Our natural instinct of curiosity can lead us to unimaginable discoveries. But sometimes, all those finds might make us question reality even more. So if not being able to fall asleep over some strange facts doesn’t faze you, you are in for a treat.

From animal-related to world mysteries to stories that send shivers down your spine, this subreddit called Mysterious Facts has it all. In this list, we have selected the most interesting ones you will hopefully find fascinating. So, Pandas, before embarking on this journey, we invite you to start by opening your mind to the unknown and prepare to be amazed!

While looking for answers on why we as people enjoy mysteries, we came across John Malouff, Professor of Psychology at UNE, who shared his ideas on the topic back in 2014. In his article, based on two stories — the hunt for the missing Malaysian commercial jet and the trial of Oscar Pistorius — John suggests that our interest in mysterious stories is rooted in human nature: a desire to understand the causes of death for prevention, a need to reduce uncertainty, and a quest for predictability to ease anxiety.

To learn more about that, Bored Panda reached out to John, who kindly answered our questions. Read the full interview with him below.

More info: blog.une.edu.au

#1 Did You Know?

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#2 Did You Know?

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#3 Did You Know?

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First, we asked John to elaborate on how the evolutionary aspect of our psychology contributes to our fascination with mysteries, particularly those involving high-stakes events.

He shared: “Survival is a key element of evolution. We have a keen interest in information that we think might help us survive. Humans who did not have this strong interest were more likely to die and to leave no genes in children. Humans with a high curiosity about survival matters were more likely to survive and reproduce — those are our ancestors. We also have that curiosity and apply it to mystery cases (and to fictional mystery stories). For instance, I would not fly on certain airlines.”

#4 This Is A Tree That Has Been Struck By Lightning And Exposed Its Vascular System. Nature Is Very Complex. A Tree's Vascular System Carries Water And Minerals From The Roots To The Leaves

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#5 This Gecko Has Been Trapped In Amber For 54 Million Years

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#6 A Very Old Skeleton Was Found In A Cave In Cheddar, England. People Called Him "Cheddar Man". Scientists Tested His Dna And Found That Someone Who Is Alive Today And Lives About Half A Mile Away Is Related To Him

In 1903, researchers were digging in a cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, in the UK. They found a surprising thing: the skeleton of a human who lived around 9,000 years ago. This person is one of the oldest modern humans ever found in Britain.

The discovery happened by accident while they were fixing the drainage in the popular tourist cave called Gough's Cave.

Cheddar Man lived a long time ago, during a period called the Mesolithic, which was about 9,000 years ago. He was most likely a hunter-gatherer and probably died in his twenties. He was about 5 feet, 5 inches tall.

Scientists used advanced technology to recreate what Cheddar Man's face, skin color, eye color, and hair texture might have looked like.

By studying the genetic material taken from one of Cheddar Man's teeth, scientists were able to find a retired history teacher named Adrian Targett who is directly related to him. They discovered that Targett's family has lived in the Cheddar Gorge area for about 9,000 years. The genes that connect them are passed down from mothers to their daughters through something called mitochondrial DNA, which comes from the egg.

To put it simply, Adrian Targett and Cheddar Man share a common female ancestor in their family tree.

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John, in the article, noted that individuals might feel more content with their own lives in light of disasters that befall others. We asked him to share how this phenomenon of comparative well-being contributes to the appeal of mysteries for the general public. John wrote: “Right now I am reading a fascinating fictional story of human misery, Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver. The story has strengthened my desire to avoid substance abuse, poverty, and Appalachia. I find the story unsettling, but reading it helps me see how fortunate I have been in life since the moment I was born. If something bad happens in my life, I think about how fortunate in general I have been relative to others.”

#7 Did You Know?

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#8 The Amazing Praying Mantis Embedded In This Precious Amber, Just Over A Couple Of Centimetres, Has Been Preserved, Resisting Time, For More Than 30 Million Years

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#9 Wistman's Wood In England Is An Age-Old Forest That Has Been Allowed To Grow Naturally Without Human Intervention Or The Influence Of Large Animals

Wistman's Wood is a unique and ancient woodland located in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. The wood is primarily composed of stunted and gnarled oak trees, some of which are believed to be over 500 years old. The oaks are often draped in dense mosses and lichens, giving the woodland a mystical, fairy-tale-like atmosphere. In addition to oaks, other species of trees and shrubs such as rowans, holly, and hazel can also be found in this woodland.

Yes, Wistman's Wood is home to a variety of wildlife and animals. Some of the animals that can be found in the woodland include birds such as the Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Tawny Owl, and Pied Flycatcher. The woodland is also home to mammals such as the Greater Horseshoe Bat, the Wood Mouse, and the Stoat. In addition, various species of insects, spiders, and other invertebrates are found in the woodland, including the Wistman's Wood White butterfly, which is named after the woodland. Overall, Wistman's Wood supports a diverse and unique ecosystem that is important for the conservation of biodiversity in the area.

