Africa is a giant continent. It's filled with history,
culture, a wide variety of animals,
and people who never fail to celebrate their heritage.
To come from Africa means you have a story.
It means that you come from a land that somehow
ties into the rest of the world in almost every
single way.
We've been told that this is
called the Oily Public Lake,
And as rich in culture as this land is,
Africa is never short of a mystery.
Every day, some discoveries pop up that leave people scratching
their heads.
With that in mind, we've decided to bring you some
of the best and some of the most unsettling.
Because today, we're bringing you 15 of the most unsettling
discoveries found in Africa that nobody can explain
#15 Mosquito Burger. In today's world,
burgers don't look like they used to.
Back in the day, all you would get was a
slab of beef and didn't ask any questions.
Since then, the culture has expanded to make burgers out
of all different types of things,
from bison to Turkey. There's even something called the Impossible
Burger
that's not made out of meat,
but rather it's designed for vegans.
Needless to say, the world has evolved when it comes
to burgers.
But now, with all that being said,
would you try a mosquito burger?
If you go to Lake Victoria in Africa?
That's what you can have every year because during the
Rainier seasons,
there are trillions of midges that rise from the waters
and then fly into giant swarms.
These swarms are so thick and dense that the locals
can catch a pretty good quantity of them and then
mush them into patties and fry them into burgers.
You thought we were kidding,
right? Nope. But on the plus side,
they're chock full of protein,
so there is some benefit to it.
People who have tried it say that it compares to
a smoked whiskey cheeseburger.
We'll take their word for it.
In any case, if you're looking for a different type
of burger,
head over to Lake Victoria in Africa.
Now, let's get ready for today's open discussion.
Deep in the unknown body of water in Africa,
a couple of scuba divers were informed during the day
jobs that there was a find at the surface that
would blow their minds.
David and Jerry worked at a local bakery in South
Africa when they received a tip from a nearby police
officer who knew that they were experienced scuba divers and
there was something at the bottom of a lake,
a very deep lake, that had people scratching their heads.
Being that they were the only scuba divers in town
with the experience to go that deep,
they jumped on the opportunity to figure out what it
was.
They weren't left disappointed either.
When they reached the surface of that body of water,
they were greeted by a giant gold head sticking out
from the water's floor.
When they tried to tug on it,
it didn't budget, making them believe there might be a
giant statue down there.
After digging around it, tremors happened.
This LED them to stop their exhibition and contact researchers.
As of today, scientists are still trying to figure out
what that statue is and who it belonged to.
They're also trying to figure out just why they can't
pick it up.
What do you think this giant head underwater represents?
Let us know in the comments with the hashtag Open
Discussion to let your voice be heard.
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#14 giant squid. As things like technology gets smaller,
such as cell phones and other media devices,
other things seem to get bigger,
such as food portions, houses,
and even the trucks that you see on the road.
As civilization evolves, people want to go big.
They want to experience life and excess and and fit
as much in as possible.
But as we make our stuff bigger,
there are other things in the world that we realize
are just as big as well.
We move on to a giant squid.
It's one discovery that's getting people talking in Africa.
It was a giant carcass of a squid that had
washed up on the shore of Long Beach.
Kamuki attracted all sorts of people,
from fishermen to trophy hunters,
who were made to see the sheer size of this
white beast lying on the sand.
Unfortunately, when researchers got to the scene,
there were too many pieces of the squid to be
removed for it to be protected.
The poachers had moved in quickly because mainly they had
never seen a squid of that size before.
All the animals major organs were spread out all around
it and a few pieces were floating in the water.
So although it was big in size,
it was no match for humanity.
We'd like to think that it was probably better off
floating away in the water.
At least it was already dead when it came face
to face with the humans
#13 plague of locusts. In the last couple of years,
the world has been dominated by an illness that humanity
hasn't seen for the likes of 100 years.
It was something that brought people together while also dividing
them heavily.
The world doesn't see a lot of those instances happening
throughout history.
There's only been a handful of times where the history
books can document such horrors.
In the world of plagues,
nobody likes a plague. That's why this next one is
going to upset a few folks because we move on
to a plague of locusts.
