Mysteries of the Universe

Here is a list of the top ten mysteries of the Universe.

What is the answer to this puzzles that have plagued human beings
for thousend for years? The answer is 'Nobody knows'

1)Are we alone in the Universe?

Probably not. just yhe size of the Universe makes it unlikely. Alien life

forms might not be to far away, either. This Year american astronomers discovered
a planet capable of sustaining life just 50 light-years away. But alien life almost
certainly won't be like us. Biochemists have calculated that the chances of the chemical combinations necessary to produce
life are minute. The possibility that alien life forms will resemble us is zero. NASA is
planning a Huge deep-space telescope to search for sign of alien life.

2)Where do the oceans come from?

While the world's seas and oceans have been home to life for over three billion years,

the origin of the 1.4 billion billion tonnes of water that they collectively contain
remains a mystery. It seems to have condesed out of the early earth's atmosphere ,
but how it got there in the first place isn't known. One possible theory is that it was dropped
on our planet by comets. Is a Gigantic chuncks of frozen vapour and dust are rich
in water. According to some scientists, sattelite pictures have shown that tiny comets continue to hit the
Earth, topping up our oceans all the time.

3)Will there ever be a cure for the common cold?

Perhaps, but not yet. The big challenge facing scientists trying to rid mankind

of this misery is finding a drug that can combat the huge and ever-changing variety of cold
viruses. Researchers are looking for the features that all such viruses share. Whichever
drug company comes up with something his guaranteed to make a fortune.

4)How old is the Universe?

the date of the Big Ben has caused astronomers trouble

since the discovered that the Universe was expanding in 1929.
At the time, measurements of the rate of expansion suggested
an age of a few billion years. Latest figures, using the Huble
Space Telescope, suggest nine to twelve billion years. But
what happened before Big Bang? No one knows. According to current
theories of the birth of the Universe, not only matter but also
space and time came into being with the Big Bang. If correct,
these theories imply that there was no 'before' the Big Bang.
However, this proposition raises many fundamental questions.

5) Why are some people left-handed?

About 10 per cent of the population is left-handed, and

it seems to run in families. The cause, therefore, seems obvious:
genetics. However, identical twins, who have identical genetic blueprints,
aren't necessarily both left-handed or right-handed. This would appear
to disprove the theory that being left-handed is inherited.
even at birth most babies tend to move one arm, ussualy the right,
more than the other. Some scientists belive that the use of left
hand or right hand is a result of the baby's enviroment. Most children
can be trained to use and to prefer the right hand for any activity.

6) Why do we sleep?

On average we spend a third of our lives sleeping, but no one really

knows why. The most popular theory is that sleeping gives the body and
brain a chance to recover from stresses of the day. But beyond this vague
statement, we don't know what this recuperation consists of. Waemblooded
species, including humans, birds, and mammals, seem to need more sleep than
cold-blooded creatures such as fish and reptiles, so there is a possibility
that we sleep than in order to save energy. Sleep deprivation produces hallucinations.

7) Why is yawning infectious?

This is a tough one. No one even knows what purpose yawning serves at all.

but we do know that fatigue, boredom, and anxiety can trigger off a yawn.
Like crying and laughing, yawing is a variant of normal brathng. Yawning is a
reflex action, not under consious control. The mouth opens wide and you take a longer,
deeper breath than usual. yawing momentarily rises the heart rate, forcing more
blood to the brain. One theory is that yawning makes you more alert by making you
breathe in more. Yawning isn't infectious in the clinical sense of the word.

8) Does nature allow time travel?

Amazingly, there is nothing in the known laws of physics to prevent us from zooming

off into the past or future. Exatly how one wolud build a time-machine is anyone's guess,
but many scientists have a bigger worry - paradoxes such as killing your mother before she
gave birth to you. maybe Nature has a clever way of getting round these. Or maybe there's
an as yet undiscovered barrier to time travel. But just think! If at any time in the future time
travel becomes possible, then time travvelers are with us now!

9) How will the Universe end?

this depends on how much matter exists in the cosmos. If it exceeds the so-called critical density,

gravity will bring the current cosmic expansion to a halt and trigger a contraction or implosion
billions of years from now. Alternatively, the universe may expand for ever. After decades of research,
astronomers still don't know precisely how much matter exists in the universe, and so cannot predict
accurately how the Universe will end. The consenus, however, is that the cosmos will expand for ever.

10) Where do all the odd socks go to?

Open any sock drawer and you'll find odd socks. Theories about what happens to them range from disappearing

down black holes in the universe to being eaten by washing machines. Another explanation is that in every house
there lurks a place where all the missing things live...

                                            by Federico Colognato and Andrea Bertesina

Edited by
...::Diego Di Carlo::...

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