1{"id":13922,"date":"2017-04-07T00:35:16","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T00:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/99viral.com\/?p=13922"},"modified":"2017-04-04T00:36:18","modified_gmt":"2017-04-04T00:36:18","slug":"25-things-that-scientists-are-surprisingly-still-unsure-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/25-things-that-scientists-are-surprisingly-still-unsure-about\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Things That Scientists Are Surprisingly Still Unsure About"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Contrary to what many people think, science by definition doesn\u2019t prove anything. In fact, the job of a scientist is to disprove the work of former scientists. This is how science as a whole progresses. By figuring out what doesn\u2019t work (which tends to be easier), we can figure out\u00a0what does. At any rate, there are some things that we just haven\u2019t figured out yet. We may have a vague idea of what is going on, but the jury is still out. These are 25 things that scientists are surprisingly still unsure about.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OkJ9y2bqCYE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>25. Nutrition<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13923\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13923\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13923\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/25-15-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13923\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/pixabay.com (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Although we have a general idea of what is good and what is bad, the science is still a work in progress. (Just consider how we updated the food pyramid!)<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>24. What the core of the Earth is made of<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13924\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13924\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13924\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/24-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13924\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia,<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We know the inner core is solid and the outer core is liquid, and we\u2019re pretty sure that they consist mostly of nickel and iron\u2026but we\u2019ve never sampled it.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>23. e vs pi<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13925\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13925\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13925\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/pi-pie-610x660.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"660\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13925\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Although we know that both e and pi are irrational, it hasn\u2019t been mathematically proven whether e + pi is irrational. To make things more interesting, we also don\u2019t know if e * pi is irrational. But we know that one of them must be.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>22. Why we yawn<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13926\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13926\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13926\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/22-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13926\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/pixabay.com (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Nobody is completely sure why. Sure, we\u2019re tired. But why does that cause us to yawn, and what does yawning do for us? Scientists are still working to figure this out although there are a couple theories out there.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>21. What causes Earth\u2019s magnetic field<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13927\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13927\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13927\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/21-17-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13927\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We don\u2019t know how the outer core produces it, and we have no clue why it flips every now and then. In fact, we know more about the inside of the Sun than we do the Earth.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>20. Whether fingerprints are unique<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13928\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13928\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13928\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/20-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13928\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>People have even been shown to have fingerprints that are so similar, scanners couldn\u2019t tell the difference. So do we really all have unique fingerprints? It\u2019s still an open question.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"item-title\">19. The Mcclintock Effect<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13929\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13929\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/19-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13929\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/pixabay.com (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"list-item\">\n<div class=\"item-content\">\n<p>This is the name given to the phenomenon of women living together having their menstrual cycles sync up. Apart from a discredited study in the 70\u2019s, there is no scientific evidence of this.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<div class=\"item-number\">\n<h3 class=\"item-title\">18. Sugar causing hyperactivity<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13930\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13930\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13930\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/18-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13930\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/pixabay.com (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There is actually a lot of evidence now that sugar has no effect on hyperactivity. It\u2019s mostly expectation bias.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>17. Why we sleep<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13931\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13931\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13931\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/17-16-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13931\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: http:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We actually aren\u2019t sure why we sleep. We definitely don\u2019t exert ourselves enough to require 8 hours of rest per day, so it\u2019s not quite as simple as it seems.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>16. Lie detectors<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13932\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13932\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13932\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/16-17-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13932\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There is actually a lot of resistance to polygraphs in the forensic community because there is no scientific evidence that they work.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>15. The Moon<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13933\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13933\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13933\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/15-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13933\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: space, Image: http:\/\/www.freestockphotos.biz (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While there are a lot of theories, we\u2019re still not completely sure as to why the Earth has such a large moon. In fact, if the Earth didn\u2019t have such a moon, its axial swings would be far more extreme, even to the point\u00a0of preventing life. As it stands, a large stabilizing moon like ours is potentially very rare in the universe.<\/p>\n<p>Note: the prevalent explanation as to the formation of the moon is the giant-impact hypothesis. It is exactly what it sounds like. Something smashed into Earth, released debris, and that debris formed the moon.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>14. Black holes<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13934\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13934\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13934\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/14-16-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As in, we know they should exist theoretically, but nobody has yet conclusively proven it. In order to do so, you would have to show that a certain amount of mass exists within a given radius (known as the Schwarzchild radius). It\u2019s a good candidate for the Nobel Prize!