194. Weird Alien Rock Found in Egypt Came From a Supernova

Location: Great Sand Sea, Egypt
Year Discovered: 1996
Est. Value: Unknown
Known as the Hypatia stone, this alien-like rock was found in Egypt in 1996 in the Great Sand Sea. The three-gram sample was unlike in the Milky Way, let alone our solar system. It baffled scientists for years. Now, in 2022, South African chemists who have been analyzing Hypatia since 2013 have a potential answer to the mystery.

Weird Alien Rock Found in Egypt Came From A Supernova @forbesmagazine/Pinterest
These scientists believe that Hypatia is the first Earth-found evidence of an Ia explosion, a rare supernova (exploding star) that happens in binary systems where one star is a white dwarf. These supernovas are the brightest events in the universe, and Hypatia could be a rock cast off from that event. The chemists believe Hypatia dates back 4.6 billion years ago to when our solar system was first forming.

195. Newly Discovered Australian Spider Breathes Underwater

Location: Australia
Year Discovered: 2016
Est. Value: N/A
Australia has a ton of different spiders, and new species are still being discovered to this day. The Dolomedes briangreeni, named after physicist Brian Greene, was unveiled as a new species in 2016. Dolomedes is unique because it can breathe underwater, making it part arachnid, part sea monster.

Newly Discovered Australian Spider Breathes Underwater @Independent/Pinterest
The spider is also interesting because it uses tiny vibrations on the water’s surface to detect prey. The spider’s abdominal lungs breathe air that is trapped in the arachnid’s hair. Its diet of choice? Dolomedes can take down comparatively large prey, such as tadpoles, fish, and even frogs. It is so skilled at vibration-hunting that it can tell the difference between vibrations caused by animals, versus those caused by wind or a leaf falling.

196. Seeds Discovered Embedded in an Ancient Meteorite

Location: France
Year Discovered: 1864
Est. Value: $1,000 per gram*
When you think of things that could be “found” in a meteorite, your mind might jump to metals. Seeds and plant life, not so much. However, that is exactly what happened in 1864 when a huge meteorite hit the earth in Southern France. The Orgueil meteorite was one of the oldest ever found, and researchers thought it could predate our solar system’s development.

Seeds Discovered Embedded in an Ancient Meteorite @forbesmagazine/Pinterest
Then, in 1962 French chemists, who were later backed up by Fordham University researchers, discovered fungal spores and pollen on the Orgueil rock that definitely should not have been there. When the rock was split open, seeds were found planted inside them. Alas, this all came crashing down when further analyses were done, and it was discovered some 1800s vandal messed with the meteorite to plant false findings.

197. Paleontologists Have Discovered A New, Terrifying Sea Monster

Location: Eastern Wyoming, U.S.A.
Year Discovered: 2022
Est. Value: N/A
The College of Charleston has discovered a new sea monster that, luckily, is not currently alive (that we know of). Known as the Serpentisuchops, this 23-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile lived thirty million years ago. Serpentisuchops is unique because it has crocodile-like jaws and a very long neck, two things that scientists didn’t think went together.

Paleontologists Have Discovered A New, Terrifying Sea Monster @dailymail/Pinterest
According to the CoC, the skeleton’s neck is “beautifully preserved,” and all thirty-two vertebrae are visible (for reference, the human neck has just seven vertebrae). Serpentisuchops’ carcass has been so well-preserved because it has been buried by fine-grain sediments under the seafloor, and it has remained undisturbed until now.

198. People Have Been Smoking For 12,000 Years

Location: Northern Utah, U.S.A.
Year Discovered: 2021
Est. Value: N/A
Love or hate the habit, people have been smoking for 12,000 years. At least, that’s what research says, as of October 2021. In the fall of 2021, archaeologists unearthed an ancient hearth with four charred tobacco seeds in north Utah. This was the earliest-found evidence of tobacco use in ancient times.

People Have Been Smoking For 12,000 Years @artnet/Pinterest
The seeds dated back 12,000 years, and the leaves of the tobacco are thought to have been used by hunter-gatherers to prepare their food. This find means that humans have been smoking tobacco for 9,000 years earlier than archaeologists, before this 2021 find, thought they were.

199. Archaeologists Found A Mummy Who Can “Speak To Gods”

Location: El Bahnasa, Egypt
Year Discovered: 2021
Est. Value: Unknown
Egypt is the land of mummies, at least as far as archaeology goes, and there have been so many fascinating finds in the northern African country. In February of 2021, archaeologists there discovered a mummy that had been buried with a tongue made of gold.

