Beyond Science

Did a whole civilization disappear in one day? Is there a place on earth where everything is covered in gold? Here are 7 legendary lost worlds shrouded in mystery.

Lagarfljtsormurinn, the giant serpent rumored to inhabit the lake Lagarfljt near Egilsstair in East Iceland truly exists, as announced on Saturday by the majority of a 13-person truth commission established in 2012 by the Fljtsdalshra municipal council. The commission was given the task of determining whether a video of the alleged monster shot by Hjrtur E. Kjerlf, which went viral, was authentic and whether he was entitled to a prize of ISK 500,000 (USD 4,300, EUR 3,300).

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have found a host of previously unknown monuments, including ritual structures and a massive timber building that was likely used for burial of the dead during a complicated sequence of exposure and de-fleshing.

No matter where in the world you look, monster myths are a staple of human culture. Name a jungle dense enough, a desert remote enough, a mountain range frighteningly impassable, and it's likely populated with ape men who walk on two feet, a lost world of dinosaurs who escaped extinction and terrifying creatures unknown to science -- at least according to folk wisdom. 1. Batsquatch 2. The Flathead Lake Monster 3. Goatman 4. Ear-Eater of Jasper County 5. Wampus Cat 6. Sasquatch 7. Mogollon Monster

1. ‘Little People’ Mummy Found The Cherokee native Americans spoke of Yunwi-Tsunsdi, which literally means “little people.” The Yunwi-Tsunsdi were described as kind and helpful, barely reaching the height of a man’s knee. The natives of Hawaii spoke of the Menehune, a plentiful race of little people who built cities, fished, and farmed. The Shoshone natives of Wyoming also spoke of little people, the Nin’ am-bea, whom they feared offending. The Nin’ am-bea were known to shoot people with arrows if offended. In 1932, a mummy was found in the Pedro Mountains, close to where the Shoshone lived. It was examined by the anthropology department at Harvard University and at the American Museum of Natural History. It was originally identified as belonging to a 65-year-old man, though it is just over a foot tall. The mummy was lost after one of its owners died. Dr. George Gill of the University of Kansas examined x-ray photographs decades later; he said the mummy was likely an infant with a birth defect that caused it to have an adult-sized skull, but remained open to other explanations. Other people in the Pedro Mountains region have told stories of finding similar tiny mummies, as documented in books about local folklore. 2. Little People’s Burial Site in Ohio The American Journal of Science published an account in 1837 of a strange discovery in Coshocton, Ohio: “From some remains of wood still apparent in the earth around the bones, the bodies seem all to have been deposited in coffins; and what is still more curious, is the fact that the bodies buried here were generally not more than from three to four and a half feet in length. They are very numerous, and must have been tenants of a considerable city or their numbers could not have been so great. A large number of graves have been opened, the inmates of which are all of this pigmy race. … Similar burial grounds have been found in Tennessee, and near St. Louis in Missouri.” 3. Bulldozing Operation Inexplicably Halted in Suspected Elf Habitat In 1996, an attempt to bulldoze a hill in Kopavogur, Iceland inexplicably failed. The hill, which was to be cleared for a graveyard, was believed to be occupied by elves. During the operation, two bulldozers inexplicably malfunctioned. Television cameras malfunctioned, unable to focus on the hill. Elf communicators...yes they do exist…. were called in and apparently were able to reach an agreement with the elves. The elves decided to leave, the communicators said, and the machinery began to work again. The event was even reported on by the New York Times. 4. Elvish Gathering in Mangrove Swamps Stephen Wagner has been investigating the paranormal for 30 years and has written books on the subject, including “Touched By a Miracle: True Stories of Ordinary People and Extraordinary Experiences.” In an About.com article, he tells of multiple accounts of elf encounters, including that of Paul in South Africa. In 1986, Paul was hiking near the Mangrove Swamps Nature Reserve with a group of friends. At around 6 p.m., they came across an open space with rock formations. Paul told Wagner: “We looked around and witnessed little people sitting on the illuminated rock formations and others who were interacting with each other.” The experience lasted about 10 seconds, and he estimated there had been 20 to 30 of these little people. Startled, Paul and his friends ran back to the car. They later returned to the same spot and found the lights and rock formations, along with the little people, were gone. 5. A Shimmery Little Person Behind a Tree Wagner recounts another story, this one from Greenburg, Penn. In 2003, a woman whose name is only given as K.T. was walking in the woods at dusk. The area around her appeared unusually “shimmery,” as she described it. As she rounded a bend, she came face-to-face with a little elf. It was peeking at her from behind a tree. K.T. described it: “It was almost a stereotypical elf: long, pointy ears, long funny-shaped nose, very long fingers and pointy cap. It was wearing red clothes and hat, and its skin appeared to be a very light lavender color.” When she made an exclamation of surprise, it jerked back and disappeared.

There’s a barren lake bed in the Death Valley National Park in California defined by its many long serpentine tracks, etched into the landscape by massive stones that move somewhat miraculously across the mud. It’s called Racetrack Playa — and for decades geologists have been chasing the “sailing stones” at play there. One of the first scientific studies, published in 1948, suggested the rock motion was driven by dust devils. Most recently, a couple of U.S. scientists hypothesized it was hurricane-force winds that were doing the deed. But it wasn’t until now that science has revealed a plausible explanation for how these stones leave their “racetrack” imprints through the playa: It takes a kind of perfect storm.

