The Bizarre Secret of the Rocks that Come to Life

Deep in the California Desert lies a spot known as Death Valley. But unlike ghost towns, dinosaurs, and other fossils one can find in the desert, in Death Valley rocks seem to have come alive.

For over a century, scientists have been puzzled by the famous Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa; rocks that move on their own and leave beautifully smooth tracks behind. Some are upwards of 500 pounds and still travel more than 15 feet in a minute. Others leave trails that are thousands of feet long.

However, while it has been confirmed that the rocks do move without human or animal intervention, no one had ever seen them in action - until a pair of curious scientists finally got to the bottom of the mystery only a few years ago…

The Untold History Behind Greek Mythology (Gods, Secrets & Culture)

In this video, we will know about Greek mythology. Greek mythology is a fascinating and rich tapestry of stories, legends, and beliefs that have captured the imaginations of people for thousands of years. These myths are a window into the beliefs, values, and traditions of ancient Greece and continue to influence modern culture today.

From the powerful gods and goddesses who ruled over the universe to the heroic feats of demi-gods and mortal heroes, Greek mythology is a treasure trove of timeless tales. These stories explore the human experience in all its complexity, from the struggle for power and the pursuit of love to the consequences of hubris and the inevitability of mortality.

Fascinating Filthy Secrets of Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs

Do you know that Pharaohs Spent Their Reigns Preparing for Their Death? How glorious death would it be? Ancient Egyptians have always been known for their glorious death ceremony and are still known as exemplar extravagant tombs inside Great pyramids in Egypt.

The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt have captivated people's imaginations for centuries, with their grand tombs, intricate hieroglyphics, and mysterious rituals. However, there's a lot more to these powerful rulers than meets the eye.

From Pharaohs who Depicted with a Beard to the All Pharaohs Wore Makeup. We'll delve into some of the fascinating, and sometimes filthy, facts about the Pharaohs that you might not have heard before.

Lost Places Found In The Mountains

From the tiger’s nest monastery to the Kuelap fortress, in the video below we will be exploring lost places that were found in the mountains. Watch the video to find out more!

An Important Giza Rock Outcrop & the Origins of the Great Sphinx

South of the Khafre causeway on the Giza Plateau, and directly to the north of the Tomb of Khentkawas, is a limestone bedrock outcrop known as GCF1, and yes because of this particular photograph, taken from this particular angle, it has been referred to by some as the ‘Second Great Sphinx of Giza’.

But it is only roughly reminiscent of Giza’s famous monument, and only when you look at it from the south, because when you view it from any other direction, especially from above, we can clearly see that this clickbait hypothesis is nonsense. We can say with some confidence that this is not, and never was, a second Sphinx.

But that should not detract from just how interesting and important GCF1 is to our understanding of the development of the Giza plateau, because not only can it be used as key evidence when debating an age-old Sphinx hypothesis, it also had importance in its own right, and in this video we’ll explain why.

"'Plague Island": 5 Creepy Places Abandoned to the Sea

Situated in the Gulf of Finland, off the Russian coast near St. Petersburg, is a manmade island built as a naval fortress that once had an even more deadly purpose - one which earned it the name 'Plague Island.'

Between 1838 and 1845, Fort Alexander came to life as a strategic military base designed to control the vital Gulf of Finland, thus securing essential shipping lanes between Russia, the Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Though not the first of its kind, Fort Alexander was one of the most impressive fortifications in the Gulf. Builders drove 5,535 piles, each 40 feet long, deep into the seabed, layering sand, concrete, and granite slabs on top.

Fort Alexander's massive structure spans over 54,000 square feet across three floors. At its peak, the fort housed 1,000 men and accommodated 103 cannons and an additional 34 guns on the roof.

While playing a strategic role in the Crimean War from 1853 to 1856, the fort never faced real action. However, its purpose shifted after the Russian government established the Commission on the Prevention of Plague in the late 19th century. The island became home to a state-of-the-art laboratory in 1897 dedicated to dangerous bacteriological research.

