From bundles of rats, to ancient dolls here
are 10 of the bizarre discoveries that science cannot explain…. 10. The Ulfberht Swords Ulfberht swords were the weapon of choice
of the Vikings, along with other tribes around northern Europe. They had a long, double edged blade, and a
straight crossbar over the grip. There are only about 170 still known to exist
today, each of which dates to between the 9th and 11th centuries! And the cool thing is they have the tell-tale
inscription in the blade itself. Said to be stronger, sharper, and better than
any other sword at the time, they were owned by the wealthier members of society, and came
with a hefty price tag- about the equivalent of up to $24,000 in today’s prices. The name itself of Ulfberht is a form of early
trademark, signalling that the sword was made in a certain way. Interestingly, they were all formed with varying
methods, but the most surprising thing about them is the composition of the metal. The trick to making a good sword is perfecting
the amount of carbon in the blade. If there’s too much carbon mixed with the
iron, the swords will break, but not adding enough meant the sword would bend. The Ulfberht swords were the perfect blend,
and it’s not entirely clear how they managed this. It truly was a science hundreds of years ahead
of its time, and it was only until the industrial revolution came around that it could be replicated. To this day, by using the production methods
that they had at the time, no-one knows how the Ulfberht blacksmiths were able to craft
such impressive weapons. 9. The Drepanosaurus Whenever a new fossil is found, it gives further
clues as to the evolution of animals, and of those that once roamed the earth. Every now and then, though, something is found
that makes no sense at all in terms of scientific understanding, and requires a complete re-think
of what is taken as fact. This is exactly what’s happening with a
little known creature, the Drepanosaurus. The first fossil was found in Italy, but it
was all crushed and had to be re-constructed. Scientists believed it was an extinct reptile,
but that’s now been thrown into doubt. A second fossil was found in Ghost Ranch,
New Mexico, and this one seemed to have a claw on each hand instead of fingers. It’s now thought that rather than being
a dinosaur, or a reptile, it was in its own category of creature. Its giant front claw was connected to a flat
bone that is seen in no other known animal. It also had a slender snout, a long muscular
tail, and a tail spike that allowed it to hold onto trees. In fact, what was once thought to be a reptile
actually resembled a mammal- more specifically, the anteater. The problem with this is that evolution dictates
that animals are constantly changing, and fossils show the pathway towards the animals
we see today. This fossil is so similar to something today,
that it almost seems impossible. Some have suggested that the two species evolved
independently from one another, which could explain this, but others have suggested it
calls the whole idea of evolution into question. Just opened Pandora's box right there! 8. Rat Kings The Rat Kings are a rare phenomena from the
animal kingdom that is so bizarre, no-one is entirely sure how it happens. You may have seen one before, but if you haven’t-
they really are something quite unusual. They have been a part of legend for centuries,
and are formed when a number of rats become attached by the tail. With all these tails becoming entangled, the
rats lose their ability to move independently, and die a slow and painful death. Rather than being a regal creation, they would
be a ball of complete suffering. This only happens with one species, the black
rat, but it sometimes happens with other animals, such as squirrels. Despite being written about a lot, only a
few examples have ever been recovered, but they do exist. Science can’t explain this, though, because
the behaviour or tail entanglement has never been documented in rats. Perhaps it’s a birth defect, or something
that happens in cold temperatures to share warmth. Other possibilities are that it happens due
to adhesive liquids, or a sticky substance formed by a rats skin. In any case, it makes no sense. And now for number 7, but first if you are
new here, welcome and be sure to subscribe!! 7. The Martian Meteorite In 1984, a meteorite fell to earth, something
that in itself is no unusual thing. But this one, known as ALH84001, was found
to hold secrets that no-one has been able to explain. The 4.1 billion-year-old rock is thought to
have originated on Mars, having been dislodged during a collision, and floated through space
until it fell into earth’s atmosphere. Unlike other similar specimens, the surface
of this rock had something very unusual- what appeared to be the signs of fossilised bacteria. Was this the proof that life once existed
on Mars? Or, furthermore, that this is how life found
its way to earth? Numerous studies have been conducted on the
rock, and so far no conclusions can be made- even almost 35 years after it was found. The structures could be a result of bacterial
life, but could also be a geological formation that just so happens to look like something
unusual, merely by chance. Newer analytical techniques may finally unlock
the answer, and by the time NASA has the chance to discover evidence of life on the red planet
itself, it might just turn out that, for all this time, the truth has been here on earth. 6. The Longyou Grottoes The Longyou Grottoes are a series of underground
structures near the village of Shiyan Beicun, in the Zhejiang province in China. They are thought to be at least 2000 years
old, but scientists and researchers have no idea how they were built, what they were used
for, or even who was responsible for them. They were originally discovered in 1992, with
a total of 36 grottoes having been found that cover an area of 30,000 square metres. Each one is carved almost 100 feet into solid
siltstone, and contains features such as rooms, gutters, and pools. As well as the questions of construction,
it’s also peculiar how they were so precisely carved, why they remain in such good condition,
and even why there were no fish at all! I mean, who the heck was here? The grottoes have been flooded for centuries
