Unsolved Mysteries in Science

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.” – Albert Einstein. Even though science has given humans a whole new era of development to engage ourselves in, there still lie numerous closed doors that require answers. There are countless possibilities in this world that are still out of our reach. Despite new discoveries every day, the Human species still live in a world of various elements of science that have been enclosed in secrecy. Through this blog, we will take you on an incredible rollercoaster exploring the top unsolved mysteries in science that have kept the world constantly curious.

World Science Day 2021 

Before we get started on some of science’s most popular mysteries, let’s speak about World Science Day. Every year on November 10, World Science Day for Peace and Development emphasises the importance of science in society and the necessity to engage the general people in discussions about developing scientific concerns. It also emphasises the significance and relevance of science in our everyday lives. World Science Day for Peace and Development strives to keep individuals informed about scientific achievements by bringing science closer to society. It also emphasises the importance of scientists in increasing our understanding of the amazing, fragile planet we call home and in making our communities more sustainable. 

The main aim or goal of World Science Day is to: 

• Raise public awareness of the importance of science in fostering peaceful and sustainable society;
• Encourage national and worldwide cooperation in the field of shared science;
• Renew national and worldwide commitment to using science for the benefit of society;
• Draw attention to the difficulties that science has in gaining public support for its endeavours.

World Science Day 2021 Theme

The 20th World Science Day for Peace and Development will be held in 2021. With climate change posing a severe danger to the lives of billions of people and the planet, the theme of this year’s commemoration will be “Building Climate-Ready Communities.” The goal is to bring science closer to society by presenting certain essential scientific features as well as prospective answers supplied by research, technology, and innovation to some of the biggest global concerns that society is now experiencing.

Let’s now learn about the top mysteries in Science in detail:

Dark Matter

What are the spaces beyond the universe? How do stars move within Galaxies? The visible components of the space which are made up of atoms, molecules, etc. take up only 5% mass of the entire universe. (Earth, Planets, Sun, etc). The remaining 95% of matter is invisible known as Dark Matter. Scientists came to the conclusion of this invisible matter due to the galaxy movements and its interaction with the gravitational pull. Scientists even drew scepticism about there being only one type of gravitational pull due to the enigma of dark matter. If scientists possibly unravel this mystery, they might know whether the universe will continue to expand. But the question arises, how do we know that dark matter exists if it is invisible which makes Dark matter the top and the most explored one in our list of unsolved mysteries of science.

Ice Age Mystery

The next question mark for humans and an essential mention in our list of unsolved mysteries in science is the Ice Age. No, ‘Ice Age’ isn’t just a movie. Scientists believe that there comes a time where 30% of the world is covered with ice known as the Ice Ages. It has been found that a total of 5 Ice ages have happened in the history of the earth where woolly mammoths lived and got extinct when it ended. About 2.7 million years ago, during The Pleistocene Epoch, the last ice age seems to have occurred. Scientists have provided three significant pieces of evidence for the Ice Age: Geological, Chemical, and Paleontological. Despite these, scientists still seem to run into a black wall while explaining how can the earth’s temperature be reduced for 11,700 years and what caused the Ice Age?

The Mystery of Magic

Does the word ‘magic’ makes you think of Harry Potter? But, is magic even real, or is it just an illusion of our mind? Even though magicians do not reveal their ‘prestige’, have people just accepted that a person can teleport from one place to another or present a dove from their hats? There are various religious theories that actually emphasize the belief in supernatural beings and the practice of black magic. Is there a scientific explanation for different magic tricks or do you think there are supernatural powers in our universe? Psychologists believe that magic is the science of the mind and are investigating its cognitive connections in the brain. The complicated and illusionist nature of magic also makes its way to our top unsolved mysteries in science. 

Black Holes

Next among the 10 unsolved mysteries in science is the famous black hole. What happens inside a black hole? Black holes are spacetimes with extremely strong gravitational force where even light cannot escape. Scientists have discovered many black holes and are constantly observing their ever-expanding nature, however, the mystery of the end of the hole remains unsolved. Listed among the most extreme objects in the universe, scientists continue to resolve and untangle the relations of black holes and other components in the universe. 