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John's article suggests that people derive satisfaction from joining the excitement of chasing the truth in dramatic events. We were curious to know how this aspect of participation and engagement with unfolding mysteries relates to the psychological concept of "flow," where individuals become deeply immersed and engaged in an activity and how might this influence the level of interest people have in real-life mysteries versus fictional ones.

“People like a challenge. When trying to meet an interesting challenge, we may go into flow -- where we feel focused, energetic, and content. I am driven to keep reading my Copperhead book by the desire to know what happens next to the unlucky boy. When I read I feel a sense of flow. I feel the same strong curiosity when I read about mass murders, whether by deadly mushrooms, knife, or whatever,” answered John.

#10 Did You Know?

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#11 The Medieval Eltz Castle Located In Wierschem, Germany, Has Been Owned And Occupied By The Same Family For Over 850 Years, 33 Generations To Be Exact

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#12 Poon Lim, The Longest Time A Person Has Ever Survived At Sea On A Life Boat

Poon Lim was a Chinese sailor who was working as a steward on board the British merchant ship SS Benlomond during World War II. On November 23, 1942, while the ship was en route from Cape Town, South Africa, to Paramaribo, Suriname, it was torpedoed by a German U-boat. Poon Lim managed to grab an 8 square foot wooden raft before the ship sank and used it as a survival tool for the next 133 days.

During his ordeal, Poon Lim faced extreme weather conditions, hunger, thirst, and the constant threat of shark attacks. He had to resort to desperate measures to survive, including drinking the blood of turtles and fish that he caught with his bare hands. He also used a fishing line made from the threads of his shirt to catch more fish.

At one point, Poon Lim encountered a shark that he managed to kill by hitting it repeatedly with a jug of water. He then used the shark's liver and blood as a source of food and hydration. Despite the incredible difficulties he faced, Poon Lim managed to keep his spirits up by singing and talking to himself, and he even managed to keep track of the passing days by marking the raft with notches.

On April 5, 1943, Poon Lim was finally rescued by a Brazilian fishing boat, after drifting for more than four months at sea. He was weak and emaciated but miraculously still alive.

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And lastly, in his article, John also mentioned enjoying both real-life mysteries like the Oscar Pistorius trial and fictional mysteries like "The Woman in White." He shared how these two types of stories differ in their psychological impact on readers or observers. “Good writers make a fictional mystery story seem real, so there is not much difference in the emotional impact between fictional stories and real ones. A big difference occurs between a tragic story that is distant from me and one that involves me or my loved ones. With distant stories, I have an emotional buffer that protects me.”

#13 Mme Abomah Was Known As The Amazon And The African Giantess. She Was Once The World`s Tallest And Most Beautiful Lady In The Late 1800s And Early 1900s. In The Early 1900`s She Traveled All Over The World As The Tallest Woman. She Stood Over 8 Feet And Could Easily Support The Weight Of A Man

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#14 On The Night Of 016 1982 A Passenger On A Commercial Jet Was Looking Out The Window As The Plane Flew Over The Colorado Mountains When He Spotted Headlights Blinking Sos. The Passenger Brought This To The Attention Of The Pilots Who Radioed The Location

A massive rescue operation was launched and rescuers found Alan Lee Philips stranded in a snow drift. It was in the middle of a sever snow storm and the temperature had dropped down to -22. If it wasn’t for the passenger in the plane Alan wouldn’t have survived the night.

Alan literally had someone watching over him. For 40 years Alan’s story has been hailed as miraculous, that was until D.N.A linked Alan to two cold case murders of two Colorado women.

It was Jan. 6, 1982, a bitter cold evening with blizzard-like conditions, when two female hitchhikers vanished from the popular ski resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado, and were later found shot to death.

On that ill-fated day, Barbara Jo Oberholtzer, and Annette Kay Schnee vanished without a trace. It wasn't until six months later, when Annette's lifeless body was found, that investigators made a chilling connection. Annette wore an orange sock, a recent gift from her mother, and her other orange sock was discovered near Bobbie Jo's body. This grim discovery left no doubt that the same person had taken the lives of both women.

On the night of the murders the police had launched an all out rescue of Alan Lee Philips only to discover 40 years later he got trapped in the snowdrift while disposing of the two murdered women bodies. He was arrested in 2021 after the D.N.A linked him to the crime. At 71 years old he was convicted and sentence to two life terms in 2022 and will spend the remainder of his life behind bars.

