6 phenomena that science still cannot explain to this day

1. The crooked trees in the "Dancing Forest" in Russia

Nicknamed the “Dancing Forest,” this area in Kaliningrad is filled with pine trees that twist in all sorts of ways, from spirals, rings, and everything in between.

They were planted in the 1960s and are the only trees known to twist like this. According to Atlas Obscura, there are many theories surrounding their origin, including harsh wind conditions, unstable soil, or the intervention of caterpillars. Some locals call it the “Drunken Forest.”

2. This fungus only grows in Texas and Japan, and scientists can't explain why.

Chorioactis geaster is the only mushroom in the Chorioactis genus, and can only be found in Texas and Japan.

The two sites are on the same latitude, but oncologists have been unable to figure out why these fungi only grow in these two locations. A 2004 study of the fungi’s DNA, published by Harvard University, suggested that the populations split into two distinct lineages about 19 million years ago.

In Texas, the mushroom is known as the "devil's cigar" because it resembles a cigar before expanding into a star shape.

3. No one knows why Saturn's North Pole has a hexagonal spiral storm

At Saturn's North Pole, there is a weather system the size of two Earths in the shape of a hexagon. This storm has been photographed and observed for years by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, but to this day it remains a mystery.

The only other naturally occurring hexagons that scientists have found are in crystals, so we have no idea how the storm on Saturn got its shape. To make matters even more complicated, the storm has been known to change color, going from turquoise to yellow in just a few years.

4. We receive hundreds of mysterious signals from the universe every second.

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are short, bright emissions of radio light that generate enough energy to power 0 million suns.

Astronomers believe that one FRB occurs every second, but only about 30 have been identified.

FRB 121102, which originated outside our Milky Way galaxy, is the only signal to appear more than once from the same location. It is associated with a young neutron star, one of the most compact objects in the universe. Recent studies have shown that FRB 121102 is one of two types of radio bursts.

5. Strange concave rock in Siberia

The giant concave rock named "Patom" (after a nearby river) is 160m wide and 42m high, and is part of a giant limestone block that broke off.

Some locals call it the "Fire Eagle's Nest" and believe the area is a deadly sanctuary because no plants grow there and animals do not dare to approach.

The concave rock was first discovered by Russian geologist Vadim Kolpakov in 1949, but it had formed 500 years earlier. Some theories suggest it was caused by a nuclear explosion, or by an alien spacecraft, but Russia Beyond says the most likely theory is "a steam explosion that occurred when lava seeped into hydrous rocks, or due to the cracking and decompression of heated hydrous rocks."

6. Dark matter is not like regular matter, and we don't understand much about it yet.

Matter is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons, but the composition of dark matter remains a mystery.

One theory is that dark matter is made up of particles we have yet to detect or identify. A 2016 study suggested that dark matter could be made from black holes from the early universe.

Dark matter does not reflect or emit light, but it can bend light because of its extremely dense density — that's how scientists know it exists.

If our understanding of the universe and physics is correct, there should be more dark matter than there is matter in existence. In fact, dark matter is necessary for the gravitational force to be strong enough to form planets and galaxies.