until the government drained a lot of them so they could be further explored. They’re proof that there was an advanced
civilisation in the region at a time, even though none have been documented! It seems every time researchers uncover new
things, they also find more questions that science is unable to explain. 5. What was the first dinosaur? Since we first realized that dinosaurs roamed
the earth, palaeontologists have been trying to understand the full range of creatures
that once lived, with particular interest revolving around which was the first dinosaur
to ever live. For a long time, it was thought to be the
Eoraptor, a small dinosaur whose fossils had been found in a 231 million-year-old piece
of rock in Argentina. Recently a new fossil has been found in Tanzania
of a whole new species, called the Nyasasaurus, which is more than 241 million years ago. This could be the true first dinosaur, or
a relative of the early dinosaurs, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know where
the line is. Of course, even if the Nyasasaurus is determined
to be a true dinosaur, there’s still the possibility that a new fossil could be found
that predates it. The search for the first giant lizard will,
therefore, continue and is unlikely to ever be fully explained. 4. The Nampa Stone Doll The Nampa figurine looks like any other that
has been made by an ancient civilisation. The mystery surrounding this one, though,
is how it came to be in the place where it was found. It was discovered in 1889 near the town of
Nampa in Idaho. Workers were searching for water, and dug
a well, which involved drilling a borehole to 295 feet. At this depth, the drill started spitting
out clay, and the Nampa stone doll was found within the debris that was pulled out. The depth at which the workers had drilled
means they would have gone through a geological layer known as the Glenns Ferry formation. This has been designated a US national landmark
because it’s the source of one of the greatest collections of animal and plant fossils in
North America, and was created about 2 million years ago during the Pliocene-Pleistocene
era. Does this mean the Nampa figurine originated
from this time, far before humans were known to be in the area? Did some other creature create it, or is it
simply a hoax designed to fool researchers? Most believe it to be the latter, or that
it’s an artefact that managed to fall through fissures in the earth and settle in a place,
surrounded by relics of a much earlier time. It’s still not a certainty, though, and
the doll continues to be a mystery. 3. The Piri Reis Map Today we take maps for granted. Satellite technology combined with the work
of cartographers over the years, plus Google of course, have created incredibly detailed
depictions of our planet. All we have to do is use our smartphone! This wasn’t always the way, clearly, and
maps from centuries ago were just kind of close approximations based on ship voyages. Well that’s the way it’s always been assumed,
but there’s one map that is difficult to explain, known as the Piri Reis map. The story goes that it was drawn in 1513 by
the Turkish cartographer, Hagii Ahmed Muhiddin Piri. He was also a sailor, and used 20 different
maps and documents as the sources for his work. The strange thing about this map, that has
left scientists scratching their heads, is how accurate it is. Furthermore, it also depicts Antarctica, more
than 300 years before it was officially discovered, and in this map it shows the southernmost
continent as the ice free land mass that it would have been more than 6000 years ago. Could this be evidence that he based his map
on drawings by ancient civilisations? As far as we know, no ancient civilization
travelled the oceans like this. Did he guess about the continent somehow and
miraculously get it right? The way the map is drawn is also unusual,
because it uses what is known as the Mercator projection, a map format that was only possible
with the creation of the chronometer in 1760. How did this cartographer manage to create
such an accurate map, more than 200 years before that? Like you’ve probably guessed, no one has
a clue! 2. The Voynich Manuscript The 600 year old Voynich manuscript is often
thought of as being the most mysterious book that has ever been written, and still, to
this day, scientists aren’t able to explain what’s inside. It’s made up of 240 pages, each of which
is written in a cryptic text with unusual diagrams and illustrations. Everyone who tries their hand at decoding
it fails, whether they be scientists, cryptographers, or codebreakers. Of course, it could be that it’s a complete
nonsense, but the intricacy of the images in the book would suggest that it was written
by a highly intelligent author. Recently, Canadian researchers have tried
to use AI to decode the book, and it found that the first pages appeared to contain Hebrew
text, but in a seemingly incorrect way. Some of the words have been deciphered to
be botanical terms, but, again, don’t make sense in the context that they are written. Perhaps one day the Voynich manuscript will
be understood but, for now, its puzzling even the most powerful computational programmes
designed solely to solve the task. If you want to learn more be sure to watch
my video on the most mysterious books ever! 1. Dinosaur and Human Footprints The final mystery is one which calls into
question the idea that humans weren’t around at the time of the dinosaurs, because their
footprints have been found side by side. The discovery was made in the Paluxy river,
Texas, where hundreds of dinosaur footprints have been found. Their foot impressions were perfectly preserved
by the river bed. As researchers detailed the different prints
of varying sizes, it soon appeared to them that some of the shapes they were seeing were
made by the feet of humans. And it wasn’t their own either because the
others were all stuck in the rock. People are all kinds of confused. Could this be proof that humans existed a
full 65 million years before previously thought, or could there have been another creature
with similar shaped feet? Some even suggest they could be the prints
of aliens, of course, because that’s a solution for everything! How about you? Do you see human footprints here? Or is it simply a case of mistaken identity? Thanks for watching! Remember to subscribe and see you next time!