It's a report from aid agencies who have said that
there have been swarms of locusts descending on farms in
northern Kenya.
They're not just flying by either.
They're actually destroying crops and even leaving pastures bare of
vegetation.
One of the reasons why the locusts have reproduced so
rapidly is because of unusual rainfall patterns.
So this isn't quite the norm to have an annual
plague.
But if the rain continues to be the way that
it is,
you can expect there to be a lot more locusts
coming your way.
That is if you're in Africa,
of course
#12 the resurrection. One thing about life is that we
know it's going to come to an end,
no matter the species. Their lifespan doesn't go on forever.
It's just one fact of life that we all have
to get used to.
It doesn't have to be a sad thing.
And oddly enough, there's also something out there that's super
rare,
known as a resurrection. Africa is filled with so much
mystery that we're talking about coming back from the dead.
So what do we mean when we say bring up
the term resurrection?
We mean coming out of South Africa.
There was a funeral where a man came back to
life.
The funeral directors were stunned.
This all happened after the pastor yelled,
rise up and the man who's lying down in the
coffin jerked right up to cheers from worshippers.
It was a miracle, but not really.
It was just a hoax,
and the people involved who put the hoax on are
getting sued now because no one likes to be duped
when it comes to death.
One person would call it by saying that they made
it all up to get money from the hopelessness of
their people.
Who would have thought a resurrection would have gone so
badly?
Next time, we hope that it's a real one,
because that would be a true miracle
#11 crack in the earth.
No matter how tough you build something,
durability always wears down after time.
You can build something to last and use the best
material that the world can offer,
but eventually you'll need to do some repairs.
Things wear down just like human beings.
Even something like concrete, adorable materials that lend a hand
to giant skyscrapers and sidewalks in big cities need to
be repaired after some time.
Next up, we have a giant crack in the earth.
You heard that right, a crack in the Earth.
This comes from the world's hottest place.
It's an East African rift in the Danekill Desert.
This is where two tectonic plates drive the birth of
a new ocean.
It's also home to countless volcanoes,
fault lines, and fissures. These tectonic plates are technically a
crack in the Earth.
You won't find a smoother crack anywhere else on the
planet.
It's just the way that the tectonic plates are aligned.
This happens to also be the only place where you
can tell the Earth that their crack is showing,
because who doesn't love an immature joke from time to
time
#10 Robocops. One thing that people love to do is
look at how science fiction has lent a hand to
reality.
People love to point out when something out of a
story influences real life.
Whether it's flying cars, cell phones,
or even something like the Internet,
readers of science fiction are quick to point out when
art influences life.
It doesn't happen often, but when it does,
there's a bit of magic there that makes you think
just about how important stories and things like science fiction
are.
Why do we bring this up?
Because of the movie RoboCop.
If you're unfamiliar, it's a cop who's half human,
half robot, which the movies were based around.
Sounds completely off the charts and not able to actually
happen in real life.
But when you go to Africa,
you'd be shocked to see that there are things just
like RoboCop.
These Robocops come out of Kinshasa,
where the area is facing a lot of rising car
ownership mixed with a lack of trust in police,
leading city authorities to recruit solar powered Robocops to control
the
capital's crazy streets. They look like giant tin men.
They're also pretty cool to look at.
Just picture crossing guards that look like the Tin Man
from the Wizard of Oz,
and that's what you get.
What they do is control traffic and try to keep
order in a fun way.
We doubt that we'll be seeing any of these robots
in New York City anytime soon,
but one can hope
#9 Skin mask. In today's world,
it's not uncommon to try and take care of your
skin today.
There are plenty of products out there that make the
promise that you can tap into the fountain of youth
and keep your skin looking clear,
clean, and fresh. For example,
products like Neutrogena put out creams that clear out the
pores.
And it sounds like a modern day thing which has
only happened in the last the last 50 years.
But what if we told you that there was a
very unique skin mask discovered in Africa?
It's a different skin mask from the one that we're
just talking about.
It's called the Ecoy. More specifically,
it's known as a ritual mask,
which is covered in animal skin.
It's an artistic tradition that was used throughout the Cross
River Basin.
