Unsolved mysteries

Scientists have some of the answers to life on Earth and human history, but not all of them. They use tiny clues and pieces of evidence to reach grand conclusions, but sometimes something unforeseen comes up that leaves them stumped. In today's video, we'll be talking about these strange and wonderful places all over the world. Even for scientists, they're amazing to see!

Some people believe that it's more efficient to have two trees instead of one, because the second tree can help increase the overall health of the first. While this is apparently a rare occurrence in nature, two trees growing together like this does happen occasionally. This unusual sight has drawn tourists to the area, and for their own safety, it has been necessary to fence off the tree.

There is much unknown about the origins of the Heidenter, with many speculations as to its construction during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantius II, who ruled between 351-361 AD. While it's possible that this ancient monument was erected in commemoration of a victory, only a best guess can be made due to the lack of documented evidence. The city of Carnuntem once existed in this spot and boasted a population of over 50,000 people, with a fortress surrounding the settlement. However, today only an arch remains from this structure - for several centuries it was mistakenly believed to be the gateway to the old city. Pagans who use it as their meeting place call it Heaven's Gate because of its mystique and lack of known history. If this monument was truly a tetrapylon - a type of four-columned building used by the Romans - there would likely be a statue representing either an emperor or god in its center. But there is no sign of such an idol today.

There are many ancient and wonderful temples in Syria, most of which have their own fascinating story to tell but the fascination with the temple of andara is especially strong because of the huge human foot prints that appear at the entrance to the temple. There is disagreement about how they got there, with scientists and archaeologists saying that they were carved by the same people who built the temple, while local legends say that the temple itself was visited by a great god with clawed feet who left the prints himself. Another school of thought says that the people who built the temple were giants and left the footprints behind. Sadly, after being hit by a Turkish air raid in 2018, the temple was badly damaged, but some of the footprints survived.

The footprints at the entrance to the temple of Andara have been there for at least 3300 years and there is disagreement about how they got there. Some scientist say that they were carved by the same people who built the temple, while others believe that they were left by a giant god with clawed feet. There are many legends surrounding this temple, some of which claim that it was visited by a great god with clawed feet. Unfortunately, the temple was damaged after being bombed in 2018.

Most people who visit Egypt also visit the Great Pyramid of Giza. Which is a spectacular sight to see. But, if a few more of them could be persuaded to drive a further 20 minutes to Abu Ghraib, it wouldn't be such a little-known secret. The old city contains a Structure that was or at least was dedicated to the great god Ra. It was built somewhere around 2400 years ago, and used to have a stepped pyramid of its own. From ancient Egyptian historical records we know that there were once six sun temples at Abu Ghraib; however, only two remain today. Their ruins today as the colossal stone obelisk that once marked the westernmost point of Abu Ghraib is the massive red granite blocks scattered across the area. The squares alabaster Dishes that contain markings akin to the gears of an engine are a puzzle for archaeologists. There are also several square alabaster Dishes that contain markings akin to the gears of an engine - did the people who lived here have access to advanced technology? If so, what happened to it and to them?

Barsak is an island in the RLC that is now a plateau in Kazakhstan. It's said to be a place that people visit and never return from, based on the name translation. It was closed off to visitors in 1939 and has been a national reserve ever since. Nobody knows what happened there during those years, but there are plenty of rumors. Some say it was used for top secret research, while others say it's simply strange. Electronic devices can't work very well near Barsak and navigational equipment often fails. A popular legend about Barsak is that a group of nomads stayed there for one year, only to find that three decades had passed when they returned to civilization. Barsak remains a mysterious and seemingly supernatural place.

The hand of Hercules is a strangely imposing thing to see in Jordan, where you'll find the crumbling shells of temples and palaces. It's also part of the Temple of Hercules, which was built during the Roman occupation of Oman's Citadel. It was never finished, and there's evidence that it was once planned to build a colossal statue of Hercules here. The region is known for its earthquakes, so it's possible that the Romans gave up on building here after enduring one earthquake too many. Tour guides like to point out this to curious visitors. The nails and cuticles on the hand look well-trimmed and conditioned, seeming to support jokes about Hercules enjoying regular manicures.

The mystery of the lost city of the Kalahari persists to this day, with numerous theories about its existence. Some believe that what William Leonard Hunt saw was nothing more than a natural rock formation, while others think he may have found the lost city after following an incorrect path.

There are many strange structures built by the Nazis throughout Europe during World War II. Some of these structures - such as concrete rings on the coast of the barren seas - remain mysteries to this day. However, some theories about them are much more plausible than others. For example, some people believe that these rings were used for testing anti-gravity devices and weapons of mass destruction. The fact that the Soviet military took ownership of them after the war doesn't disprove this theory, in some people's eyes. There is also speculation about what dieglocke was or was supposed to be but no one really knows for sure. It seems more likely that these were concrete bases upon which rotating artillery pieces were mounted, but that's less exciting to believe.

The people of the town of Swinton in North Yorkshire England believe that an ancient temple exists nearby. It looks like something from a long ago time and has the name druid Temple, giving away its true purpose. It was built just two centuries ago by an eccentric landowner named William Danby. He was worried about unemployment in his hometown and wanted to solve the problem. He paid dozens of locals to build the temple for him and offered a reward to anyone who could live as a hermit in it for seven years. Someone lasted 4 and ½ years before leaving, but no one managed all seven years. William's reward still remains unclaimed even though the temple isn't really ancient. New age pagans and druids visit it every summer solstice.

Gunji Wamp in Groton Connecticut US is an archaeological site that has been used and reused by a variety of settlers for at least 1400 years. All of whom left their own mark on the landscape. There are stone chambers, stone rings, etching on the walls that don't correspond to any known language, and native American artifacts. There are so many traces of human occupation that it's impossible to say where one era of its use ended and the other began or even who was the first there. One popular theory is that it was built in the 6th century by Celtic Christian Monks who'd run away from Ireland to escape Viking raids. But that would rewrite the accepted history of pre-Columbian America, and disregards several pieces of evidence that suggest the site is much older. Occasional spikes in electromagnetic activity have been detected at Gungywump, which scientists put down to the composition of Magnetite granite and Quartz rocks. But conspiracy Theorists buy into the idea that it's either an alien base or an energy vortex. One lithic stone tool found buried here is at least 3500 years old, which blows a hole in the Celtic Monk Theory. We don't know whether it was built in stages or all at once, and frustratingly, we probably never will.