Top 9 Mysterious Things Found Frozen in Ice
No matter how much we ignore or politicize it, there’s no denying that Global Warming exists and is taking a toll on us now more than ever! The earth’s ice sheets are melting at an alarming rate, just take Glacier National Park in Montana for instance where the glaciers are melting as you read this. It is reported that there has been a 75% decrease in the amount of glaciers in the reserve since 1853 and no, that’s no feather in the naysayers’ cap. However, the melting of the ice caps is also interesting in that it is now unveiling some interesting hidden treasures for us, some of which are preserved intact in their icy final resting places. What lurks, or should we say, is frozen, out of sight beneath the ice? Read on to find out!
9. An epidemic on snooze
Fairly recently, some scientists on a mission found a virus stranded in the subsoil near the Kolymo river in Russia. Dated to be 30,000 years old, this virus inhibits single-celled parasites and is virtually harmless for humans. So why are we terming it something as unmistakably notorious as an epidemic? That’s because this finding is only the tip of the iceberg (Prepare for ice puns!). Apparently and potentially, there is a large number of such viruses and even pathogenic strains that are ready to inhibit bacteria and attack humans. Bearing in mind that none of us were alive 30,000 years ago, none of have the immunity to counter such an attack, nor would we have the time to treat this menace when it comes for us. All it’s waiting for to wake up is more global warming!
8. The Ice Maiden
No she’s not the sister of the legendary rock band Iron Maiden, but she sure was a ‘Trooper’. Scientists were baffled in 1995 when they discovered the body of a young girl 6309 meters from sea-level in September 1995 at Mount Ampato, located at the Argentina-Chile border. Seemingly from a few weeks ago, carbon-dating showed that the girl had been dead since around the past 1500 years due to blunt force trauma to the head, during a religious festival. Offered as the sacrifice to the Gods by the Incas, the body was so well preserved due to the icy cold temperatures that it seemed as if she had died merely weeks ago, with skin, hair and clothing all still perfectly intact. The scientists were sure to ‘Run To The Hills’ another time soon and discovered two more bodies of a boy and girl aged six and seven respectively. Ah, ‘The Evil That Men Do’. Leaving bodies only ‘Where Eagles Dare’. What? Punk is not dead!
7. The German Ice Man
We don’t mean to brag but we’re catering to both genders and we’re sure you’ll be saying ”Icy what you did there!”. In September of 1991, two German tourists stumbled upon a very unusual finding – a body perfectly preserved in the ice, which was intact to the inner organs! Considering its condition, the non-scientists declared it to be that of an Alpinist who had recently been lost. Upon closer inspection by the professionals however, it was discovered that the body was at least 5,000 years old! The body even had undigested food in its stomach, which signaled that the death was sudden and unforeseen. X-rays later conducted showed that the man, is he then was, had taken an arrow to the shoulder and the ice had wrapped him, preserving him forever.
6. Treasure!
We know that the term ‘treasure’ in itself is a tad bit misleading, but this is literally the same treasure you would expect Jack – we mean, of course, Captain Jack Sparrow to find in one of his (mis)adventures. While climbing Mont Blanc, a mountaineer recently came across a bag that read ‘Made in India’. To his surprise, there were more bags lying in the ice with the same print. Upon opening them, the mountaineer discovered literally bags upon bags of diamonds, emeralds and rubies! Luckily, this was a law-abiding citizen and not Captain Sparrow, and he reported the findings to a police station in East France. According to an investigation then launched, the treasure reported to have belonged to a family which unfortunately passed away in an air crash in that very spot in the mountains, which was travelling through London and Geneva as well. Just think of how rich he could’ve made himself – but how unworthy it would have been! If you’re reading this, good sir, we salute you!
5. A Warrior’s Warmth
Researchers scaling the Lendbreen glacier in Norway recently found a tunic made of rather warm and very durable material resting in its icy state. Dated to be at least 1500 years old, the tunic was made to withstand very inclement weather and by the size and shape of it, was probably owned by a warrior, 175 cm in height. Scientists are very certain that global warming will unearth many more of such things, especially in Norway and are keen on finding more of such objects, all the while opposing global warming.
4. Aircraft wreckage
In 1952, an Alaska-bound flight closing in on its destination crashed, instantly resulting in the death of the passengers and flight crew. A search was conducted but had to be postponed due to very heavy snowfall, which made searching and rummaging through the wreckage impossible. You would think everyone would forget it, but in 2012, an observant helicopter pilot was quick to notice some airplane wreckage protruding through a crack in the glacier. Upon his report, another search was conducted and as much wreckage and remains of the ill-fated passengers as possible was excavated. The search gained hype and in 2013, some scientists were part of the exploration team as well, who made a shocking discovery. Due to global warming, the wreckage in the glacier had moved about 22 kilometers from where the crash was incident! The bodies and any leftover remains are reported to have sunk to the bottom of lake George, which is yet to be explored! Who knows what awaits us!
3. Woolly mammoth
Do you like Manfred AKA Manny the Mammoth from the Ice Age series? Well, in case you didn’t know, Manny is based off a real life finding of an animal closely related to the elephant – the Woolly Mammoth! Much larger in size from their cousins, the Woolly Mammoth braved the snowy terrains and roamed the earth many years before any of the previous findings in our list yet. A perfectly preserved female was discovered in Siberia, who probably was stuck in a swamp. Since Manny was a guy, this was probably Ellie. Interestingly enough, Ellie became the first pre-historic preserved specie preserved so well that scientists were actually to draw blood from her! Scientists in South Korea have deemed this useful and claim they can create clones of the Mammoth using DNA sampling. And oh, in case you’re associating the blood with the specimen being fresh. It’s a whopping and brain-bending 39,000 years old!
2. WW-I Soldiers
War is often associated with the wiping out of entire identities and for good reason! The cost of war is always more than economic, as was the case in World War I where Austro-Hungarian forces met Italian troops in battle for the capture of the mountain San Mateo. It is estimated that hundreds upon thousands of soldiers lost their lives, but not due to battle. The temperatures had plummeted so deaths were less by bullets and more by what was called the White Death. The bodies of a few soldiers was found only recently by certain researchers and since the soldiers were lying down before welcoming White Death, their hair and even cutaneous layer of skin is still intact. Apart from their bodies, their belongings were also discovered, which included satchels and a love letter that never reached Mariah. Reality. It’s ice cold!
1. Woolly baby rhinoceros
Wikia Scientists in Yakutia were very pleased to announce the finding of an intricately preserved body of a woolly rhinoceros, which apparent by its size and bone structure, was still a baby. Upon more research, it was deduced that the young calf has belongs to the crustacean period, which began about 2 Million years ago and ended relatively recently, some 10,000 years ago. Scientists claim this discovery is very useful in studying the morphology of such animals and the like, and as the South Koreans said for the Woolly Mammoth, the possibilities are endless! So, those are some interesting icy explorations! Whereas global warming is the prime suspect, very soon to be sentenced a heavy damage, it is also the chief tool in unveiling some of the earth’s most historic, interesting and even creepy secrets which all seek to serve as reminders of ancient civilizations, species and specialties. Which of these finds is your favorite? Let us know!