Unexplainable mysteries explained by science

Scientists often lament that the world doesn't always make sense.

The rest of us may find this fascinating.

Unusual events, such as strange lights or fabled beings, can be intriguing to speculate on.

Ask half the online forums.

Remember that the world can be fascinating without being cloaked in mystery.

While speculation is nice, exploration is too.

Discover six mysteries solved by science, from Easter Island statues to will-o'-the-wisps.

We have discussed various weather phenomena on SciShow, but this may be the most terrifying and intriguing story yet.

Imagine living in Bath County, Kentucky, in March 1876.

Unexpected events occur on a clear spring day during outdoor activities.

A meat rain begins.

Some are small (5x5 cm) while others are as large as your hand.

Eventually, it covers your yard.

The narrative of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" from the 19th century is real.

The New York Times reported that two men sampled the meat rain and identified it as either mutton or venison.

This phenomenon, known as the Kentucky Meat Shower, continued to puzzle people for decades.

Initially, the culprit was suspected to be nostoc, a jelly-like barrier-covered bacteria.

When it rains, the membrane swells.

However, the meat shower occurred without rain, thus the concept was abandoned.

Scientists discovered the answer by analyzing conserved materials.

They discovered that the meat was a mix of animal lung tissue, muscle, and cartilage.

Eventually, in 1876, chemical professor L.D. Kastenbine identified its origin: synchronized, projectile vomiting vultures.

Amazing story.

Kentucky has two vulture species, and their dietary patterns explain the shower.

Due to their inability to be selective feeders, vultures consume diverse tissue and meat portions of varying sizes.

Additionally, vultures frequently vomit.

If disturbed before digesting their large meals, vultures may throw it up to lighten themselves and make escape easier.

On that day in Kentucky, Kastenbine determined that a bunch of vultures flying overhead all puked simultaneously.

It is probable that this has occurred elsewhere, although it has not been completely recorded.

Both ways, it's gross.

For the Kentucky Meat Shower, a non-gross explanation was unrealistic.

Located in the southeast Pacific, Easter Island is noted for its massive statues.

The Rapa Nui people of Polynesia erected moai at least 400 years ago.

A lesser-known fact: The sculptures once had small reddish caps.

I suppose “little” is an understatement.

Each hat was around two meters wide and weighed up to 12 metric tons.

It remained unclear how the Rapa Nui placed them on the statues until 2018.

Since the moai are 10 meters tall, their caps were quite hefty.

Hundreds of years ago.

There were few cranes.

Finally, a team solved the problem utilizing modeling.

Researchers found in a 2018 Journal of Archeological Science report that Rapa Nui certainly practiced parbuckling.

To begin, the stones were cut into cylinders.

Found on the other side of Easter Island, this red rock was shaped into a cylinder and rolled across to the moai.

Next, a ramp was constructed to access the statue's head.

A team of 15 people carried the cylinder up the ramp and placed it on top of the monument after tying a rope around it.

Afterward, the hat was cut into its final shape.

This seems straightforward to understand, given it relies on simple machinery from primary school.

Building 3D models of 50 sculptures and 13 cylinders, as well as calculating rock weight and ancient Polynesian strength, was necessary to uncover this.

Today, most moai caps have been removed due to weather and erosion.

They're no longer a mystery.

Scientists cannot forecast earthquakes due to an abundance of variables to consider.

People have reported seeing unexplained lights in the sky before and during earthquakes.

Earthquake lights can range from blue flames to ground-severing lightning.

These phenomena have been seen since the 1600s, weeks before big earthquakes, and up to 160 kilometers from the epicenter.

Some unsurprisingly attributed these lights to UFOs.

Others attributed them to Earth's magnetic field disruptions.

In 2014, a publication in Seismological Research Letters provided the definitive solution.

The study examined data from 65 earthquakes where people reported seeing lights.

Evidence suggests that electrical activity in certain rocks, particularly volcanic ones, was the likely cause.

The team found that extreme stress can cause these rocks to release electrical charge.

Pressure breaks chemical bonds in rocks, releasing charged oxygen atoms.

When bonds break simultaneously, such as during an earthquake, charged atoms might rush to the surface, typically near a fault where two rock sheets meet.

Bursts above ground can ionize air, giving air molecules an electric charge.

Flashes of light result from this.

Only 0.5% of earthquakes exhibit earthquake lights due to specific conditions.

The team notes that this phenomenon may also explain pre-quake phenomena such as low-frequency radio emissions.