The masks had been danced in masquerades of the men's
societies.
They're usually represented in human heads or figures.
To get the look of the mask,
people would usually dye them in vibrant colors like red
or blue.
Just finding one is a piece of history.
Although they do look a little spooky.
Will probably stick to the modern day skin mask because
they help a little better with the pores
#8 eye of the Sahara.
There are just some places on the map where when
you say them,
everyone pretty much knows what you're talking about.
Whether it's the pyramids in Egypt,
the Great Wall of China,
or even the Empire State Building.
When you mention those places,
no matter who you're talking to,
you're most likely going to get a familiarity between the
both of you.
The same goes for the Sahara desert.
It's one of the most popular deserts in the entire
world.
When people use an analogy when speaking about a desert,
they usually bring up the Sahara in some way.
That's why we're going to talk about something a little
bit more specifically known as the Eye of the Sahara.
The actual name is the Richard Structure of Mauritania,
and it's caught the attention of astronauts for its long
as NASA has been sending humans into space.
It's a circular geologic feature that's thought to be caused
by an uplifted Dome.
It's been eroded to expose the originally Flat Rock layers.
A lot of it lies within the Sahara Desert,
and it's a modern marvel for a scientist because of
its shape.
Scientists want to learn more about it because it'll explain
a lot more about geologic structures in history.
It's not completely easy to understand,
but looking at it from space,
it does look like an eye.
It's one of the strangest rock formations that we've ever
seen
#7 fantasy coffins. Death is a subject that never fails
to bring people down.
No matter which way you swing it,
death is something that triggers a dark feeling.
You can turn a funeral into a party,
or you can prop a corpse up to make it
look like lovely during the wake.
But no matter what you do,
there's not much that can take away that sadness that
comes with it.
But there's maybe one thing that you can try that'll
make it a little less of a gut punch.
What about something like a fantasy coffin?
These fantasy coffins come out of Ghana,
West Africa, and they're meant to celebrate death rather than
mourn it.
These colorful fantasy coffins are made by a small group
of Craftsman and are made in the shape of the
thing that best symbolizes the deceased,
profession and life.
So, for example, if someone cut trees for a living,
they would probably be placed in a coffin shaped like
a tree.
There's a sign to look at a little bit different
from the boring everyday coffins that you would see in
the western world.
This isn't a bad thing,
because who doesn't want there to be a little bit
more fun when it comes to death?
It doesn't always have to be doom and gloom after
all.
Number six, acid pools. It's hard to think about something
like a pool and anything other than excitement.
Pools often connotate positive vibes,
like the summertime, swimming with friends,
basking in the sunlight, and doing cannonballs to make people
laugh.
Who doesn't love a good pool?
In the warm weather or even at a resort,
they always tend to bring the mood up,
and over time, there's been little innovation when it comes
to underground or above ground pools.
But that doesn't mean that there isn't a bunch of
different types out there,
like this next one known as an acid pool.
So maybe it isn't exactly the type of pool that
you would imagine.
When you say the word pool,
it comes out of the Horn of Africa where it's
one of the most remote,
inhospitable locations in the world.
There also hasn't been much studying on it,
and this is because it's one of the hottest places
on earth
and it's one of the driest.
You shouldn't expect any plant or animal life to be
roaming around the area either.
They call it a pool because it's below sea level
and it rests kind of like a pond.
It's not one of the ponds that you want to
be swimming in,
however #5 ancient astronauts today there are a lot of
modern jobs that didn't exist back in the day.
For example, if you mention the term social media managers
in the 1930s,
they would have looked at you like you were crazy.
Or if you went to the same era and told
them that you sold sneakers online,
it wouldn't make sense to them at all.
One occupation that you might not think of as a
super modern one is an astronaut,
but it's modern in terms of 200 years ago.
200 years ago, people wouldn't have understood going to outer
space.
Or at least that's what you think.
Because up next we have ancient astronauts.
We're not talking about astronauts who went to space hundreds
of years ago.
We're talking about 15,000 year old prehistoric carvings and paintings.
They come out of the sandstone rock formations in one
Algerian National Park.
Some of the art makes it look like there are
pictures of people who travel to space.