<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>13. Shower-curtain effect<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13935\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13935\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13935\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/shower-curtain-610x610.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/shower-curtain-610x610.jpg 610w, https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/shower-curtain-610x610-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia,<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This is when your shower curtain billows up at the bottom. Surprisingly enough, while there are several possible theories, there is no consensus as to why this happens.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>12. Whether aspartame causes cancer<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13936\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13936\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13936\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/12-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13936\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/www.flickr.com (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The study that \u201cproved\u201d this has been debunked. And what\u2019s more, the study in question was funded by the sugar industry.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>11. The benefits of vitamin C during a cold<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13937\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13937\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/11-17-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13937\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: webmd<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There is evidence that vitamin C doesn\u2019t actually do much. It\u2019s healthy of course, and could prevent you from getting colds, but once you already have a cold\u2026the jury is still out.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>10. Pain<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13938\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13938\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13938\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/grimace-610x386.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/grimace-610x386.jpg 610w, https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/grimace-610x386-85x54.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13938\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: webmd<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We\u2019re still not sure how to objectively measure it!<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>9. Moving sofa problem<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13939\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13939\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13939\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/9-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13939\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We still cannot mathematically determine the maximum size of a curved couch that can fit around a corner in a hallway. It may sound dumb\/trivial, but if you look into this, it\u2019s quite interesting.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>8. Ice<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13940\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13940\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13940\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Ice_road_in_the_Northwest_Territories_-610x407.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"407\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We don\u2019t actually know why it is slippery. Well, sort of. We know that a thin layer of liquid on the surface of the ice causes the slipperiness; we\u2019re just not sure why ice develops this layer and other solids don\u2019t. There are several hypothesis that all deal with density, pressure, and lowered melting points, but there is no consensus as of yet!<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>7. How anesthetics work<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13941\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13941\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13941\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/7-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13941\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Well, some of them at least (like Nitrous oxide). The question is, do they actually prevent us from experiencing the pain of surgery? Or do they just prevent us from remembering it\u2026<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>6. How bikes work<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13942\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13942\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13942\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/6-17-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13942\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s another one that sounds dumb, but it\u2019s a bit of a dilemma in physics. We know some of the math, but we still don\u2019t understand the exact mechanism that causes acceleration to stabilize the bike.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>5. Consciousness<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13943\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13943\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13943\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/5-18-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13943\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We\u2019re not even sure what it is, much less how to prove it.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>4. Gravity<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13944\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13944\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13944\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/gravity-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Of course, we know that it works. We just don\u2019t know how it works. Specifically, we don\u2019t know how the particles that influence gravity (gravitons) work.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>3. Magnets<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13945\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13945\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13945\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/3-17-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13945\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The exact mechanism by which magnetism works is still not fully understood.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>2. How antidepressants work<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13946\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13946\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13946\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/2-19-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13946\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia, Image: https:\/\/pixabay.com (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Just like with gravitons, we know that antidepressants work, we just don\u2019t know how. The brain is spectacularly complex and there is still a lot of work to be done in understanding it.<!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>1. How electricity moves through a medium<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_13947\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13947\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13947\" src=\"http:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/wires-610x345.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"345\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13947\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Yes, it is electron flow. And there are several theories as to how this flow occurs, but we don\u2019t know which is correct.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contrary to what many people think, science by definition doesn\u2019t prove anything. In fact, the job of a scientist is to disprove the work of former scientists. This is how science as a whole progresses. By figuring out what doesn\u2019t work (which tends to be easier), we can figure out\u00a0what does. At any rate, there [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13922"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13922"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13948,"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13922\/revisions\/13948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/99viral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}