6 Mysteries That Science Still Can't Explain

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00:00The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet, but is cold, mysterious, and largely unexplored.

00:06From strange echoes resonating from the depths, to bizarre creatures that defy explanation,

00:12there are endless secrets hidden beneath the waves.

00:15And while scientists have made incredible discoveries in the modern era,

00:19there are still countless more questions.

00:21This is Unveiled, and today we're taking a closer look at

00:24ocean mysteries that science still can't explain.

00:28Do you need the big questions answered? Are you constantly curious?

00:32Then why not subscribe to Unveiled for more clips like this one?

00:35And ring the bell for more thought-provoking content!

00:399. The Baltic Sea Anomaly

00:41In 2011, a Swedish treasure hunting team known as OceanX discovered via sonar

00:47an unusual object on the Baltic seabed.

00:50It was a 200-foot-wide circular structure, weirdly resembling a crashed UFO.

00:55Further images revealed some more unusual features of the disk-like object,

01:00such as some dazzlingly smooth surfaces, cut, sharp angles,

01:04and even a structure deemed by some to resemble a staircase.

01:08Speculation about its origins include that it could be a natural geological formation,

01:13or some kind of lost structure from ancient times.

01:16Another explanation says that it could be the remnants of a World War II anti-submarine device.

01:22Unsurprisingly, though, theories abound that really, it's a sunken alien craft.

01:27A long-wrecked piece of non-human technology, quietly decaying away beneath the ocean.

01:338. The Bermuda Triangle

01:35Also known as the Devil's Triangle, its corners are usually defined as being in

01:40Miami, on the island of Bermuda, and on Puerto Rico.

01:43Since the 1940s, it's been said that an unusually high number of aircraft and

01:48ships have gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle, and often under unusual circumstances.

01:53Famous examples include Flight 19 in 1945,

01:57a squadron of US Navy bombers that vanished during training,

02:01before one of the recovery planes sent to search for Flight 19 also disappeared as well.

02:07Another is the ship SS Marine Sulphur Queen,

02:10which vanished in 1963 along with a crew of 39, with no explanation ever agreed upon.

02:16Proposed theories to explain the Triangle range from it being a site of notable rogue waves,

02:22to hosting a steady stream of magnetic anomalies.

02:25There are also theories that it's an alien abduction hotspot,

02:28and that it's the location of a mythic and dangerous lost city.

02:32There are valid counter-arguments against the Triangle legends,

02:36including that disappearances happen no more frequently there than anywhere else.

02:40But the continually bizarre nature of Bermuda Triangle cases is a clear running theme.

02:46Number 7. The Bloop

02:48In 1997, a powerful ultra-low frequency sound was detected deep in the Pacific Ocean.

02:55On first learning of the Bloop, it perhaps mightn't sound like much,

02:59but science has long failed to fully understand it.

03:02It was discovered by a team of researchers from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,

03:09or NOAA.

03:10Far off the South American coast,

03:12powerful underwater microphones positioned thousands of miles apart picked it up,

03:17where it was a staggeringly loud sound compared to what's usually heard down there.

03:22The most often-suggested explanation was and is that the Bloop

03:26came from some kind of enormous deep-sea creature,

03:29but the problem is that it was louder than any known animal noise.

03:33Later, theories suggested that it might have been caused by

03:36shifting icebergs or underwater volcanoes.

03:39But ultimately, its source is still a mystery,

03:42leaving many to wonder just what could have generated such a phenomenal sound.

03:46Number 6. Abyssal Gigantism

03:49Otherwise known as deep-sea gigantism,

03:52here is a biological phenomenon that often needs to be seen to be believed.

03:57Scientists know that in extreme ocean depths,

04:00species can grow significantly larger than their shallow-water counterparts.

04:05Examples include the giant squid, which can reach lengths of up to 43 feet,

04:10and the Japanese spider crab, with legs spanning almost 12 feet.

04:15We know such incredible growth happens, but the debate is ongoing as to exactly why.

04:20One of the most widely-supported theories is that abyssal gigantism is a general,

04:25wide-reading adaptation made by animals to the ultra-low temperatures

04:29and extremely high pressure of life in the very deepest parts of the sea.

04:33It's also thought that slow metabolism and low predation rates further contribute,

04:38while the scarcity of food could be another cause,

04:41with animals requiring their larger bodies in order to store more energy for longer.

04:46The exact mechanisms behind and reasons for abyssal gigantism remain unclear, however,

04:52making it one of marine biology's biggest mysteries.

04:55Number 5. Whale Song

04:57More than just a New Age soundtrack with purportedly therapeutic benefits,

05:02whale song, or whale vocalization, is something of an enduring mystery to ocean scientists.

05:08We know that some of the most haunting and complex sounds in the animal kingdom belong to whales,

05:13particularly humpback and blue whales.

05:16They produce long, melodic sounds that can travel incredible distances

05:20and sometimes across entire ocean basins.