Why Do We Yawn?

It is commonly known that we yawn when we’re tired or sleepy which has been proven to be a scientific fact. But what about people who yawn before an exciting event? Why do people yawn after waking up? This questions the fact that there is more to yawning than the basic context of just being tired. And if this mystery wasn’t enough, why is yawning contagious? Amongst the top mysteries in Science, it is often linked to cardiovascular and respiratory changes that occur when we open our mouths and take that swift intake of air. The evolution of yawning is yet to be studied since humans have been yawning since we were in the wombs along with other animals which make yawning a relatively ancient behaviour.

Foreign Accent Syndrome

This might come off as the most bizarre mystery to scientists because can you ever imagine someone talking in a language they’ve never been exposed to? The most known case of this syndrome goes back to 1941 when a woman was ostracized after being hit and she began speaking in German. This is known to be a neuropsychological disorder and often occurs after a stroke. A few plausible explanations that are known speak about the lengthening of syllabus and mispronunciation which makes the language sound foreign. Yet, this is one of the intriguing mysteries in Science which psychologists, linguists and brain scientists are still working on.

Why Do We Sleep?

You must wonder why you get the urge to go to bed after a tiring day or why you feel sleepy when you wake up early. But have you thought about why you actually go to sleep? Why does our body need to recharge every night? It is believed that human beings humans spend a third of their lives sleeping. Even though we feel the importance of sleep for optimal functioning, what sleep does is yet a mystery to scientists. The central nervous system seems to be impacted by the brain but what happens during that process is unknown. This urge to sleep which is almost an essential need for us to restore our energy is another key one to add to the unsolved mysteries of science that need to be unravelled.

What is the Brain Made of? 

Evidently, the most studied organ of the human body, the mind’s complexity can blow your mind. How does a medicine hit the exact spot in our brains? Neurons are complicated elements that hit warrior chords. The other parts of the brain are equally complex which makes scientists unable to comprehend or explain its factual functioning. The evolutionary aspect of the brain is another question mark in the science world. How have humans evolved in such a manner that we can now create a whole new Artificial Intelligence and enter the codings of our own brain? What were the possible thoughts of the human species prior to us? All such questions are unsolved mysteries of science. Many brain scientists are exploring and delving deeper into the complexity of the human brain and how is it originally formed, how it learns and interacts and further has its own thought bubbles and emotional aspect of its own.

Nature vs Nurture

One of the most debatable topics in science and psychology is the question of whether humans are a product of their genes or the environment that they are brought up in. Many scientists believe that it is a combination of both but the accuracy is still a mystery. Various twin studies are conducted to understand this concept of personality and why do we behave and think in a certain way? Can two identical twins who were separated at birth have similar likings? There is a unique study of twins known as Jim Twins who were united at the age of 39 after being separated at birth. These estranged twins were adopted by different families but actually given the same name, James, which came to be known as Jim and then lived very similar lives and was only 40 miles apart from each other. This famous study highlight this highly discussed topic of nature vs nurture which is another prominent unsolved mystery of science that has always amazed the minds of scientists and psychologists.

Consciousness

Despite being known as the present state of mind, consciousness is deeper than it seems at the surface level. Many philosophers and scientists have argued upon the unobservable nature of consciousness which makes this topic difficult to comprehend. Galileo proposed the possibility of the feelings of touch, smell, etc. to be just in our minds or in our consciousness. Hence, this aspect falls out of the reach of science. How can you describe someone about what or how you actually feel when you touch an object? Despite there being many ways to elaborate, this abstract concept is yet one to be solved mysteries of science. It is said that the mind is the matter, but how do you describe the behaviour of matter?

Thus, you must be feeling intrigued by reading these unsolved mysteries in Science and ready to unravel the secrets that are still unknown to the researchers working on them! Planning to pursue a career in the Science stream? Our Leverage Edu experts are here to help you find the best course and university which can equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to establish a rewarding career in your chosen specialisation in Science! Sign up or call us at 1800572000 for a free session with us today!