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#15 The Huaorani Tribe, Also Known As Waorani Or Waos, Is An Indigenous Group Residing In Eastern Ecuador Within The Amazon Rainforest

This isolated tribe, consisting of approximately 4,000 members, has a unique cultural and linguistic heritage. Their language is distinct and unrelated to any other known tongue, including Quechua, which is commonly spoken in Ecuador.

Due to their longstanding practice of tree climbing, a crucial skill for their way of life, the Huaorani people have experienced physical adaptations in their feet. The tribe primarily relies on hunting monkeys and other small game using spears and blow guns as a major food source. The combination of a limited gene pool, constant exposure to the challenging environment, and the necessity of climbing trees has resulted in the flattening of their feet. Some individuals within the tribe even exhibit the presence of six toes on each foot and six functional fingers on each hand. Interestingly, the structure of their feet undergoes changes over time, starting with straight toes at birth.

It is worth noting that the Huaorani tribe is not the sole example of human adaptation to specific environments. Certain tribes in Malaysia, for instance, have developed the ability to stay submerged underwater for extended periods to fish for pearls. Their lungs have evolved to process oxygen more efficiently in order to support this activity.

Moreover, the emergence of white skin in early humans who migrated to northern Europe can be attributed to the reduced sunlight in that region. White skin has a greater capacity to absorb vitamin D compared to dark skin, thus facilitating its production despite the limited sunlight.

In general, human feet may gradually become flatter over time when exposed to comparable environments, as the toes tend to spread out to provide enhanced grip and balance.

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#16 A Roller Coaster You Ride Only Once, Because It’s Designed To Kill You. Called The “Euthanasia Roller Coaster”

Its Designed to be used by those who are terminally ill, it's a coaster that, if built, could only be enjoyed once. It was conceived in 2010 by Juiljonas Urbonas, It is meant to take lives Quote, “with elegance and Euphoria.” It takes 24 passengers up to a height of 1,674ft than drops them down at a speed of 220mph where they go through a series of loops keeping you under 10g force for 60 seconds. The passengers will die from prolonged Cerebral hypoxia which is the insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain. This Coaster has never been built and is only a concept envisioned by Juiljonas Urbonas a Lithuanian artist, who actually built a scaled down version.

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#17 There's A Town In Florida Where People Intentionally Dismember Themselves

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Florida Panhandle was responsible for two-thirds of all loss of limb accident claims in the U.S. This was largely due to one place: Vernon, Florida, unofficially known as Nub City.

Residents learned that if they took out a life insurance policy with an accident dismemberment clause and lost, for example, both legs or both arms, or an arm and a leg, they would receive the full insurance pay-out.

One man took out 30 insurance policies and received a million-dollar pay-out. No one could be convicted of fraud because jurors found it really hard to believe that anyone would cut off their own limbs for insurance money.

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#18 5500-Year-Old Honey! Basically, Honey Never Expires

5500-Year-Old Honey! Honey has an incredibly long shelf life. Honey's unique chemical composition, with its low water content and acidity, makes it difficult for bacteria and other microorganisms to grow. This is why honey was a popular food preservation method in many ancient cultures. In 2019, archaeologists discovered a set of ceramic jars in the country of Georgia that contained what is believed to be the world's oldest known honey. The jars were found in the tomb of a noblewoman and were estimated to be about 5,500 years old. The honey was analyzed and found to be still edible, though it had crystallized over time. This discovery provides valuable insight into the ancient practice of beekeeping and honey production, as well as the diets and customs of people in the Caucasus region during the Bronze Age. Basically, honey never expires.

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#19 Did You Know?

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#20 Did You Know?

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#21 Did You Know?

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#22 Did You Know?

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#23 On November 12, 1833, There Was A Meteor Shower So Intense That It Was Possible To See Up To 100,000 Meteors Crossing The Sky Every Hour. At The Time, Many Thought It Was The End Of The World, So Much So That It Inspired This Woodcut By Adolf Vollmy

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#24 Did You Know?

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#25 A Fossil Tree Was Found In Northern Thailand Measuring 72.2 Meters, Indicating That The Original Tree Was Over 100 Meters High And Has Been In A Moist Tropical Forest For About 800,000 Years

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#26 The Legend Surrounding The Death And Burial Of Genghis Khan, The Founder Of The Mongol Empire, Suggests That His Funeral Escort Killed Anyone Or Anything That Crossed Their Path In Order To Conceal The Location Of His Final Resting Place

The legend surrounding the death and burial of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, suggests that his funeral escort killed anyone or anything that crossed their path in order to conceal the location of his final resting place. It is said that Genghis Khan was buried with immense riches, and the location of his tomb was kept a closely guarded secret.