The images are still up for debate as to whether
or not that's what they mean.
After seeing them, what do you think these are depictions
of?
Are they astronauts or just stick figure drawings?
Number four, Well, with legs.
If we were to come to you and mention any
type of animal or mammal,
you would probably immediately picture it one way.
For example, if we mentioned a giraffe,
you would picture an orange animal with a long neck.
If we mentioned an elephant,
you would picture a Gray,
gigantic animal with a long nose and tusks,
maybe even some floppy ears for good measure.
So what do you think of when we mention a
whale?
You probably wouldn't picture it with legs,
right? Well, we're about to blow your mind because this
new species of ancient 4 legged whales have been discovered
in Egypt.
They kind of look like strange rhinos underwater and they've
been said to have lived around
43,000,000 years ago. There are scientific names.
The ancestors of modern whales developed the deer like mammals
that have lived on land around 10 million years ago.
And these strange mammals probably weighed around 600 kilograms and
measured around 10 feet in length.
So next time you see a whale,
just know that they didn't always look like that.
Number three, poisonous fur. For decades,
there's been an ongoing debate on whether or not people
should wear fur.
It's something that animals take for granted when it comes
to humans taking it off them and wearing them as
clothes.
And we take it for granted that we do take
that fur.
We won't be greeted by any sort of poison entity.
But now what if we told you that there's some
fur out there that's a little poisonous?
That would be a scary thought and doesn't sound too
realistic,
right? That's exactly the case.
The poisonous fur that we speak of comes from the
African crested rat.
It's a rabbit sized rodent that has poisonous fur.
There have been researchers that confirm that this animal not
only stores the poison as protective mechanisms,
but they also appear to be resistant to poison themselves.
What these scientists confirmed out of Africa exactly was that
these animals can lead to fur with poison deadly enough
to kill an elephant,
and it does so by chewing on poisonous plants.
So it's almost like these plants are fuel for their
poisonous fur.
The researcher couldn't figure out how they were doing this
until they created a rat enclosure and then allowed the
little critters to dine on the poisonous plants.
Number two, fairy circles. We've all heard of crop circles.
Those are the circles that pop up in the middle
of nowhere,
usually in a giant patch of grass that no one
can explain
to this day. There are some crop circles out there
that even scientists can't figure out why they exist,
but that's as far as it goes.
Usually we've seen all sorts of different crop circles by
now,
but also there's something else out there that we have
to bring up coming out of Africa,
and they're called fairy circles.
More specifically, they're the Namibian fairy circles,
which are strange circles that cover the desert in southern
Africa.
They've stumped scientists for decades,
but thanks to math and ecology,
scientists may finally have an answer as to why they
exist.
There's not much plant life in this area to begin
with,
so seeing this is pretty startling.
Some people say it looks like a giant polka dot
dress.
This happens in the Namib Desert in Africa.
So their explanation as to why these circles pop up
is because the plants are competing for resources.
As the vegetation expands and tries to thrive into a
patch,
the smaller plants nearby cannot get the water necessary to
survive.
Then the amount of vegetation thins out or disappears entirely
at the edges of the patch.
This forms the distant gaps,
AKA the circles. So once again,
crop circles aren't caused by aliens.
Or are they? What do you think
#1 Clark's Dorp Sphere? And now we end the list
with the Clark's Dorp Sphere.
These tiny spheres from 3 billion years ago have scientists
marveling.
They were created when minerals formed in the space between
sediments in the same way that crystals can naturally form.
The mystery around them is how perfectly round they are.
There's even a story about one who brought his to
NASA,
and according to that story,
after NASA tested them, they told the man that the
sphere could have only been made in zero gravity because
its balance was too perfect to have been created naturally.
Does that mean that aliens made them?
The jury is still out on why they're so perfect,
but if we had to guess,
science will come up with an answer one day.
As of right now, it'll remain another mystery.
So it turns out Africa has a lot to provide
us when it comes to unexplained mysteries.
It's always fun when science can't quite figure out what's
going on when it comes to discovery.
It makes the mind wonder and brings people together and
creates their own conclusions.
We can't wait to see what Africa gives to us
next.