Equipped with a scientific library, containment labs, and cremation chambers for spent lab animals, Fort Alexander focused primarily on developing plague vaccines. Later, researchers delved into other deadly diseases, including tuberculosis, cholera, scarlatina, and typhus.

Between 1904 and 1907, the hazardous nature of the work led to several staff members contracting the plague, resulting in numerous fatalities, including the head doctor. Another doctor, who caught the bubonic plague, treated himself with an experimental serum and ultimately recovered.

Contemporary accounts reference plague-infected rabbits, monkeys, guinea pigs, and horses housed in a dedicated stable on the island...

Antarctica Finally Melted And Something Terrifying Is Happening

If Antarctica Melts, Who Actually Survives?

Every second, 3 Olympic sized swimming pools worth of ice is melting from Antarctica and there is no stopping it. Even if we were to cut off all use of fossil fuels right this second, we wouldn’t be able to put a dent into the cataclysm that’s being unleashed. Countries all over the world are going to suffer from the immense repercussions of rising sea levels. But why is this happening?

Join us as we discuss the melting of Antarctica and the terrifying implications it holds for everyone on Earth.

Breeding Slaves - The Hidden Secret

At the time of slavery in Brazil, there are many reports and stories, documentation that were never much publicized, and today we will reveal some of the things that happened at that time here in Brazil!

Slavery was the greatest chapter in the history of Brazil. Slaves chained, whipped, maimed and starved by their masters, millions of slaves lived and died to work in coffee fields. Despite slavery being abolished over 150 years ago, most Brazilians still prefer to hide this reality from the world.

Surprisingly Plausible Real-Life Explanations For Mythical Creatures

Creatures like the narwhal, okapi, and Komodo dragon are on the short list of mythical creatures proven real. Yet, while scientifically interesting, these examples aren't in the realm of more fanciful and legendary animals like unicorns, Bigfoot, or the more hilarious mythical creatures that cryptozoologists fawn over. Mythical creatures in real life often fail to live up to the expectations formed by old legends, fairy tales, or cartoons.

12 Most Incredible Finds That Scare Scientists

Let's explore some of the most peculiar and enigmatic archaeological discoveries from around the world. These finds challenge our current understanding of the ancient world, and despite our accumulated knowledge, we’re still unable to fully comprehend their significance. Perhaps you can help uncover some of the missing pieces to these mysterious puzzles. Get ready to join the adventure and discover the perplexing secrets of these unconventional archaeological discoveries, some of which have tormented the minds of experts!

Dromaeosaurs: The Strange Carnivores of The Mesozoic Era

Dromaeosaurs represent one of the largest learning curves in all dinosaur groups. These maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs, members of the family Dromaeosauridae, are among the most famous and commonly depicted of all dinosaurs, and were one of the most widespread and successful theropod clades. The family was officially described and established by William D. Matthew and Barnum Brown in 1922, but at this point, many dromaeosaur genera were poorly understood. Dromaeosaurs at this time were portrayed as unobtrusive, generic predators, essentially like small versions of large theropods such as Tyrannosaurus. One man would swiftly change everything, however - American paleontologist John Ostrom. Ostrom was responsible for revolutionising humanity's understsanding of dinosaur posture and appearance, and it was his work on the famous dromaeosaur Deinonychus that sparked it all.

12 Most Amazing Archaeological Finds That Change History

Every archaeologist around the world shares the same dream - to unearth an artefact or make a discovery that could potentially rewrite history as we know it. Such a discovery has the power to challenge and even upend established narratives, revealing new insights into our past and fundamentally changing our understanding of human civilisation. In this video, we're showing you a series of incredible finds that have accomplished just that.

The Largest Civilization in The World

In this video, you’ll find out how many ants there are on Earth, how much they weigh, when they emerged, how they live, how they practice agriculture, why their society resembles human civilization, and much more that will surprise and even shock you. Enjoy!

