--- title: More Craziest Scientific Discoveries You Missed description: "The twenty-first century continues to be full of astounding scientific discoveries in many fields and disciplines. This is, of course, great news, but as we mentioned in a previous video, there are sometimes so many announcements and publications that the general public simply can't keep track of them all, often times because they get buried under other world news, or simply aren't catchy enough to make it to the headlines.\n\nAnd so today we're going to bring to you five more fascinating scientific discoveries from recent years that might have slipped under your radar.\n\n## Gravity Hole\n\nOne thing that, hopefully, most of us can agree on is the fact that the earth is round. What you might not know is that it isn't technically a sphere, as it gets just a bit wider near the equator, meaning its true shape is actually called an ellipsoid. The shape change isn't all that dramatic though, certainly not something you'd notice on a photograph.\n\nAnd in the same way that the earth's shape is relatively uniform, so is its distribution of mass. Yes, there are mountains, canyons, valleys, you name it, and from our perspective the surface might look rather bumpy, but because of the sheer size of the planet, it's actually overall quite smooth. Neil DeGrasse Tyson once claimed that, relative to its size, it was even smoother than a cue ball.\n\nBut this doesn't tell the full story. It may look visually smooth, but the force of gravity is exerted at slightly different strengths around the globe, based on the slightly varying densities of materials underneath our feet. A map of these gravitational highs and lows is known as a global geoid, and we're constantly refining our geoid models with new and improved data.\n\nThe weirdest gravitational anomaly can be found in the Indian Ocean. First discovered in 1948 by a Dutch geophysicist, there is a significant low point on the geoid, with a large portion of the ocean actually resting about 100 meters *below* the average sea level.\n\nLong dubbed a 'gravity hole', this peculiar spot has been known about for years, but its cause has eluded scientists… until now. In summer of 2023, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science published their study investigating this strange location, using advanced computer-simulated models of the geological history, going back about 140 million years.\n\nThe team ran 19 simulations, each varying by the tectonic activity, compositions of the crust, behavior of the magma in the mantle, and much more. Six of these simulations resulted in the gravitational anomaly seen today, and what all six of these had in common was the creation of large magma plumes underneath the region, created by the disappearance of an ancient ocean, which was removed from the map when the Indian subcontinent smashed into Asia.\n\nThey posit that as the oceanic plate was pushed down into the mantle, it affected the composition and density of the magma, creating these plumes. The researchers do make sure to point out though, that we've yet to find evidence for these plumes outside of the computer simulation, as more work is needed in the area, and they're open to the idea that some other, currently unknown force is at hand, waiting to be discovered.\n\nBut it does sound very promising, and if confirmed, would mean we've finally solved a little mystery of our planet's interior.\n\n## Water in the Mantle\n\nSpeaking of the planet's interior, another fascinating discovery from recent years suggests that there may be large deposits of water deep within the mantle.\n\nThe mantle is the largest layer of the earth, coming in at 1,800 miles, or 2,900 kilometers thick, and filled with rock and magma, it comprises as much as 84% of the entire earth's mass. So how would vast reservoirs of water make their way so deep into the earth?\n\nIt's long been speculated that there might be some amount of water down here, in a place called the transition zone, located between the upper and lower mantle, and the first evidence of this has recently been found. Two professors of geophysics, one from the University of New Mexico and the other from Northwestern University, have used seismic waves generated from earthquakes to study this deep part of the earth, and their analyses have found signs of this huge amount of water. And when we say a huge amount of water, we mean it. According to the researchers, if just one percent of the weight of the mantle's transition zone was water, it would equate to three times as much H2O as all of the world's oceans combined.\n\nBut what's odd is that most of this isn't water in the way we know it. It's not in the simple form of liquid, solid, or gas that we're accustomed to on the surface. This is because the conditions created by the inconceivable pressure this deep within the earth do not allow for a simple underground lake like you'd see closer to the surface. Instead, the water is pressed into what's known as a hydroxyl radical, allowing it to bind with the mineral that surrounds it. And this form of trapped water has actually been found before, when a volcano in Brazil blasted a diamond to the surface. Within the diamond researchers found a mineral called ringwoodite, and bound to this mineral was a surprising amount of water.