We still don’t know

An immortal jellyfish? 10 spooky and unanswered questions about the sea

Some people are scared of the ocean. Can you blame them? Though waters cover 70% of our planet, scientists are still scratching their heads about certain unanswered questions. How long can blue whales actually live? What substance makes some waters glow eerily white at night? And what’s with the self-rejuvenating, immortal jellyfish? These are some of the mysteries we’ll explore in this article!

Found abandoned in 1872 with sails set, cargo intact, and dinner still on the table, the Mary Celeste is the poster child for maritime enigmas. The whole crew vanished without a trace and was never heard of again.

Mutiny? Rogue wave? Alcohol fumes? Giant squid? No theory fully fits. It's a fascinating tale that has been the subject of documentaries, theatre plays, novels, and movies.

For centuries, sailors have reported seeing entire portions of the ocean surface glowing white at night, like a ghostly reflection.

An explanation could be massive blooms of bioluminescent bacteria, but no one knows how they coordinate light across such huge distances or why the phenomenon lasts for hours. Even with satellite detections, it remains one of the ocean’s eeriest light shows.

Tales of a giant squid have been alive for centuries, but it was only in 2004 that humanity was able to photograph this fabled creature. In that year, a Japanese team captured a live one on camera in its natural habitat and finally proved that the creature behind centuries of sea-monster legends was very real.

And yet, we still know shockingly little about its life cycle, breeding habits, or how something that big stays so well hidden.

You’d think the largest creature ever to exist would be the easiest to study. Nope. We still struggle to track migration patterns, understand their communication system, or explain the full recovery timeline after they were nearly hunted to extinction.

Turritopsis dohrnii cheats death by reverting its adult cells back to a juvenile state when stressed. It’s like if a human under pressure suddenly turned back into a toddler.

This regeneration process is wildly complex and not fully understood, and scientists hope that cracking its secret might reveal insights into aging itself.

The stretch between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico has inspired endless theories. Unexplained disappearances, bizarre compass behavior, and strange weather patterns have contributed to building the legend.

Scientific explanations abound, from methane hydrates to violent storms, but the Triangle’s mythic aura refuses to die.

The Challenger Deep, the trench’s lowest point, plunges almost 7 miles. Only a handful of people have ever explored its bottom, including filmmaker James Cameron in 2012.

What lives down there? What geological processes unfold under such pressure? Every new expedition reveals creatures that look like they belong in fever dreams.

Off the coast of Japan lies a submerged stone structure with terraces, pillars, and sharp geometries that seem carved… Unless they were shaped by strange phenomena of nature.

Some believe it’s the remains of an ancient city, sunken after an earthquake; others argue it’s purely geological. Today, it’s a riddle lying quietly under turquoise waters.

In 1918, a massive US Navy collier vanished without a distress call while crossing the Caribbean. More than 300 people disappeared with it, the single largest non-combat loss of life in U.S. Navy history.

No wreckage has ever been found. Storm? Structural failure? Something stranger? The sea has kept its mouth shut.

This line gets repeated a lot because it’s shockingly true. With sonar mapping still incomplete and most of the ocean floor left untouched by human eyes, researchers say we’ve charted only about a quarter of it in detail.

Mars, by contrast, has been mapped in full thanks to satellites. The ultimate plot twist is that we might understand another planet better than our own.

Hospital secrets

What is a "Code Gray" and what you should know if you hear it at the E.R.

A trip to the emergency room can be stressful enough without hearing doctors and nurses speak a language that sounds like a secret code. One minute, someone is asking for medication "STAT," the next there’s a "Code Gray," and another patient is suddenly "NPO." What do those words really mean? Some are official medical terms, others are insider slang, but they all help hospital staff communicate quickly when every second counts. Here are 10 of those codes explained.

The E.R. can be hectic and unpredictable. Most patients are frightened or uncomfortable, but now and then someone becomes aggressive because of pain, confusion, mental illness, or the effects of alcohol or other substances. That’s when you can hear "Code Gray" announced over the speakers.

The code is used to summon security officers to help manage a violent or combative situation. While color codes vary from one hospital to another, Code Gray commonly signals that staff needs extra assistance to protect patients, visitors, and healthcare workers. Even if you know it now, most people in the waiting room never know what happened, and that’s exactly the point.

