What’s the Antikythera Mechanism?

And what else lies in the depths of our oceans?

Photo by Milos Prelevic on Unsplash

This article was originally published in Katrina’s newsletter, Curious Life, on August 30, 2021 and has been edited for Medium’s audience.

I've been pondering all weekend after talking on Friday about what might be lying on the ocean floors. Unsurprisingly, I'm bursting with ideas. Granted, some are more plausible than others, but hey, you never know! That's the beauty of curiosity, there are no limits and no rules. For as long as the ocean floor remains a mystery, anything is possible.

A quick recap

In case you missed Curious Adventure on Friday, here's a brief rundown.

Essentially, we discussed the two main reasons we know more about outer space than we do our oceans. Both of which have to do with physics. First, our vision is basically nonexistent in the ultra-deep waters where the sun can't penetrate, and second, the weight of said water literally crushes us and dissolves our bones. In other words, in some ways, space is more welcoming to humans than the Pacific.

I also mentioned 80 percent of Earth's ocean floors are unmapped. As in, we've only observed 20 percent of our oceans, as in, less than a quarter. This is bonkers because the oceans cover 71 percent of the…