\n\nOne of the professors, Jacobsen, said that ringwoodite is special because it acts like a sponge, soaking up the H2O.\n\n> \"There is something very special about the crystal structure of ringwoodite that allows it to attract hydrogen and trap water. This mineral can contain a lot of water under conditions of the deep mantle.\"\n\nThey believe that much of this water is stored at a depth of about 400 miles, or about 640 kilometers, and more recent analyses indicate that it may be more mobile than previously thought, perhaps even being able to travel to the crust. This may mean that the water cycle includes deep stores beneath the surface, perhaps replenishing the oceans on the surface. It shows that there's a lot more to our home planet than meets the eye, and that there's likely even more discoveries waiting for us underneath our feet.\n\n## New Giant\n\nFor many, many years, it has been believed that the blue whale was the largest animal to have ever lived on earth, its size and weight even surpassing the largest of dinosaurs. And truly, the blue whale is a behemoth of outright monstrous proportions: its tongue alone weighs up to 4 tons, about the same weight as a female African elephant, and the longest blue whale ever recorded was a staggering 110 feet, or about 33 meters, which makes it all the more shocking that researchers found fossils of an animal that may have been even larger.\n\nPaleontologists excavating in the Ica Valley, located in southern Peru, found several massive bones indicative of a much larger, ancient whale. Recovered fossils included a hip bone, ribs, and more than a dozen vertebrae, all of which were absolutely massive and dated to around 40 million years ago. The team named the new creature *Perucetus colossus*, and using other whale species for comparison, they estimate that this whale's maximum weight would have been around 350 tons, 150 tons heavier than the heaviest blue whale ever recorded.\n\nIts bones were heavier and denser than its modern counterparts, confirming that it lived its life entirely in the water. It might sound funny to confirm that a whale lived only in the water, but things were pretty different 40 million years ago, and many other species of early whale still had the ability to crawl onto land for short periods of time, but *Perucetus colossus* was simply too heavy for these types of activities.\n\nWe are missing a few key details though. Notably, a matching skull has not been found, so we can only guess what its diet may have consisted of. It could've been fish, krill, we simply don't know.\n\nWhat's groundbreaking about this discovery is not just the fact that the animal kingdom may have a new king on the scale, but that the existence of *Perucetus colossus* upends our current model of whale evolution. It was previously thought that these gentle giants of the sea only evolved to reach their huge sizes in recent history, but the size and age of this new discovery might mean that their peak weight was achieved many millions of years ago.\n\nThis find also reminds us that there are plenty of ancient creatures that we've yet to discover. After all, piecing together the history of life on earth is a difficult job, and since we have to make do with the fossils that have remained intact and accessible to researchers, a task made even harder when skeletons like this one are incomplete.\n\n## Ancient Worms\n\nIn 2018, researchers from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Soil Science in Russia gathered hundreds of specimens from two species of roundworms frozen in the Siberian permafrost. These millimeter long worms were taken back to the lab, and, astoundingly, two of them were revived.\n\nAfter the worms had been thawed and rehydrated, they were brought back to life, with their metabolic processes miraculously resuming as if they'd just been taking a nap. Plant material within the sample was radiocarbon dated, and it was found that the worms had been frozen for more than 45,000 years. Somehow, these worms were able to freeze their metabolism since before the dawn of civilization, and resume it once they'd been thawed.\n\nIt was also found that one of the species of worm was not a known species, but in fact something entirely new, and they've been given the name *Panagrolaimus kolymaensis*. It's insane to think that when these worms were first born and began their lives, wooly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers roamed the earth, and the last of the Neanderthals were still walking around.\n\nAs for how exactly they managed to lie dormant for so long, it's not exactly clear. Previous studies into this type of long-term deep hibernation, called cryptobiosis, has only found creatures that could put a pause on life for a few decades at most, whereas with *P. kolymaensis*, there doesn't seem to be a time limit on the process. As long as the worms don't endure some sort of damage while they're powered down, who knows how long they could remain in this state and still be brought back to wiggle. The team has found some similarities with these and another modern species, such as the fact that they both utilize a sugar called trehalose.