Archaeologists Found A Mummy Who Can “Speak To Gods” @ahriqs0069/Pinterest
Found in a burial shaft at the Taposiris Magna Temple, the mummy’s golden amulet, which was shaped like a tongue, would have given it the ability to “talk to gods” in the afterlife. This amulet, though it might seem gruesome to us, was actually a huge honor. Likely, this mummy was, when alive, a very important person in Egyptian society.

200. Rare Physical Evidence of Roman Crucifixion Found in Britain

Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Year Discovered: 2021
Est. Value: N/A
It was reported in late 2021 that rare evidence of a Roman crucifixion had been discovered in England. This conclusion was drawn from a skeleton that was found with a nail pounded through its foot, a common part of the ancient, gruesome punishment for crimes like political and religious agitation, piracy, and more.

A Roman Crucifixion Took Place In England Thousands Of Years Ago @dailymail/Pinterest
Crucifixion was a pretty common practice during the ancient Roman era, though, interestingly, not much physical evidence of it exists. This skeleton, which was found at a Roman settlement in Cambridgeshire, is the fourth known piece of crucifixion evidence in the world. It is also the best-preserved of the four.

201. Abandoned Speakeasy Tunnels Under the Streets of Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles, California
Year Discovered: 1920s (Year Built)
Est. Value: N/A
Prohibition was an infamous time in American history when the government attempted to ban alcohol consumption. Prohibition largely failed, and it gave rise to the Mafia and other criminal groups, as these lawbreakers found ways to make and sell alcohol, despite the law.

The Abandoned Speakeasy Tunnels Of Los Angeles @Frommers/Pinterest
In Los Angeles (as well as many other cities, we’d hazard to guess), there are abandoned tunnels from the 1920s. These tunnels, back in the Prohibition era, led to speakeasies, where people played live music and drank alcohol. Directions to these hush-hush events were kept quiet, and one tour of the abandoned speakeasy tunnels was conducted by following directions that had been scratched onto a bar napkin.

202. Ancient “Healing” Pool Found at Historic House Where Holy Grail Could be Buried

Location: Burton, England
Year Discovered: 2022
Est. Value: Priceless
Located in Burton, England, this former abbey was constructed in the 1100s. It has been restored over time, and, during a recent 2022 excavation, an ancient healing pool was discovered on the property. The 1100s-era house was first constructed as a private dwelling before it became an abbey.

Ancient “Healing” Pool Found at Historic House Where Holy Grail Could be Buried @ohohohmar10/Pinterest
The healing water isn’t the only fascinating thing about this Burton home. One historian said that the Holy Grail, a piece of Knights Templar gold that has eluded treasure hunters for centuries, could be hidden there in huge caverns underneath the property. It is thought that these caverns, according to David Adkins, a respected historian, could be so large that they could hold Westminster Abbey in them.

203. The Online Discovery Of The S.S. Cotopaxi

Location: Cuba
Year Discovered: 2015
Est. Value: Nothing
The Bermuda Triangle has fascinated travelers for decades with tales of missing ships, planes, and more. Over a century ago, one of the many vessels to fall prey to the Triangle was the S.S. Cotopaxi. The ship vanished without a trace…or did it?

The Online Discovery Of The S.S. Cotopaxi ©MilaCroft / Shutterstock
In 2015, headlines spread across the internet with many publications claiming that the schooner had finally been discovered after 90 years. There were claims that it had been found in Cuba and brought to shore. Sadly for excited history buffs, it turned out to be nothing but fake news.

204. Giant Pipes Wash Up On The Norfolk Shore

Location: Norfolk, England
Year Discovered: 2017
Est. Value: Undisclosed
Norfolk has one of the most stunning coastlines in England, but it’s not often that locals see giant pipes wash up on the shore. These weren’t simple pipes that you see in your home, but huge industrial pieces of metal bigger than several cards put together.

Giant Pipes Wash Up On The Norfolk Shore @Mentale Zuflucht / Youtube
Apparently, the pipes were being towed to Algeria when their fastenings came loose. Crew could do nothing by watch as they drifted away. Eventually, local authorities arranged for them to be de-beached and moved to a location in nearby Lowestoft – but not before several onlookers managed to take selfies with them.

205. Plane Missing Since 1968 Found In Glacier

Location: Chessjen Glacier, Switzerland
Year Discovered: 2022
Est. Value: $100,000+
It’s a sad but true fact that things can and do go wrong with small planes, especially in decades past when technology was less advanced. In 1968, a Piper Cherokee plane tragically crashed in the Swiss alps, resulting in the deaths of three Zurich men. While search and rescue were able to locate the deceased, the plane itself seemingly vanished.

Plane Found Missing Since 1968 Found In Glacier @diply / Pinterest
That is, until 2022 when mountain guide Dominik Nellen happened to stumble across the place which had been camouflaged in a glacier ever since the accident. Due to melting ice and a lesser amount of snowfall, the wreckage finally became visible.