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39 Of The Biggest Mysteries That Remain Unsolved To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing
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?"
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#1
What consciousness really is. How does meat think?
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#2
Why we dream. Brain runs a midnight movie with zero budget and wild plots. Why?
#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 15 hours 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
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 11 hours ago
I used to lie awake as a child trying to think about this and just freaking out
#5
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 17 hours ago
"Two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead." - Ben Franklin, or somebody
#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 20 hours 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.”
#8
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.
Anne Roberts 16 hours ago
It's a tough diagnosis. I wish you the best of luck in your treatment.
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
What the hell Goofy is supposed to be, given the existence of Pluto.
The Other Guest 20 hours 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.
#11
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 20 hours 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.
#12
The Bronze Age Collapse. As a history nerd, it keeps me up at night.
Skara Brae 12 hours 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.
#13
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 9 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 😅
#14
The placebo effect—how our brains can literally heal the body.
Nikki Sevven 18 hours 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.
#15
What was before the big bang.
Stardust she/her 8 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
#16
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 15 hours 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.
#17
If the universe continues to expand, what is it expanding into?
Colleen Glim 20 hours ago
But what is it expanding from? The idea of a humongous ball of nothingness that exploded begs the question, how did it explode?
#19
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 20 hours 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.
#20
What really happens if you try to enter a black hole and what’s on the other side? We will likely never know.
Marnie 19 hours 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.
#22
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 10 hours ago
Slime moulds, with no nervous system or anything like a brain, can learn. Our understanding of "intelligence" is perhaps very limited
#23
Our brains and bodies and the exact reasons we do things like yawning.
#24
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”.
#25
How anesthesia works.... Honestly, no one really knows.
Note: this post originally had 39 images. It’s been shortened to the top 25 images based on user votes.
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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 16 hours ago
Another mystery. Why do some people pretend that pineapple doesn't belong on pizza?
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 16 hours ago
Another mystery. Why do some people pretend that pineapple doesn't belong on pizza?
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