\n\nBut suffice to say, the implications of reviving a 45,000-year-old worm cannot be overstated.\n\nAs stated by one of the researchers on the team:\n\n> \"The major take-home message or summary of this discovery is that it is, in principle, possible to stop life for more or less an indefinite time and then restart it.\"\n\n## The Future of Energy\n\nAs interesting as they may be, the discoveries we've mentioned thus far can be the subject of debate by the general public. There are many skeptics who criticize spending money on research that doesn't directly benefit us right now, and believe that this money is better spent elsewhere.\n\nAnd while we can certainly counter this with the many inventions stemming from research that took decades for its true potential to show, such as superconductors, there is no doubt that these last findings will not only benefit humanity, but that they may even have the potential to change the world as we know it.\n\nFusion as a source of power has long been considered the holy grail of clean energy. Not only would it theoretically produce zero carbon emissions, it would also require next to zero natural resources. Unfortunately, achieving this ideal has eluded researchers for decades, and there has long been a sense of public pessimism, with countless articles over the last decade arguing over whether or not it is time to finally 'give up the pipe dream', as fusion reactions in the lab have always required more energy input than they can produce.\n\nBut in just the last year or so, everything changed. In December 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California achieved for the first time in history a net energy gain in a fusion reaction. The breakthrough came during an experiment in which the team focused lasers onto the target fuel, which fused two of the atoms into a heavier one, releasing energy in the process.\n\nSpecifically, the laser delivered 2.05 megajoules of energy to the atoms, and the reaction created 3.15 megajoules of energy. On July 30th, 2023, this experiment was repeated, and confirmed, but this time reportedly producing an even higher energy yield.\n\nThis is incredible news, and represents decades of hard work in a field that offered no guarantees, but it's still a long way from replacing fossil fuels. In order for this type of reaction to be used commercially in the future, companies will need a way to scale it up, and to keep the fusion reaction sustained. This was just a single ignition on a single fuel cell, and a lot more research is needed to figure out the next steps to increasing this. Perhaps put best by an executive from the Electric Power Research Institute:\n\n> \"It's the first step that says: Yes, this is not just fantasy, this can be done, in theory.\"\n\nSo, keep your eyes peeled for future breakthroughs in fusion technology, because if these scientists continue to make progress, it has the potential to solve global problems with energy production, climate change, and much more.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n- The Indian Ocean's 'gravity hole' may be caused by ancient magma plumes.\n- Large water deposits exist deep within Earth's mantle, bound in minerals.\n- A newly discovered 40-million-year-old whale, Perucetus colossus, may be larger than blue whales.\n- Roundworms revived after 45,000 years in Siberian permafrost show indefinite hibernation is possible.\n- Net energy gain achieved in fusion reactions marks a significant step toward clean energy.\n\n## Frequently Asked Questions\n\n### What is the 'gravity hole' in the Indian Ocean?\n\nThe 'gravity hole' is a significant low point on the geoid in the Indian Ocean, where a large portion of the ocean rests about 100 meters below the average sea level. This anomaly was first discovered in 1948 and its cause has been recently studied by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science.\n\n### How was the 'gravity hole' in the Indian Ocean formed?\n\nResearchers suggest that the 'gravity hole' was formed by large magma plumes created by the disappearance of an ancient ocean when the Indian subcontinent collided with Asia. These plumes affected the composition and density of the magma, leading to the gravitational anomaly.\n\n### What is the significance of water found in the Earth's mantle?\n\nThe discovery of large deposits of water in the Earth's mantle, specifically in the transition zone, suggests that there may be three times as much water stored there as in all of the world's oceans combined. This water is not in liquid form but is bound to minerals in a hydroxyl radical form.\n\n### What is the Perucetus colossus?\n\nThe Perucetus colossus is an ancient whale species discovered in the Ica Valley, Peru. It is estimated to have weighed around 350 tons, making it potentially the largest animal to have ever lived. The fossils date back to around 40 million years ago.\n\n### How did researchers revive ancient worms from the Siberian permafrost?