- [Narrator] From the
pyramids of Egypt to Area 51, deserts all over the world are filled with amazing, mysterious stuff. Considering deserts account for about a third of all land on Earth, it's hardly surprising that new oddities are constantly being discovered or dug up. But not every find is
easy to make sense of, and in many cases, desert discoveries raise
more questions than answer. With that in mind, let's head into the
most extreme conditions of these arid wastelands and explore some of the most mysterious
desert discoveries ever made. - Amazing. - [Narrator] Number 10,
Giant of the Desert. In 1998, a helicopter pilot flying over the South Australian desert noticed a huge 2.5 mile long image of a man carrying a spear. Around at the same time, anonymous faxes were
sent to local businessmen informing them of the geoglyphs existence. The Marree Man, later named after the town closest to it depicts an Aboriginal
hunter carrying a woomera, a type of throwing stick used by Aboriginal natives of Australia. Despite the cultural connection, the local Aboriginals deny
any involvement and in fact, initially perceived the geoglyph as a desecration of their land. To this day, no one
knows who's responsible for the mysterious piece of art, which is dug 14 inches deep
into the Australian desert. Even though a 5000
Australian dollar reward has been offered for information that could help to identify
the artist or culprit depending on how you look at things, no one's come forward. However you look at it, considering GPS was in its infancy at the time of its construction, the feat is astounding. Number nine, Whales on Vacation. The Chilean Atacama desert
is one of the last places you'd expect to find 40 whales, several dolphins and other sea mammals. Defying expectations Whale Hill
is 131 feet above sea level and almost two miles from the sea. Finding the fossils or bones of now extinct sea creatures
on land isn't that strange, but discovering so many
all in the same place and from around the same period, initially left experts
scratching their heads. The fossilized bones of
the mammals were discovered during roadworks in 2010 and experts soon published their findings about the mass grave, while a killer tsunami was
initially suggested as the cause, it was soon ruled out
following an analysis of the sediment in the area. What the analysis did find, however, was evidence of a substantial algal bloom. Researchers compared the findings with the observable causes
of marine death of this scale in our modern oceans. Their research indicated
that the sea creatures were killed rapidly by
the toxic byproducts of a blooming algae population. Once dead, the corpses were presumably carried up by a tidal canal, which has long since disappeared, deposited in a neat bony pile and slowly consumed by the desert. Number eight, Desert Disaster. In 2012, workers for a Polish oil company on an expedition in the Sahara Desert, came across a British Royal
Air fighter plane on its own. This would be peculiar enough, but curiosity was propelled skyward when the plane was found
to have crash there almost 70 years prior during World War II. Being remarkably well preserved, the plane was easily
identified as a Kittyhawk P-40. The fighter plane with six
machine guns mounted to the wings was intended to strike
fear in two Axis forces, but instead struck only sand. Curiously upon its discovery, something was missing from the crash site. The pilot, a parachute
was found on the scene apparently fashioned into
a rudimentary shelter suggesting the pilot survived the crash. But facing starvation and dehydration, he seemingly wandered out into the desert never to be seen again. RAF reports indicate that the pilot was Flight
Sergeant Dennis Copping, who went missing on his way for repairs while defending Egypt for the German invasion of North Africa, where he is now remains a mystery, only the Sahara knows the answer to. Number seven, Real-Life Mirage. When it was discovered by shepherds during the hot 2014 summer, Lac de Gafsa in the Tunisian desert was an immediate tourist attraction. What made the lake so special, was that it appeared overnight
seemingly out of nowhere in a spot that had
previously been arid desert. Thought to be between 32 and 59 feet deep, the water started off of gorgeous blue but quickly became green as
algae began to infest the lake. This algae growth indicated that the lake had become stagnant, making it a breeding
ground for awful diseases like dengue and malaria. On top of this, the lakes high
concentration of phosphate and potential contamination
from nearby mines, means it's likely carcinogenic
and mildly radioactive. Due to the lack of a
government mandated ban on swimming there, locals ignored experts warnings and flocked to the water for a desert dip. Some researchers suggested that a small earthquake
or breach in a nearby mine may have released groundwater
reserves forming the pool. Others have suggested rainwater
may have formed the lake, for now the mystery remains. After all, the word sudden and lake aren't often so closely linked. Number six, Lost Alien Hiker. This bizarre skeleton was
found in the Atacama Desert in Chile in 2003. Its appearance sparked an ongoing debate with one side asserting that a discovery is a partially preserved human fetus, while the other side's certain that the remains belong to
an extraterrestrial visitor. It measures only six inches tall, but the bones seem to be as mature as those of a six to eight year old child. The long Angular skull and 10 ribs as opposed to the usual 12,
only intensified interest. U.F.Ologists were obsessed for years and several documentaries
and investigations followed. A 2018 study led by Stanford
professor Garry Nolan appeared to confirm that
the alien was in fact a fetal human female. Genetic analysis revealed
that the skeleton possess the standard shared genetic indicators found in natives of the geographical area she was discovered in. She was afflicted with
various developmental issues, including a rapid aging bone disorder, which seems to explain her
tiny, perplexing frame. But the Atacama skeleton also featured dozens of genetic mutations that had never before been recorded. Some take this as a sign that this extraterrestrial
case remains open. But what do you think? Number five, Wheels of the Middle East. These wheel like structures founded in the Middle Eastern desert from Jordan to Saudi Arabia, may be some of the oldest