It is unlikely that understanding earthquake lights will aid in predicting earthquakes due to their rarity and lack of reporting.

Take that, UFOs!

With summer temperatures averaging 45°C, Death Valley, California, is not ideal for long stays, unless you're seeking to solve the Sailing Stones mystery.

The Racetrack rocks are located in a dry lake bed in the valley.

They weigh up to 320 kg and appear to move independently.

They move little.

A few can stay put for decades.

Some rocks have moved over 450 meters, as they leave long streaks behind them during travel.

It took years for people to understand the situation.

Explanations included hurricane-force winds and algae films.

To make matters worse, no one had seen a rock move.

That is, until a few years ago.

In 2011, a team of researchers sought to solve the enigma of the Sailing Stones by installing GPS sensors on them and then… just kind of waiting for something to happen.

Since the rocks move so infrequently, one of the paper’s authors expected this to be, quote, “the most boring experiment ever”.

Two years into the research, a couple of the scientists came out at the Racetrack to make observations, only to see the lake bed covered in a thin layer of water.

And then, to their amazement… they witnessed some of the rocks move.

They eventually published their article — and the solution to the enigma — in PLOS One.

According to the team, the Sailing Stones only move under specified situations.

First, the Racetrack has to fill with water, deep enough to generate floating sheets of ice, but shallow enough not to bury the Stones.

At night, the surface of the water has to freeze.

Then, in the morning, the ice has to break up into floating panels.

Under the right conditions, the wind will drive the panels of ice over the surface of the water, and the ice will propel the Sailing Stones.

It sounds impossible, but it makes more sense if you understand that the Stones aren’t sailing very rapidly.

At best, they move 2 to 6 meters each minute — which you may not notice if you weren’t looking intently.

But over the years, that can mount up, creating those renowned, lengthy tracks across the earth.

There is one more enigma that remains, though:

The researchers are unsure if this strategy applies to the largest rocks in Death Valley.

One item remains to solve.

We lack understanding of the ocean due to its vast undiscovered area.

People quickly wear sea monster T-shirts while discovering unexplained phenomena.

We experienced this in 1997 with the Bloop.

That is the official term.

Simply because it sounds like a bloop.

Researchers captured a loud sound off the coast of South America while searching for underwater volcanoes.

The recording, collected by microphones over 4800 kilometers apart, is too large for a ship or whale.

Additionally, NOAA's announcement that the sound was "possibly biological" did not help.

In 2005, nearly a decade later, experts discovered it was not.

As they recorded ocean sounds, particularly near Antarctica, they concluded that the Bloop was likely an icequake.

Large ice chunks break off glaciers.

The device generates significant noise and resembles the Bloop in audio recordings over time.

Sea creatures unnecessary.

And will-o'-the-wisps.

Folklore from around the world references these creatures, and you may have encountered them if you frequent marshes or swamps.

I'm unaware of your interests.

In Brave, blue-ish lights appear over landscapes and dissipate if approached, similar to Merida.

Many traditions suggest they are spirits or creatures who deceive travelers.

The reason for these lights is almost as bizarre.

Since will-o'-the-wisps are likely triggered by spontaneous combustion.

Human combustion is unlikely to occur spontaneously.

A typical fire occurs when something catches fire without a clear cause.

Most likely, the lights are created by gas mixes reacting with ambient oxygen.

These mixes contain methane, carbon dioxide, and molecules containing phosphine, such as diphosphane, which ignites with oxygen.

Studies indicate that microorganisms in soil, breaking down organic debris, can emit these gasses in marshes, swamps, and cemeteries.

When gas bubbles reach the surface, a will-o'-the-wisp occurs.

Note that some hypotheses imply these lights may be gas clouds rather than fires.

A 1980 experiment revealed a luminous green cloud when crude phosphine and methane were mixed.

The general mechanism of "swamp gas + air" appears to explain the situation.

The short-lived reactions explain why these lights appear to vanish when approached.

Researchers report that some phosphine derivatives are highly hazardous.

The occurrence of gas clouds in local marshes may have prompted people to avoid them.

Not only do we enjoy puzzles, but also the story behind solving them are fascinating.

Curiosity and wonder are essential for becoming a professional scientist and deciding on a study topic.

Bloop.

Will-o'-the-wisps.”

We appreciate your curiosity, scientists.

For generations, people have recounted fantastic accounts about this phenomenon.

Even while scientists can explain some events, the stories remain valuable.

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