12 Most Mysterious Archaeological Artifacts Finds Scientists Still Can't Explain

A lot of the objects and buildings created by our ancient ancestors are a total mystery to us. Not only is it the case that experts sometimes can’t tell us what these ancient creations were used for, but sometimes they can’t even tell us how they were made! We love a good mystery on this channel, though, so we’re excited to bring you the stories of these baffling artefacts.

Giant "iron dragon" flying reptile discovered in Australia had gigantic jaws and razor-sharp fangs

Under a sheep farm in Australia, the skeletal remains of a massive flying reptile that lived 96 million years ago were found.

Tyrannosaurus fighting an Ankylosaurus. These pictures come from Dinosaurs in the Wild, a Dinosaur safari in London

The remains are thought to be those of a pterosaur, the first creature known to have developed powered flight.

Greek for "winged lizard" is pterosaur.

The creature possessed enlarged jaws with spiked fangs, a 60 cm long crested head, and wings that were 4 meters long.

"Comparations with related pterosaurs served as the basis for this. Adele Pentland, a PhD candidate and palaeontologist at Swinburne University of Technology, described it as an apex aerial predator.

"This pterosaur had a crest on its lower jaws in addition to a massive crest at the front of its upper jaws.

A Mosasaur Prognathodon

"The latter is broken, and its presence has been inferred from CT scan data."

The pterosaur was given the Latin name Ferrodraco, which means "iron dragon" in English.

The remains were found by sheep farmer Bob Elliot in Winton, Queensland, in the early months of 2017.

He informed the neighborhood museum, and volunteers excavated the area.

Scientific Reports has published an article regarding the discovery that Ms. Pentland contributed to.

She claimed that 96 million years ago, the winged reptile thrived in the Winton area "in a conifer forest with floodplain and river channels."

Long-necked sauropod dinosaurs, carnivorous theropods, ornithopods, and ankylosaurs all lived in the forest.

According to the experts, the Tyrannosaurus rex would have been among the forest's inhabitants.

Australia is home to 15 fossilized pterosaurs.

Pair of Quetzalcoatlus

The amount of pterosaur bones recorded from Australia has now tripled, Ms. Pentland added, with a total of 30 bones preserved, or 10% of Ferrodraco's skeleton.

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum now has the skeleton on exhibit.

One of the most thrilling additions to the organization, according to the co-founder of the museum, David Elliott, was the finding.

"The Winton area has produced the majority of Australia's large dinosaur fossils, so presenting a significant pterosaur skeleton alongside the giants with which it co-existed is a huge bonus for science, education, and regional tourism," he added.

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science...

Amazingly Rare Iron Age Wooden Artifacts Found in UK Waterlogged Site 2,000 Years Old

Archaeologists have found a perfectly preserved 1,000-year-old wooden ladder in the UK. Scientists have resumed their excavations at a location known as Field 44 close to the community of Tempsford in Central Bedfordshire, and they have made intriguing new archaeological finds.

Excavating an Iron Age roundhouse. Credit: MOLA

Some of the discovered wooden Iron Age artifacts, according to the MOLA archaeology team, are exceedingly uncommon.

The majority of constructions inhabited throughout the Iron Age (800 BC – 43 AD) were roundhouses, hence wood would have been heavily utilized in earlier times. Typically, the only traces of the roundhouse structures left behind are post holes where the wooden posts have long since rotted away. This is due to the fact that wood, when buried in the ground, decomposes quite quickly.

In fact, there isn't much wood left at any of England's archaeological sites!

How Did Archaeologists Find Some Wood If Wood Decomposes So Quickly?

Fungi and small creatures, such as bacteria, break down wood. However, if the wood is in really moist ground, it may absorb water and swell up. Wood that is buried in wet ground and is dripping with water does not dry out. This indicates that the wood cannot receive oxygen. Without oxygen, the bacteria cannot survive, thus the wood cannot decay.