For centuries, man has been on a quest to find the elixir to eternal life. Alchemists struggled fruitlessly to create the legendary philosopher's stone, a mythical substance capable of turning base metals into precious gold and said to hold the key to immortality. But perhaps they were going about it the wrong way. Instead of searching for answers on land, maybe they should have been looking to the sea.

It's easy to become obsessed with the unsolved mysteries of this Earth. Most people like to think that anything can be figured out or solved... but that's just not true. Take these 7 mysteries, for example. They have been mysteries for decades (if not longer). No matter how many experts have examined the cases, they are still shrouded in mystery.

Many of the devices used by ghost hunters come in app form for iPhones. Apps are also giving researchers a method of collecting large swaths of data from smartphone users. Scientists are starting to gather information from the citizen scientist this way on topics related to human consciousness and various unexplained phenomena. Ghost Radar Thermal Imaging Accessory This is an iPhone accessory released in July by Flir Systems Inc. Electromagnetic Energy Tracker SpiritVox: Picking Up on Voices From the Other Side? Entity Sensor Pro Paranormal Field Guide International Ghost Guide Pro

Ships sink in the Laoye Temple waters. Lots of them. This is a phenomenon that has been happening since ancient time, thousands of fishing boats, cargo transporters, and military vessels have been lost. Many go down with no apparent cause at all, they are just sucked down into the abyss below. This area on the east flank of Poyang Lake in China’s Jiangxi province is also known as the “waters of death,” “devil horns,” and the “Bermuda Triangle of the East.” Some say that the ships are sunk by abnormal wind patterns, others say that it’s because of whirlpools, some say it’s magnetic fields causing lightening strikes, while others reach more ominous or mysterious conclusions. Whatever the case, these are some of the most treacherous waters in the world. Laoye Temple sits before a 24 km channel of water which connects Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, with the Ganjiang River’s exit point. It sits between 28.22′ – 29.45′ degrees N latitude, roughly the same as that of the Bermuda Triangle in the Caribbean. To go from the Yangtze River to the Pearl River Delta by inland waterways, you go travel through Poyang Lake. To get through Poyang Lake you must go through this channel, which tapers down from a width of 15 km to 3 km directly in front of the temple, is the only way to get to get through here. Likewise, these notorious waters have been a major transport route since the days of China’s ancient porcelain trade.

They do exist! Normal people with supernormal powers. These superpowers might not be as cool as what you see from the Xmen but they are still pretty awesome. Supernormal abilities are not just supernatural fiction they actually do exist. Who knows, maybe this is a evolutionary change for mankind and superheros may emerge.

A mysterious giant hole and crater have suddenly appeared in Siberia, Russia. There are not many details right now, but the video captured from a helicopter shows a weird configuration with debris and signs of combustion around it.

Do you believe in reincarnation? past lives? ever wonder who you were? Here are some cases of modern day celebrities and their historical twins.

A mysterious giant hole and crater have suddenly appeared in Siberia, Russia. There are not many details right now, but the video captured from a helicopter shows a weird configuration with debris and signs of combustion around it.

Monsters like big foot or the loch ness monster are as popular as movie stars, but did you know that other monsters may exist even today maybe even near you. Here are 5 monsters you may never have heard of that could be lurking in the world today.

A fisherman in Inner Mongolia, China captured what looks like a real chinese dragon. The dragon has since been transported to Beijing for further studies.

Forget Zombie apocalypse, the viking apocalypse is coming. according to Norse mythology, February 22 will see the Earth split open and unleash the inhabitants of Hel.

A statue of the Virgin Mary weeps oil, in the living room of a Christian family from Tarshiha, close to the border with Lebanon. Claims of Virgin Mary statues that cries tears of blood, or oil are not uncommon...do you think this is real?

Researchers say the jelly doughnut rock or Pinnacle Island is a piece of a larger rock, which Opportunity broke and moved with its wheel in early January. Further images from the rover reveal the original rock that the rover's wheel must have struck.

Archaeologists announced they have discovered human footprints in England that are between 800,000 and 1 million years old -- the most ancient found outside Africa, and the earliest evidence of human life in northern Europe.

The girl is 12 year old Saadiya Saleh, who lives in a village in Yemen, produces the small, hard stones beneath her eyelids. They are then naturally pushed to the front of her eyes, before falling down her cheeks. Doctors are yet to come up with an explanation for the unusual condition, claiming that Saadiya is not suffering from any known disease. Unfortunately this triggered a panic in rural areas where they assumed the girl must be possessed by magic.

@mikexingchen There is a fascination about mermaids, but if they do exist, I doubt mermaids look like what disney portrays them to be. Here are the 7 top mermaid sightings from around the world.

@mikexingchen Sailing stones, sliding rocks, and moving rocks all refer to a geological phenomenon where rocks move and inscribe long tracks along a smooth valley floor without human or animal intervention.

@mikexingchen According to Buddhist scriptures, there is a flower called the Udumbara flower, which blossoms once every 3,000 years. Udumbara is a Sanskrit word; it means "an auspicious flower from heaven." The appearance of Udumbara blossoms is a sign of the arrival of the Holy King Who Turns the Wheel, rectifying the Dharma in the world.

@mikexingchen This is a rock found in China in 2002, it has six words written on it. If those words ring true then major changes will come to China.