No one knows for sure what made this mysterious undersea noise
In 1997, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration detected a mysterious undersea sound – incredibly loud and at a very low frequency – and puzzled for years over its origin. Take a listen here. It may sound a little bit like your stomach when you’re hungry, but scientists have theorised that everything from a massive marine animal to a shifting iceberg is responsible. Icebergs cracking and shifting on the ocean floor produce a similar sound, so that’s the most likely explanation, but there’s no definite answer yet as to what it is.
From our oceans to the moon, here are 10 of the earth’s biggest unsolved mysteries.
A rubber duck accident helped researchers understand ocean currents
We’re used to ‘spills’ in the ocean having disastrous effects, but this one proved to be something of a happy accident. In 1992, a crate of bath toys on its way from China to the United States broke, spilling thousands of rubber ducks and other floating toys into the Pacific. Oceanographers seized the opportunity to learn more about the movements of the ocean. Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer headed up the research efforts, asking beachgoers all over the world to report sightings of the ducks and their floating friends. The ducks travelled far and wide, ending up everywhere from Europe to Alaska to Hawaii and continuing to be spotted well into the 2000s. The fleet of toys became affectionately known as ‘the Friendly Floatees’.
Antarctic-dwelling fish have a protein that keeps them from freezing
Unsurprisingly, the water around the poles can get pretty chilly. Yet there are still plenty of fish that make their home there. A group of fish called notothenioidei comprises over 120 species all native to the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. The water in that area hovers around temperatures of -2° and 10° Celsius. Even when it’s technically below freezing, the dissolved salts in the seawater keep it from doing so. But how does marine life possibly stay alive there? Well, these fish have a biological component called a glycoprotein that allows them to live where they do; it acts as a natural antifreeze, essentially. The protein prevents ice crystals from forming in their blood, allowing it to flow normally.
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Source: RD.com