\n\nResearchers from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Soil Science in Russia gathered hundreds of specimens of roundworms frozen in the Siberian permafrost. Two of these worms, which had been frozen for over 45,000 years, were revived by thawing and rehydrating them, resuming their metabolic processes.\n\n### What is the significance of the revived ancient worms?\n\nThe revival of the ancient worms, particularly the newly discovered species Panagrolaimus kolymaensis, demonstrates the possibility of stopping life processes for an indefinite period and then restarting them. This has implications for understanding cryptobiosis and potential future applications in biology and medicine.\n\n### What was the breakthrough in fusion energy research in 2022?\n\nIn December 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab achieved a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time. The experiment delivered 2.05 megajoules of energy and produced 3.15 megajoules of energy, marking a significant milestone in fusion energy research.\n\n### What are the next steps for fusion energy after the 2022 breakthrough?\n\nThe next steps involve scaling up the fusion reaction and sustaining it for commercial use. Researchers need to figure out how to increase the energy yield and maintain the fusion reaction over longer periods to make it a viable source of clean energy.\n\n### What is the global geoid?\n\nThe global geoid is a map of gravitational highs and lows around the globe, based on the slightly varying densities of materials underneath the Earth's surface. It helps scientists understand the distribution of mass and the shape of the Earth, which is not a perfect sphere but an ellipsoid.\n\n### What is the transition zone in the Earth's mantle?\n\nThe transition zone is a layer located between the upper and lower mantle of the Earth, approximately 400 miles deep. It is where large deposits of water have been found, bound to minerals in a hydroxyl radical form, suggesting a significant reservoir of water deep within the Earth.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Original Side Projects video: More Craziest Scientific Discoveries You Missed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yv9C888mLo)\n- [Hero image source](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Indian_Institute_of_Science%2C_Aerospace_Engineering_Department.jpg) by Subhojit Guharoy, Sk. Mohammadul Haque / Mohammadulhaque at en.wikipedia / openverse, by-sa.\n\n## Related Coverage" url: https://sideprojects.pub/article/more-craziest-scientific-discoveries-you-missed.md canonical: https://sideprojects.pub/article/more-craziest-scientific-discoveries-you-missed datePublished: 2023-11-03 dateModified: 2026-07-28 author: - name: Simon Whistler url: https://sideprojects.pub/author/simon-whistler publisher: Side Projects image: "https://media.sideprojects.pub/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/7Yv9C888mLo/hero.jpg" type: NewsArticle contentHash: 9523e514cb443c46056c93b91f27cc684b88841015a068d6a0e8792e5f5e5660 tokens: 4433 summaryUrl: https://sideprojects.pub/article/more-craziest-scientific-discoveries-you-missed.md.summary.md --- The twenty-first century continues to be full of astounding scientific discoveries in many fields and disciplines. This is, of course, great news, but as we mentioned in a previous video, there are sometimes so many announcements and publications that the general public simply can't keep track of them all, often times because they get buried under other world news, or simply aren't catchy enough to make it to the headlines. And so today we're going to bring to you five more fascinating scientific discoveries from recent years that might have slipped under your radar. ## Gravity Hole One thing that, hopefully, most of us can agree on is the fact that the earth is round. What you might not know is that it isn't technically a sphere, as it gets just a bit wider near the equator, meaning its true shape is actually called an ellipsoid. The shape change isn't all that dramatic though, certainly not something you'd notice on a photograph. And in the same way that the earth's shape is relatively uniform, so is its distribution of mass. Yes, there are mountains, canyons, valleys, you name it, and from our perspective the surface might look rather bumpy, but because of the sheer size of the planet, it's actually overall quite smooth. Neil DeGrasse Tyson once claimed that, relative to its size, it was even smoother than a cue ball. But this doesn't tell the full story. It may look visually smooth, but the force of gravity is exerted at slightly different strengths around the globe, based on the slightly varying densities of materials underneath our feet. A map of these gravitational highs and lows is known as a global geoid, and we're constantly refining our geoid models with new and improved data. The weirdest gravitational anomaly can be found in the Indian Ocean. First discovered in 1948 by a Dutch geophysicist, there is a significant low point on the geoid, with a large portion of the ocean actually resting about 100 meters *below* the average sea level. Long dubbed a 'gravity hole', this peculiar spot has been known about for years, but its cause has eluded scientists… until