05:24But for what purpose?

05:25There are some more widely-accepted theories,

05:28including that whale song is for mating purposes, navigation,

05:32or even just for simple communication between a species.

05:35Whale watchers have observed mother whales making noises resembling cooing in humans, however,

05:41and there's evidence of huge complexity in some cases,

05:44including songs complete with verses, choruses, themes, and even rhyme-like patterns.

05:51What's clear is that these are far more than just the random noises of wild animals,

05:56and the quest is still on to find out more.

05:59Number 4. Phantom Islands

06:02Phantom islands are landmasses that were once charted on older maps,

06:06but that seem to have completely disappeared in the modern era.

06:09They were there, and now they're not, and that's a worrying issue.

06:13Of course, and unsurprisingly, many so-called phantom islands can be explained away,

06:19as simply the result of human error at whatever time it was that they were first recorded.

06:23It's thought that some may also have been deliberately fabricated for political reasons.

06:28However, there remain various cases that seemingly don't qualify as a mistake or a manipulation.

06:34One of the most intriguing examples is Bermeja,

06:38a small island that was once claimed to exist on the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

06:43It first appeared on maps in the 16th century,

06:46and was listed on charts for hundreds of years afterward.

06:49But modern surveys, which utilize satellite imagery, have failed to find any trace of Bermeja.

06:56It may have fallen victim to rising sea levels,

06:58but one of the more sensational theories about Bermeja is that it was exploded,

07:03literally blown off the map by the CIA.

07:06Perhaps it never existed at all, and Bermeja is and was just a long-running cartography error,

07:12but not everyone is convinced.

07:15Number 3. The Milky Seas Phenomenon

07:18A rare and mysterious ocean event, the Milky Seas Phenomenon, or Milky Seas Effect,

07:24is when the ocean's surface glows with an eerie blue-white light,

07:28often described as otherworldly.

07:30Sailors have reported it for centuries,

07:32with entire seas said to have lit up for miles along their voyages.

07:37But it's only in the last few decades that the Milky Seas have been recorded scientifically,

07:42and not just through word-of-mouth legend.

07:45We know it's caused by a bioluminescent bacteria, Vibrio harvei,

07:50which crowds in huge numbers to emit the ominous glow.

07:53We know that the glow can extend for tens of thousands of square miles,

07:57covering areas larger than most countries.

08:00But we don't know what triggers these displays,

08:03or exactly how the bacteria synchronizes light production at such an incredible scale.

08:09Therefore, the Milky Seas remain largely unexplained.

08:13Number 2. The Mariana Trench

08:15Also known as the Marianas Trench, this is the very deepest part of the entire ocean,

08:21plunging at least 36,000 feet below the surface in the Western Pacific.

08:26A geological marvel, it's renowned for some extreme conditions,

08:30such as untold pressure and near-freezing temperatures.

08:34The Mariana Trench easily ranks as one of the harshest environments on Earth.

08:38Nevertheless, it has been explored to some degree,

08:41with the first trips down into it taking place in the 1950s.

08:45With only a handful of descents since then, however,

08:48it remains mostly uncharted, and a rare example of an almost entirely untouched environment.

08:54There are some wonderfully unique lifeforms living here,

08:58including giant amoeba and rare deep-sea fish.

09:01But still, most species that call the trench home are currently undiscovered,

09:06and how anything thrives in such a setting is also mostly a mystery.

09:10In many ways, the Mariana Trench represents the final frontier of ocean exploration,

09:15and seeing as we're yet to explore most of the sea in general,

09:19it could yet be a long time before we finally understand what happens this far down.

09:251. THE ORIGINS OF LIFE ON EARTH

09:28Our planet's first ever organisms, of any kind, emerged around 3.5 billion years ago.

09:35Science is not exactly certain how or why,

09:38but it's thought highly probable that it all happened within the early oceans.

09:42The most popular theory is that life began in primordial seas,

09:46fueled by a mixture of chemicals and ultra-specific conditions

09:50necessary to facilitate the beginning of simple and then complex biological processes.

09:55It's thought that hydrothermal vents along the seafloor

09:59could have been the perfect place to begin life,

10:02being rich with nutrients and minerals, and relative warmth around the vents themselves.

10:07As such, these types of underwater locations are of infinite interest to science,

10:12both in terms of our own story,

10:14and also in terms of the plausibility of life on other planets as well.

10:18It's one reason why evidence of past or current oceans

10:21is a big thing for astrobiologists scouring space for life.

10:26For now, life's origins even here are still something of a mystery,

10:30but the ocean holds the key.

10:32What's your favourite thing about the sea?

10:35Is there something you believe we might discover soon about our waters?

10:38Let us know in the comments!

10:40What do you think? Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments,

10:44check out these other clips from Unveiled,

10:46and make sure you subscribe and ring the bell for our latest content.

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