight that just disappeared.
#36
Who or what is behind our existence? Why are we something?
If you are as logical as you think you are, why do you have emotions?
Rick Murray 1 day ago
A complicated process of evolution got some molecules stuck together, and more came, and they started to do interesting things. I think a far better question is how can molecules that are essentially lifeless "stuff" create a living being that can understand that he's made of this lifeless "stuff"? How does that work?
#37
What’s really in Area 51, no guesses or theories, ‘ just the facts ma’am’.
Mike Goslin 1 day ago
Area 51 is an Air Force test range for experimental aircraft. Not a guess, not a mystery. It is well established and has been for quite some time.
#38
Every six months I hear they’ve finally found Amelia Earharts plane. Do I care if they solve the mystery? Nope don’t gaf at all, but apparently lots of other people do .
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 day ago
They found a plane wreck on an island in the '40s and dismissed it for some reason. But it was mosty likely her plane. (Or she got transported to the Delta quadrant.)
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 day ago
Another mystery. Why do some people pretend that pineapple doesn't belong on pizza?
Ace 23 hours ago
A lot of the "same-old" here, unsurprisingly, but also a lot of "I can't get my head around this so it must be a mystery". There are lots of very clever people who can, and have indeed got their heads around a lot of these things.
Doctor Strange 21 hours ago
I have a mystery. Why don't the BP mods remove the spam links and block the spam accounts?
UKDeek 14 hours ago
The one that fascinates me is the Voynich manuscript. Still lots of debate about its origins and content, with a very interesting Wikipedia entry going through some of the research into it. Lot more interesting than some of the "mysteries" listed here.
Roger Davidson-Haywood 10 hours ago
I was going to say the very same thing. Kudos to you.
Load More Replies... Stardust she/her 22 hours ago
Gravity being a pretty weak force is a mystery. The fact that a simple magnet is more than enough to overcome an entire planet’s gravity astounds me and there’s not a proper hypothesis or theory that explains this.
TotallyNOTAFox 19 hours ago (edited)
Matter of perspective, gravity is the weakest force in comparison to the other three major forces, yet it takes circa 40k km/h to escape it here on Earth
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Drop Bear from Hell 23 hours ago
where are the following: Jimmy Hoffa, Lindbergh baby, Harold Holt, Madeliene McCann?????
Norfolk and good 23 hours ago
He k****d himself by jumping into the channel.
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KDS 11 hours ago
Two questions I have is where is the Russian Amber Room, and how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Andy Frobig 9 hours ago
How many Lowe's would Rob Lowe rob if Rob Lowe could rob Lowe's?
Load More Replies... Cuppa tea? 14 hours ago
The question or mystery that puzzles me the most is this: Why it's called asteroid when it's outside of the hemisphere, it hemeroid when it's outside of a*s?
Roxy222uk 8 hours ago
When deciduous trees’ leaves change colour in autumn we know why they might go yellow or brown. That’s down to stopping making green chlorophyll. What scientists have no idea about is why some trees *start* making a red pigment called anthocyanin and we start seeing red leaves. A simple mystery that you can observe every year if you live in a temperate region.
Doctor Strange 21 hours ago
The Bermuda Triangle is Not a mystery. The only reason there are seemingly more ships lost in that area is because it is a high traffic area and gets more ships travelling it. Proportionately the same percentage of ships are lost here as anywhere else in the world.
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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 day ago
Another mystery. Why do some people pretend that pineapple doesn't belong on pizza?
Ace 23 hours ago
A lot of the "same-old" here, unsurprisingly, but also a lot of "I can't get my head around this so it must be a mystery". There are lots of very clever people who can, and have indeed got their heads around a lot of these things.
Doctor Strange 21 hours ago
I have a mystery. Why don't the BP mods remove the spam links and block the spam accounts?
UKDeek 14 hours ago
The one that fascinates me is the Voynich manuscript. Still lots of debate about its origins and content, with a very interesting Wikipedia entry going through some of the research into it. Lot more interesting than some of the "mysteries" listed here.
Roger Davidson-Haywood 10 hours ago
I was going to say the very same thing. Kudos to you.
Load More Replies... Stardust she/her 22 hours ago
Gravity being a pretty weak force is a mystery. The fact that a simple magnet is more than enough to overcome an entire planet’s gravity astounds me and there’s not a proper hypothesis or theory that explains this.
TotallyNOTAFox 19 hours ago (edited)
Matter of perspective, gravity is the weakest force in comparison to the other three major forces, yet it takes circa 40k km/h to escape it here on Earth
Load More Replies... Drop Bear from Hell 23 hours ago
where are the following: Jimmy Hoffa, Lindbergh baby, Harold Holt, Madeliene McCann?????
Norfolk and good 23 hours ago
He k****d himself by jumping into the channel.
Load More Replies... KDS 11 hours ago
Two questions I have is where is the Russian Amber Room, and how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Andy Frobig 9 hours ago
How many Lowe's would Rob Lowe rob if Rob Lowe could rob Lowe's?
Load More Replies... Cuppa tea? 14 hours ago
The question or mystery that puzzles me the most is this: Why it's called asteroid when it's outside of the hemisphere, it hemeroid when it's outside of a*s?
Roxy222uk 8 hours ago
When deciduous trees’ leaves change colour in autumn we know why they might go yellow or brown. That’s down to stopping making green chlorophyll. What scientists have no idea about is why some trees *start* making a red pigment called anthocyanin and we start seeing red leaves. A simple mystery that you can observe every year if you live in a temperate region.
Doctor Strange 21 hours ago
The Bermuda Triangle is Not a mystery. The only reason there are seemingly more ships lost in that area is because it is a high traffic area and gets more ships travelling it. Proportionately the same percentage of ships are lost here as anywhere else in the world.
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