Despite centuries of research, the universe and our planet remain a mystery. We gather data, form hypotheses, and conduct experiments, but some phenomena continue to baffle us.
Blood Falls in Antarctica: The Mysterious “Blood Falls” on Taylor Glacier
This natural wonder, located in the central eastern region of Antarctica, has puzzled scientists for over a century.
This strange red river, known as “Blood Falls”, flows along the Taylor Glacier and spills into the clear waters of Bonney Lake below.
The name is fitting, as the waterfall resembles a horrifying streak of blood in the stark white wilderness.
According to World Atlas, “Blood Falls” is situated on the Taylor Glacier of Bonney Lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Victoria Land, Antarctica. The McMurdo Valley is the driest desert on Earth. Scientists believe it has not seen rain for the past 2 million years. (Image: ZME)
For many years, the cause of the waterfall’s deep red color remained a mystery. Some have hypothesized that algae were to blame, but this has never been proven.
Finally, some scientists from the University of Alaska deciphered the mystery. The unique color of “Blood Falls” is primarily due to iron oxide in the brine, a process similar to rusting.
Despite the extreme cold, “Blood Falls” never freezes due to the “supersaturated” salt and high pressure at the glacier’s base. As a result, “Blood Falls” has flowed through countless cracks for 1.5 million years, eventually surfacing to create this unique natural wonder.
In 1911, scientists believed the red color of the river was caused by a type of algae. However, recent studies show that the iron-rich water beneath the salty lake was covered by the glacier 1.5 million years ago. With an average water temperature of -17 degrees Celsius and salinity 2-3 times that of normal seawater, it cannot freeze. (Image: NSF).
Titan, Saturn’s Moon
For a long time, countless astronomers and scientists have been deeply interested in Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. At first glance, Titan’s landscape resembles Earth as it also has lakes and oceans.
However, unlike Earth, Titan’s surface has no water. The lakes and oceans there are primarily composed of unique compounds such as ethane, methane, and hydrocarbons. These mixtures remain in liquid form at Titan’s surface temperatures.
Although Titan also experiences winds and has low gravity similar to the Moon, waves have never been observed in its lakes and oceans.
There are many theories explaining why this is the case. Some believe the lakes may be frozen or covered by a tar-like substance that dampens their wave motion.
(Illustrative Image: NPR).
However, recent research indicates that there are indeed waves in the liquid on Titan’s surface, but due to the extremely harsh and frigid weather there, these waves are nearly impossible to observe.
Japanese Millipedes
The “Train Millipede Swarm” is a phenomenon that has attracted the attention of both scientists and local residents.
Known for their vibrant colors and unique defensive capabilities, these arthropods often gather in swarms on the railway tracks in the mountainous regions of Japan, causing local trains to come to a complete stop every eight years.
For many years, the reason behind this strange behavior remained a mystery until researcher Keiko Niijima uncovered their secret:
After investigation, it was found that the millipede swarm is not intentionally targeting the railway tracks. In fact, they are simply searching for new feeding grounds and the tracks happen to intersect their paths.
This swarm of millipedes causes local trains to stop completely every eight years. (Illustrative Image: Zhihu)
Moreover, these millipedes experience the same life stages at the same time, and their life cycle occurs synchronously, which is every eight years. Thus, every eight years, they simultaneously mature into adults and need to migrate in search of more food.
Cubed Poop
Nature is home to many incredible animal species, some of which possess unique abilities, and the poop of the naked mole rat is certainly one of them.
This nocturnal marsupial can be found in eucalyptus forests and grasslands in Australia, and remarkably, it can excrete up to 100 “cubes” of waste each day.
Even more astonishing is that these feces have a cubical shape with clear edges and corners.
How these naked mole rats produce such poop has long been a mystery. However, recent research by a group of scientists has finally solved the puzzle.
During forensic studies of this animal, researchers discovered that its intestines have two grooves and that its internal organs are elastic.
Wombat poop is cubed.
They also found that after the naked mole rat eats, the parts of its intestines continue to contract for several days to squeeze out the feces while extracting nutrients and water from it.
Once the feces are dehydrated, after countless contractions, they become “cubes,” and because the naked mole rat’s rear end is very soft and elastic, these “cubes” can pass through without any obstruction and are eventually excreted in a squared shape.
