Scientists have made many discoveries that have changed our lives, but some are still waiting for an explanation.

1. HASTATIC ORDER

Cooling the URu2Si2 uranium compound to near absolute zero causes a strange reaction which actually creates a new property of matter. It has puzzled physicists for 30 years. The particles are sorted in a form called “hastatic order”, that breaks the symmetry of double time reversal which means you must reverse time four times for a molecule to return to its original state. Some think that portends the “Quantum Revolution” that will lead to a new generation of innovation.

2. VARIABLE CONSTANT

According to the Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the speed of light is a constant that can not change. But recent analyzes show that the speed of light could vary through interstellar clouds. Considered heresy by physicists who do not even want to think of the implications of these results, this discovery would raise questions about our understanding of the size of the universe and the nuclear matter.

3. DISAPPEARANCE OF ANCIENT EUROPEANS

Thirty-seven skeletons found in Central Europe and dating between 7,500 and 2,500 years ago have been recently analyzed and revealed that the genetic lineage of European was transformed suddenly 4.500 years ago. Other recent studies showed that the ancient Europeans were people with dark skin and light eyes. But scientists are still unable to find what kind of event caused such radical changes in their genetics.

4. TETRANEUTRON

In 2001, scientists from the particle accelerator in France observed something that should not exist: a stable group of four neutrons together challenging our understanding of the atomic nucleus. Although it cannot be repeated in a laboratory, the experiment has already shaken the world of nuclear physics. Producing an entirely new form of nuclear matter, the very unusual structures were called tetraneutrons, and they were declared by some scientists being the “zero element”, a missing element in the periodic table.

5. ULTRAENERGETIC COSMIC RAYS

Cosmic Rays are that type ultraenergetic rays seen by astronomers. But the origin of this strange cosmic phenomenon of high-energy particles remains unknown. Breaking the laws of physics predicted by Einstein – saying that cosmic rays should lose energy – these rays appear as energetic as a near-Earth Supernova, but no trace of such an event has been ever found. The suspicion that came from a gamma-ray burst turned out to be pointless.

6. PLACEBO EFFECT

Known for decades, the placebo effect remains one of the great mysteries of science because scientists do not know how a fake treatment can improve the patient. The ability to heal only because the mind believes in a cure is the irrefutable evidence of the power of the mind over body. The placebo effect made many wonders on the real capabilities of the human brain.

7. KUIPER CLIFF

The Kuiper Belt is a vast region located on the edge of the solar system, beyond the orbit of Neptune where hundreds of millions rocky ice and metallic asteroids are concentrated. At some point around the belt where objects should be densified, it is the mysterious “Kuiper cliff”. What caused this great area to remain asteroids free, remains unknown, but many suspect the existence of a tenth planet the size of Earth. New evidence proves the theory of “Planet X” and even suggests the presence of two large planets unseen before.

8. THE C-VALUE CRUX

A salamander, which has as many genes as a tomato, can have 40 times more DNA than a human. This lack of correlation between genome size and the complexity of organisms was formally known as the “C-value paradox”. But it was downgraded to a riddle when scientists discovered the existence of a non-coding DNA. This only left scientists with new questions about the origins of this junk DNA and how it is obtained. Furthermore, 98% of the human genome is non-coding DNA, while it represents only 2% of a bacterial genome, which made many to wonder why it varies so widely between species. It could be a relic of evolution.

9. COLD FUSION

Cold fusion is a type of nuclear reaction predicted to occur at room temperature, compared to the million degrees required for hot fusion happening in the center of the stars. It was considered a myth of science until new evidence emerged in 2007 and 2011. If cold fusion exists and can be controlled, many of the world’s energy problems would be solved since it would provide an unlimited source of energy. This possibility has already been studied by the US Government.

10. DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY

It is estimated that dark energy and dark matter respectively create 74% and 22% of the Universe. It means that 96% of what makes up the space is unknown, although their presence can be detected. Recent investigations emerged with results according to which dark energy is devouring and gradually replacing the dark matter. But we still have not the slightest idea what’s going on hidden in the darkness that surrounds us.