now. In summer of 2023, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science published their study investigating this strange location, using advanced computer-simulated models of the geological history, going back about 140 million years. The team ran 19 simulations, each varying by the tectonic activity, compositions of the crust, behavior of the magma in the mantle, and much more. Six of these simulations resulted in the gravitational anomaly seen today, and what all six of these had in common was the creation of large magma plumes underneath the region, created by the disappearance of an ancient ocean, which was removed from the map when the Indian subcontinent smashed into Asia. They posit that as the oceanic plate was pushed down into the mantle, it affected the composition and density of the magma, creating these plumes. The researchers do make sure to point out though, that we've yet to find evidence for these plumes outside of the computer simulation, as more work is needed in the area, and they're open to the idea that some other, currently unknown force is at hand, waiting to be discovered. But it does sound very promising, and if confirmed, would mean we've finally solved a little mystery of our planet's interior. ## Water in the Mantle Speaking of the planet's interior, another fascinating discovery from recent years suggests that there may be large deposits of water deep within the mantle. The mantle is the largest layer of the earth, coming in at 1,800 miles, or 2,900 kilometers thick, and filled with rock and magma, it comprises as much as 84% of the entire earth's mass. So how would vast reservoirs of water make their way so deep into the earth? It's long been speculated that there might be some amount of water down here, in a place called the transition zone, located between the upper and lower mantle, and the first evidence of this has recently been found. Two professors of geophysics, one from the University of New Mexico and the other from Northwestern University, have used seismic waves generated from earthquakes to study this deep part of the earth, and their analyses have found signs of this huge amount of water. And when we say a huge amount of water, we mean it. According to the researchers, if just one percent of the weight of the mantle's transition zone was water, it would equate to three times as much H2O as all of the world's oceans combined. But what's odd is that most of this isn't water in the way we know it. It's not in the simple form of liquid, solid, or gas that we're accustomed to on the surface. This is because the conditions created by the inconceivable pressure this deep within the earth do not allow for a simple underground lake like you'd see closer to the surface. Instead, the water is pressed into what's known as a hydroxyl radical, allowing it to bind with the mineral that surrounds it. And this form of trapped water has actually been found before, when a volcano in Brazil blasted a diamond to the surface. Within the diamond researchers found a mineral called ringwoodite, and bound to this mineral was a surprising amount of water. One of the professors, Jacobsen, said that ringwoodite is special because it acts like a sponge, soaking up the H2O. > "There is something very special about the crystal structure of ringwoodite that allows it to attract hydrogen and trap water. This mineral can contain a lot of water under conditions of the deep mantle." They believe that much of this water is stored at a depth of about 400 miles, or about 640 kilometers, and more recent analyses indicate that it may be more mobile than previously thought, perhaps even being able to travel to the crust. This may mean that the water cycle includes deep stores beneath the surface, perhaps replenishing the oceans on the surface. It shows that there's a lot more to our home planet than meets the eye, and that there's likely even more discoveries waiting for us underneath our feet. ## New Giant For many, many years, it has been believed that the blue whale was the largest animal to have ever lived on earth, its size and weight even surpassing the largest of dinosaurs. And truly, the blue whale is a behemoth of outright monstrous proportions: its tongue alone weighs up to 4 tons, about the same weight as a female African elephant, and the longest blue whale ever recorded was a staggering 110 feet, or about 33 meters, which makes it all the more shocking that researchers found fossils of an animal that may have been even larger. Paleontologists excavating in the Ica Valley, located in southern Peru, found several massive bones indicative of a much larger, ancient whale. Recovered fossils included a hip bone, ribs, and more than a dozen vertebrae, all of which were absolutely massive and dated to around 40 million years ago. The team named the new creature *Perucetus colossus*, and using other whale species for comparison, they estimate that this whale's maximum weight would have been around 350 tons, 150 tons heavier than the heaviest blue whale ever recorded. Its bones were heavier and denser than its modern counterparts, confirming that it lived its life entirely in the water. It might sound funny