This 1,000-year-old wooden ladder has been unearthed in the UK. Credit: MOLA

"A shallow valley located in a portion of our excavation area is nevertheless a natural gathering place for groundwater. This basically means that the earth is always soggy and moist. The local community would have utilized these shallow wells to collect water during the Iron Age, thus it would have been the same then. This resulted in highly difficult work for the archaeologists during excavation, but it also produced some amazing finds, according to a press release from the MOLA.

Wattle panels. Credit: MOLA

For 2000 years, a number of amazing wooden artefacts were kept in the soggy ground. One of these was an Iron Age ladder that the locals used to access the shallow well's water supply.

A seemingly basket-like device that is not one has also been discovered by scientists. It is actually daub, which is formed of mud, crushed stone, straw, or animal hair, covering wattle panels, which are made of interlaced twigs and branches. This panel was used to line the waterhole, but for thousands of years, wattle and daub was also employed to construct homes. It is quite rare to find some that have survived from the Iron Age or earlier.

Reconstructed roundhouse. Credit: MOLA

In this image of a recreated Roundhouse, you can see a similar weaving design and daubed walls.

The purpose of some other wood discovered by researchers, including some little posts, is yet unknown.

Archaeologists need to move fast after finding intact wood. The wood must be kept moist until it can be meticulously dried out in a lab by knowledgeable conservators. It will start to decay swiftly and could entirely dissolve if it isn't kept moist.

Excavating the small wooden post. Credit: MOLA

What Lessons Can We Draw From Wood?

These wooden objects have a lot to teach us, I believe. Finding out what kind of wood they used will reveal information about the trees that grew in the area, as well as how people made and used them in their daily life. This can assist us in reimagining the landscape at the time and the evolution of that area over time.

Wood isn't the only material that may be kept in these moist conditions! Insects, seeds, and pollen are also present. These all aid in the construction of a picture of the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire landscape from 2000 years ago by our environmental archaeologists. They have already recognized some of the plants that were growing nearby, like buttercups and rushes, by looking at pollen and plants preserved in the water, the MOLA science team said.

Work on archaeology at the location is ongoing. Our conservators are now meticulously drying up the wood so that the experts may inspect these wooden artefacts.

Source: https://www.ancientpages.com/2023/01/21/in...

Salt Island in the Dead Sea's middle is where the "Tree of Life" grows

When visiting the world's saltiest body of water, the Dead Sea, you wouldn't anticipate seeing a tree sprouting out of a beautiful white salt island, yet that is just the scene you are presented to close to the beach of Ein Bokek.

Why is there a tree flourishing in the Dead Sea, and on an island composed of salt, of all places, since the salt concentration there is almost ten times higher than that of the ocean? The famous Dead Sea Salt Island, a bizarre natural creation comprised of brilliant white salt and surrounded by turquoise water, is located within swimming distance of the beach in Ein Bokek, an Israeli resort close to Arad. A tree that doesn't belong there and a shallow pool of enticing water are in the middle of it. Even so...

We’re surprised that the Dead Sea tree hasn't garnered more attention on Instagram and other travel-related social media platforms because it's such a stunning sight. Even if nothing is as it seems, it is extremely odd to observe a live thing thriving in the center of a body of water renowned for its incapacity to support life.

Even while the tree has buds on its branches and roots that reach into the salty crust of the island, this does not necessarily indicate that the tree originated from those locations. It was carried and "planted" on the salt island by a local artist as a unique work of art. He has reportedly been going to the tree every day and covering its base in mud to ensure that it receives all the nutrients it needs to live in this hard climate.

The so-called "tree of life" may be a metaphor for this, or perhaps having something grow in the center of the Dead Sea is the metaphor, as the shoreline of the Dead Sea is itself withering and encroaching on the sea every year. Nobody is truly sure, but then again, nobody really cares either. The tree actually exists, and it's a terrific photo prop for Instagram...

So be sure to check out the tree of life and the lovely sea island it "grows" on if you ever find yourself in the Dead Sea region and drive past Ein Bokek.

Source: https://www.odditycentral.com/travel/tree-...