12 Common Things Scientists Still Can’t Explain
Science has provided us with incredible insights into the universe, ranging from the smallest subatomic particles to the vastness of space. Yet, despite our progress, some of the most common, everyday phenomena continue to baffle the brightest minds.
These are the familiar mysteries that surround us, hiding complex secrets behind a veil of simplicity. For example, yawning is a simple, involuntary action that everyone experiences, but scientists still can’t fully explain why we do it. Here are twelve such common occurrences that continue to defy scientific explanation.
On déjà vu
Déjà vu: this curious sensation that we’re living a particular moment for a second time has intrigued and baffled humanity for centuries. It’s not an actual memory; it’s a glitch, and yet it’s so immediate that it can stop you in your tracks.
Some believe déjà vu to be a misfiring of signals from our memories to our perception centers; others have no explanation at all. Could déjà vu be evidence that our minds are outpacing time itself?
Gravity’s Weakness
Gravity, relative to electromagnetism or the nuclear forces, is ridiculously weak, 10³⁶ times weaker than electromagnetism. Physicists refer to this as the hierarchy problem, and theories as diverse as extra dimensions and quantum gravitation attempt to solve it.
Einstein defined gravity as the curvature of spacetime, but quantum mechanics resists its inclusion.
Why Time Only Flows Forward
Physics’ equations don’t care which way time goes, but our experience of it is one-way. The second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy only increases, is one reason, but it’s not definitive.
Quantum mechanics can run in reverse on the small scale, and cosmology hasn’t reached a consensus on why the universe “picked” an arrow at all.
Phantom Vibration Syndrome
You feel your phone vibrate in your pocket, but there is no message. Mr. Robert D. Jones, who first identified this modern-day epidemic, believes it is caused by repetition: we have become accustomed to the vibration of our mobile devices receiving messages to the point that our brains have become trained to “complete the pattern.”
Why We Sleep and Dream
We spend one-third of our lives asleep, but even scientists don’t fully understand why we need it. Sleep mends the body and sorts of memories, but why do we have to go utterly unconscious to do that?
Vivid, emotional, often bizarre dreams may help us process emotions or practice survival, or perhaps they mean nothing at all. What if dreaming is the brain’s way of telling us what it can’t when we’re awake?
At the Quantum Level, Nothing Is Truly Solid
All of your objects and matter around you may seem solid. The floor you are standing on, a rock, your desk. These things feel very solid, but they’re not. If you could look at matter on an atomic scale, way down into the quantum level, you would see that it is all nothing but empty space.
Atoms do not actually touch each other; the particles inside them never physically come into contact with one another. They just bump into each other with unseen forces. That force is what gives you the feeling of solidity.
Empty Space Is Never Empty
The energy in empty space is estimated to be 120 orders of magnitude greater than what we can observe. Space is never truly empty; even a perfect vacuum teems with minuscule energy fluctuations.
From these fluctuations, particles can momentarily spring into existence before quickly vanishing. These energy flickers are real enough to create a weak attractive force between metallic plates—a phenomenon known as the Casimir effect.
Why Water Breaks the Rules of Physics
Water is a weird liquid. It doesn’t act as most substances do. For instance, substances usually become denser as they freeze, but water is an exception. It becomes less dense, which is why ice floats on water. Water is also densest at 4 degrees Celsius, not just before freezing, and it runs up tiny cracks instead of down.
Consciousness vs Anesthesia
Injecting a tiny amount of anesthesia into the bloodstream is all it takes to completely turn off awareness. It doesn’t merely “shut off” the brain; instead, it affects how different regions communicate with each other.
Waking up from anesthesia is like the sudden reboot of one’s sense of self. What does the mind experience in the intervening period of silence, and where does “you” go in the meantime?
Junk DNA in the Human Genome
It turns out that only 1.5 percent of human DNA is used to make proteins; the rest appears to be a string of random characters. It’s hard to see why nature would waste space on so much “extra” genetic material.
It’s as if we’re carrying around an instruction manual the size of a phone book where most of the pages are blank, and yet, for some reason, we can’t throw the pages away.
What Causes Yawning?
It is a mystery. You do it, I do it, we all do it, but no one really knows why. Old theories, such as the oxygen-deficit theory, suggested that we yawn to increase oxygen intake into the body. However, research later proved that that isn’t the case.
Interestingly, contagious yawning is more common between friends/family members than strangers, which may connect it to empathy.
Why Consciousness Exists at All
We can scan the brain and track every signal, but we still can’t explain how those signals become thoughts, feelings, or awareness.
Why does brain activity feel like something from the inside? If matter alone makes the mind, why does it feel so alive to be human?
Why investing for retirement is so important for women (and how to do it)
Why investing for retirement is so important for women (and how to do it)
Retirement planning can be challenging, especially for women who face unique obstacles such as the wage gap, caregiving responsibilities, and a longer life expectancy. It’s essential for women to educate themselves on financial literacy and overcome the investing gap to achieve a comfortable and secure retirement. So, let’s talk about why investing for retirement is important for women and how to start on this journey towards financial freedom.
Science Tells Us What To Expect As We Age: Strategies for Thriving in Later Life
Science Tells Us What To Expect As We Age: Strategies for Thriving in Later Life
How does aging affect our bodies and minds, and how can we adapt to those differences? These are questions that pertain to us all. Aging gradually alters people over decades, a long period shaped by individuals’ economic and social circumstances, their behaviors, their neighborhoods, and other factors. Also, while people experience common physiological issues in later life, they don’t follow a well-charted, developmentally predetermined path. Let’s take a look at what science has told us to expect.