to confirm that a whale lived only in the water, but things were pretty different 40 million years ago, and many other species of early whale still had the ability to crawl onto land for short periods of time, but *Perucetus colossus* was simply too heavy for these types of activities. We are missing a few key details though. Notably, a matching skull has not been found, so we can only guess what its diet may have consisted of. It could've been fish, krill, we simply don't know. What's groundbreaking about this discovery is not just the fact that the animal kingdom may have a new king on the scale, but that the existence of *Perucetus colossus* upends our current model of whale evolution. It was previously thought that these gentle giants of the sea only evolved to reach their huge sizes in recent history, but the size and age of this new discovery might mean that their peak weight was achieved many millions of years ago. This find also reminds us that there are plenty of ancient creatures that we've yet to discover. After all, piecing together the history of life on earth is a difficult job, and since we have to make do with the fossils that have remained intact and accessible to researchers, a task made even harder when skeletons like this one are incomplete. ## Ancient Worms In 2018, researchers from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Soil Science in Russia gathered hundreds of specimens from two species of roundworms frozen in the Siberian permafrost. These millimeter long worms were taken back to the lab, and, astoundingly, two of them were revived. After the worms had been thawed and rehydrated, they were brought back to life, with their metabolic processes miraculously resuming as if they'd just been taking a nap. Plant material within the sample was radiocarbon dated, and it was found that the worms had been frozen for more than 45,000 years. Somehow, these worms were able to freeze their metabolism since before the dawn of civilization, and resume it once they'd been thawed. It was also found that one of the species of worm was not a known species, but in fact something entirely new, and they've been given the name *Panagrolaimus kolymaensis*. It's insane to think that when these worms were first born and began their lives, wooly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers roamed the earth, and the last of the Neanderthals were still walking around. As for how exactly they managed to lie dormant for so long, it's not exactly clear. Previous studies into this type of long-term deep hibernation, called cryptobiosis, has only found creatures that could put a pause on life for a few decades at most, whereas with *P. kolymaensis*, there doesn't seem to be a time limit on the process. As long as the worms don't endure some sort of damage while they're powered down, who knows how long they could remain in this state and still be brought back to wiggle. The team has found some similarities with these and another modern species, such as the fact that they both utilize a sugar called trehalose. But suffice to say, the implications of reviving a 45,000-year-old worm cannot be overstated. As stated by one of the researchers on the team: > "The major take-home message or summary of this discovery is that it is, in principle, possible to stop life for more or less an indefinite time and then restart it." ## The Future of Energy As interesting as they may be, the discoveries we've mentioned thus far can be the subject of debate by the general public. There are many skeptics who criticize spending money on research that doesn't directly benefit us right now, and believe that this money is better spent elsewhere. And while we can certainly counter this with the many inventions stemming from research that took decades for its true potential to show, such as superconductors, there is no doubt that these last findings will not only benefit humanity, but that they may even have the potential to change the world as we know it. Fusion as a source of power has long been considered the holy grail of clean energy. Not only would it theoretically produce zero carbon emissions, it would also require next to zero natural resources. Unfortunately, achieving this ideal has eluded researchers for decades, and there has long been a sense of public pessimism, with countless articles over the last decade arguing over whether or not it is time to finally 'give up the pipe dream', as fusion reactions in the lab have always required more energy input than they can produce. But in just the last year or so, everything changed. In December 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California achieved for the first time in history a net energy gain in a fusion reaction. The breakthrough came during an experiment in which the team focused lasers onto the target fuel, which fused two of the atoms into a heavier one, releasing energy in the process. Specifically, the laser delivered 2.05 megajoules of energy to the atoms, and the reaction created 3.15 megajoules of energy. On July 30th, 2023, this experiment was repeated, and confirmed, but this time reportedly producing an even higher energy yield. This is incredible