geoglyphs on earth. Tests indicate that some
could be up to 8500 years old. While some of the structures
seem geometrically arranged and even line up to stretch
towards the winter solstice sun, the various instances
are far from uniform. Experts theorize that
the first occurrences likely served varying purposes from memorial tombs to religious sites originating from a range of periods in Middle Eastern history. The estimated age of these
ancient sites makes sense as the desert was much more
habitable 8000 years ago when temperatures were cooler
and rainfall more frequent. Unfortunately, very little research has been conducted to date, but archaeologists around the globe are raring to investigate
these desert enigmas. Number four, Standing in the Sand. Does this series of standing
stones found 500 miles south of Cairo in the
Nubian desert seem familiar? That's because it's a calendar
circle, just like Stonehenge, only this one could be
up to 2000 years older than England's tourist hotspot. The 6000 year old site found
in the Nabta Playa basin was first discovered in 1974. Its discovery included buried
items like pottery fragments, fire blackened hearts and of
course the calendar circle which is the only megalith of its kind known to exist within Egypt. But what for Neolithic nomads doing this far out in the desert? The answer lies in the
Nabta Playa basin itself, which was once rich with water. The stones themselves align with the rising sun at
the summer solstice, indicating a ceremonial or
ritual purpose to the site. Other buried stones are hollow, which would suggest
the burial of the dead, but the only bones to be
found are those of cattle. Though religion seems to be at its core, our understanding of this site and the people who once used it, is as fragmented as the
remains they left behind. Number three, The Empty Tomb. Egyptologists are no strangers
to mummy filled royal tombs, but Professor Kent Weeks
was left scratching his head when he discovered an expansive
tomb in the Valley of Kings with more than 100 rooms seemingly empty. Studying the inscriptions and artifacts in and around the tomb, he concluded that the
tomb should have contained dozens of children of the
pharaoh Ramesses the Great. But when Kent conducted the
first exploration in 1995, they were nowhere to be seen. The mystery continued for over a decade, but piece by piece, Kent came to realize that the mummies hadn't
gotten up and walked out like in a "Hammer" horror film. They'd been hidden. What had seemed an empty tomb was found to be concealing
and expansive lower level completely buried in the desert
sand behind a false wall. Though excavation has been a slow process, several of Ramesses' children's remains have already been discovered in this mysterious daycare of the dead. Number two, Spiders Rock. Deep in the western Egyptian
desert, at the Kharga Oasis, can be found a series of
mysterious carvings in the stone, dating from around 4000 to 6000 years ago. The art, predating Ancient Egypt by as many as 3000 years and found on a sheet of limestone appears to depict spiders and their prey. Experts suggest the carvings may have been a form of
worship hardy desert spiders, who basked in the scorching sun in hopes of gaining
some of their resilience to the unbearable heat. Depictions of spiders can be found in various ancient cultures. Though no others of this
guide have been seen in Egypt, some argue that the carvings
are not of spiders at all, and are instead a form of written language whose meaning is lost to time. The Kharga spiders leave almost no clues about their creators, leaving archaeologists struggling to find a solid thread
in this web of mystery. Before I get to the hotly debated
number one desert mystery, I'd be remiss not to mention in the event that leave any desert traveler baffled until they heard the explanation. In 2004, a flying saucer crash
landed in the Utah desert. What's more, NASA released
the pictures to prove it. Unfortunately, though, this had nothing to do
with a little green men. Instead, it was a sample
return capsule from Genesis, a NASA craft tasked with
collecting solar wind particles. When the craft returned from
its three year excursion, the parachutes designed to
slow its descent never opened. NASA were forced to deploy helicopters to recover the identified falling object which was traveling at
almost 25,000 miles per hour. Luckily, much of its
research was recovered. Though not a mystery
for those in the know, the sight of it must have
knocked any informed passer by straight out of orbit. Number one, Pimple of the Earth. From the ground, the eye of the Sahara, otherwise known as the Richat Structure seems like any other stretch of desert. From the sky though, the phenomenon nestled
deep into the Sahara desert is a wonder and enormous
eyes stares up from the sand, but it's only visible to Google Earth
aficionados and astronauts. The eye has been the subject
of fierce debate over the years with explanations ranging from the mundane to the fantastical. Originally, geologists assumed the eye to be a huge impact
crater from an asteroid, but studies found no evidence of any extra terrestrial compounds. One recent theory published in the "Journal
of African Earth Sciences" asserts that the structure is
a deeply eroded geologic dome formed more than 100 million years ago. Back then, the Saharan landmass rested on top of a turning layer of magma, which swelled to form
a circular raised dome. Yep, the earth had to deal
with 25 mile wide zits as it was growing up. Over time the dome eroded and the distribution of
different types of rock within it formed the concentric
circles we can see today. This theory isn't universally accepted within the scientific community, but few alternatives
have been put forward. Outside the scientific community, the abundance of ancient
human tools and spears found in the area, has
led fringe theorists to believe the eye may be the remains of Plato's fabled Atlantis. In his ancient Greek writings, Plato explicitly describes
the city's concentric circles of water and land, but is an ancient story and
a few spears enough to go on? Let me know what you think if
you have an eye for mysteries. So do you have any solutions to any of these mysterious desert vines? Let me know what you think in the comment section down below. Thanks for watching. (gentle music)