According to the legend, after the tomb was completed, the slaves who built it were massacred to ensure that the location of the tomb would remain a secret. The soldiers who killed the slaves were then also killed to eliminate any potential witnesses. This extreme measure was reportedly taken to prevent anyone from discovering the location of Genghis Khan's tomb and stealing its contents.

It's worth noting that this legend is just one of many surrounding Genghis Khan's life and death. The actual circumstances of his burial and the fate of those involved in its construction are not definitively known.

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#27 The 6.6 Ton Berezovka Mammoth Was Found In The Tundra, Frozen Into The Permafrost Of Siberia

In the late 1800's, it was a warm time in Siberia and there was a collapse of the ground that exposed this frozen mammoth. The body remained partly exposed to the weather until it was excavated in 1901 and brought to Saint Petersburg, Russia. He was found sitting on his haunches and both of his hips were broken. He had food in his mouth and in his stomach and he had been eating flowering plants. The contents of his stomach had not purified which means that this 6.6 ton mammoth got frozen solid in less than 10 hours

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#28 Archaeologists Discovered That These 900-Year-Old "Jars" That Have Been Unearthed Throughout The Middle East For Decades Were Actually Hand Grenades Used During The Crusades

Though the true recipe for these primitive grenades is a secret lost to history, experts believe that the secret ingredients may have been dolphin fat and urine.

Meanwhile, all mentions of these grenades in medieval texts are extremely cryptic — as one researcher behind this new study said, "These were secret weapons and they didn't necessarily want to tell everyone exactly how to make them."

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#29 Annelise Michel Began Blacking Out At School, She Would Soon Start Convulsing, Vomiting And Eating Her Own Hands And Drinking Her Own Urine. She Underwent 67 Exorcisms And Died In 1976

This story directly inspired the 2005 film "The exorcism of Emily Rose". Doctors in court during a trial about her neglectful death came to the conclusion she suffered from Grand Mal Epilepsy and Psychosis. Her devout catholic family thought otherwise and went along with the exorcisms. Near death she weighed only 67 pounds.

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#30 Raymond Theodore Robinson Was A Disfigured American Man Whose Years Of Nighttime Walks Made Him Into A Figure Of Urban Legend In Western Pennsylvania

Raymond Theodore Robinson was a disfigured American man whose years of nighttime walks made him into a figure of urban legend in western Pennsylvania. Raymond Robinson was eight years old when he was injured by an electrical line as he climbed a pole and reached for a bird's nest on the Morado Bridge, outside of Beaver Falls. The bridge carried a trolley and had electrical lines of both 1,200 and 22,000 Volts, which were responsible for the death of another boy less than a year earlier. Robinson survived, defying doctors' expectations, but he was severely disfigured: he lost his eyes, nose, and right arm. Robinson was so severely injured from his childhood electrical accident that he could not go out in public without fear of causing a panic, so he went for long walks at night. Local tourists would drive along his road in hopes of meeting the Green Man or Charlie No-Face; they became disappointed to see no such person. However, they passed on tales about him to their children and grandchildren regardless, and people raised on these tales are sometimes surprised to discover that he was a real person who was liked by his family and neighbors. He stopped his walks during the last years of his life, and retired to the Beaver County Geriatric Center, where he died in 1985 at the age of 74.

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#31 The Inventor Of Vaseline, Robert Chesebrough, Was Such A Firm Believer In Its Medicinal Properties That He Claimed To Have Eaten A Spoonful Of It A Day. During A Bout Of Pleurisy In His 50s, He Ordered His Nurse To Cover Him From Head To Toe In The Substance, And Soon Recovered

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#32 At The Age Of 25, Blanche Monnier Fell In Love With An Older, Bankrupt Lawyer, Whom Her Aristocratic Mother Disliked, And Decided To Marry Him. One Day She Suddenly Disappeared And Nobody Knew Where She Was. But No One Knew That She Had Been Locked In Her Room For 25 Years

Blanche ate only leftovers from her mother's meals, delivered to her room by maids or her brother. Even after the lawyer's death in 1885, Blanche's punishment continued. Food waste accumulated in her room, attracting the rats that were her only companions. Then, in 1901, the attorney general of Paris received a letter from an anonymous sender regarding her whereabouts, which said: Mr. Attorney General: I have the honor to inform you of an event of exceptional gravity. I'm talking about a spinster who's been locked up in Madame Monnier's, half-starved, and has lived for twenty-five years in a rotten litter, in a word, in her own filth. The police forced their way into the house, went upstairs and discovered a locked room that gave off a stench. They opened the windows that were locked and found him. Huddled on the bed, covered in food and faeces, was Blanche Monnier, emaciated. She weighed 55 kilos and was taken to the hospital. He died in 1913, aged 63-64.

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