news, and represents decades of hard work in a field that offered no guarantees, but it's still a long way from replacing fossil fuels. In order for this type of reaction to be used commercially in the future, companies will need a way to scale it up, and to keep the fusion reaction sustained. This was just a single ignition on a single fuel cell, and a lot more research is needed to figure out the next steps to increasing this. Perhaps put best by an executive from the Electric Power Research Institute: > "It's the first step that says: Yes, this is not just fantasy, this can be done, in theory." So, keep your eyes peeled for future breakthroughs in fusion technology, because if these scientists continue to make progress, it has the potential to solve global problems with energy production, climate change, and much more. ## Key Takeaways - The Indian Ocean's 'gravity hole' may be caused by ancient magma plumes. - Large water deposits exist deep within Earth's mantle, bound in minerals. - A newly discovered 40-million-year-old whale, Perucetus colossus, may be larger than blue whales. - Roundworms revived after 45,000 years in Siberian permafrost show indefinite hibernation is possible. - Net energy gain achieved in fusion reactions marks a significant step toward clean energy. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the 'gravity hole' in the Indian Ocean? The 'gravity hole' is a significant low point on the geoid in the Indian Ocean, where a large portion of the ocean rests about 100 meters below the average sea level. This anomaly was first discovered in 1948 and its cause has been recently studied by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science. ### How was the 'gravity hole' in the Indian Ocean formed? Researchers suggest that the 'gravity hole' was formed by large magma plumes created by the disappearance of an ancient ocean when the Indian subcontinent collided with Asia. These plumes affected the composition and density of the magma, leading to the gravitational anomaly. ### What is the significance of water found in the Earth's mantle? The discovery of large deposits of water in the Earth's mantle, specifically in the transition zone, suggests that there may be three times as much water stored there as in all of the world's oceans combined. This water is not in liquid form but is bound to minerals in a hydroxyl radical form. ### What is the Perucetus colossus? The Perucetus colossus is an ancient whale species discovered in the Ica Valley, Peru. It is estimated to have weighed around 350 tons, making it potentially the largest animal to have ever lived. The fossils date back to around 40 million years ago. ### How did researchers revive ancient worms from the Siberian permafrost? Researchers from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Soil Science in Russia gathered hundreds of specimens of roundworms frozen in the Siberian permafrost. Two of these worms, which had been frozen for over 45,000 years, were revived by thawing and rehydrating them, resuming their metabolic processes. ### What is the significance of the revived ancient worms? The revival of the ancient worms, particularly the newly discovered species Panagrolaimus kolymaensis, demonstrates the possibility of stopping life processes for an indefinite period and then restarting them. This has implications for understanding cryptobiosis and potential future applications in biology and medicine. ### What was the breakthrough in fusion energy research in 2022? In December 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab achieved a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time. The experiment delivered 2.05 megajoules of energy and produced 3.15 megajoules of energy, marking a significant milestone in fusion energy research. ### What are the next steps for fusion energy after the 2022 breakthrough? The next steps involve scaling up the fusion reaction and sustaining it for commercial use. Researchers need to figure out how to increase the energy yield and maintain the fusion reaction over longer periods to make it a viable source of clean energy. ### What is the global geoid? The global geoid is a map of gravitational highs and lows around the globe, based on the slightly varying densities of materials underneath the Earth's surface. It helps scientists understand the distribution of mass and the shape of the Earth, which is not a perfect sphere but an ellipsoid. ### What is the transition zone in the Earth's mantle? The transition zone is a layer located between the upper and lower mantle of the Earth, approximately 400 miles deep. It is where large deposits of water have been found, bound to minerals in a hydroxyl radical form, suggesting a significant reservoir of water deep within the Earth. ## Sources - [Original Side Projects video: More Craziest Scientific Discoveries You Missed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yv9C888mLo) - [Hero image source](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Indian_Institute_of_Science%2C_Aerospace_Engineering_Department.jpg) by Subhojit Guharoy, Sk. Mohammadul Haque / Mohammadulhaque at en.wikipedia / openverse, by-sa. ## Related Coverage