You have a scheduled surgery, you’re in your bed waiting to be taken to the surgery room, and you ask for a cup of coffee to make the wait lighter. The nurse will probably tell you you’re an NPO. You may think it’s serious, but it’s simply a procedure.

"NPO" is an abbreviation that comes from the Latin phrase Nil Per Os, which means "nothing by mouth." It tells patients they cannot eat, drink, or sometimes even take medication until doctors say it’s safe. The rule is most common before surgery or certain medical tests, when food or liquids could increase the risk of complications or alter the results. It may be frustrating, but it’s an important part of keeping patients safe.

You’ve probably been through the experience of visiting an emergency room, either to get checked or to visit a loved one. In that part of the hospital where everyone is rushing to save lives, you’ve probably heard a doctor asking for the R.C.P. cart or medication "STAT!" It sounds urgent, and that's because it is.

The expression comes from the Latin statim, which means "immediately" or "without delay." Hospitals have used Latin medical terms for centuries, but STAT is one of the few that remains part of everyday conversation. When a doctor says it, the request jumps to the top of the priority list. It doesn’t always refer to a life-or-death situation, but it does mean the medical team needs something done as quickly as possible.

Newborns are always a reason to celebrate at the hospital. Parents usually rest happily next to their child as they receive congratulations from close relatives. However, the hospital is always prepared to handle extremely rare emergencies under "code pink."

If you hear a "Code Pink," it usually means a baby or young child is suspected of being abducted from the hospital. Within seconds, security officers respond, exits may be monitored or blocked, and staff begins following carefully rehearsed procedures. Although different hospitals sometimes use different color codes, Code Pink has become widely recognized across North America as one of the most serious alerts a hospital can issue.

If you’ve ever spent a few days in the hospital, you’ve probably noticed that some patients are walking up and down the halls, while others need help just getting out of bed. When a nurse refers to someone as a "walkie-talkie," it’s actually good news.

This informal expression refers to patients who can walk on their own, use the bathroom without assistance, and handle most basic tasks independently. It’s not an official medical term, of course, but it’s commonly used among healthcare workers because it quickly tells the next shift that the patient requires less hands-on care than many others.

As nurses change shifts, you’ll often hear them give a quick report about each patient. One person may only need medication, while another is described as a "total."

The term is short for a patient who requires total care. They may need help eating, bathing, getting dressed, turning in bed, or moving from one place to another. Although the expression sounds impersonal, it’s simply a practical way for caregivers to communicate how much assistance someone needs.

Most people hear "frequent flyer" and think of an airline reward program. And that’s correct, but in an emergency room, the phrase has a very different meaning.

A frequent flyer is an informal nickname for patients who repeatedly return to the hospital, often due to chronic illness, recurring medical conditions, or other ongoing health issues. Behind the light-hearted nickname is often a difficult reality. Many of these patients are simply dealing with medical problems that require regular emergency care, and the expression is just a way to make the experience a bit lighter among the familiar faces of doctors and nurses.

Not all codes are for patients. The next time you’re in a hospital, look closely at what the nurse is pushing from room to room. It may look like a small rolling desk with a computer on top. Staff often call it a "WOW," short for "workstation on wheels."

As hospitals switched from paper charts to electronic medical records, these mobile computers became essential. Nurses use them to review test results, scan medications, update patient charts, and check doctors’ orders without leaving the bedside. The name sounds funny, but the technology helps caregivers spend more time with patients instead of walking back and forth to a nursing station.

After getting a shot or having blood drawn, most patients never think about where the used needle ends up. It certainly doesn't go into an ordinary trash can.

Hospitals place needles, scalpels, and other sharp medical instruments into special containers designed to prevent accidental injuries. These sturdy, puncture-resistant boxes are sealed when full and safely disposed of in accordance with strict health regulations. This not only protects nurses, but it also protects cleaning crews, waste handlers, and even the public from dangerous needle sticks. It’s one of the most important safety measures in every hospital, even though most patients never notice it.

If you’ve ever watched a medical drama, you've probably seen a patient become so agitated that several staff members rush into the room. In situations like that, a doctor or nurse may ask for a "B-52." But the name has nothing to do with numbers themselves; it actually comes from a medicine.

B-52 is hospital slang for a fast-acting injection used to calm down patients who are severely combative or at risk of harming themselves or others. The nickname comes from a commonly used combination of medications that usually include diphenhydramine, haloperidol, and lorazepam. It’s strictly reserved for when other methods of calming the patient haven’t worked.