Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
In a world so vast—and still so mysterious, whether in terms of its geography, the complexity of the life it harbors, or the evolution of our own human civilization—there is surely much left for us to explore, discover, and understand…
I recall speaking once with a French professor who had returned from Sudan. He told me about the Nubian pyramids east of Khartoum—sites I have since seen images of myself. I suspect very few people are even aware of their existence, as they have remained—to this day—largely unknown, even to the scientific community! Numerous pyramids lie scattered across the desert, tracing the paths of rivers that are now often dry. The geopolitical instability and conflict in the region have kept these sites beyond the reach of reconnaissance missions and archaeological research—efforts that would certainly be directed toward them, were they to be more precisely located and each one definitively identified.
The same holds true for many other archaeological treasures, as well as sites linked to our more recent history. For instance, a few years ago, advancements in scuba-diving equipment revealed the extraordinary potential offered by the remains of shipwrecks. The sea—and beneath it, the sand and silt—much like rivers, lakes, and their own alluvial deposits, have preserved vestiges of the past, often for a very long time and in nearly pristine condition. Our scientists would benefit greatly from studying these remains, and the general public would surely flock to museums to see them on display, were we to dedicate more time and care to locating such shipwrecks—a task now easily accomplished through radar mapping—and subsequently inspecting them in a methodical fashion. Another avenue of archaeological inquiry I would suggest to the scientific community concerns networks of underground cities—such as those I have visited in Cappadocia, Turkey, or near Paris, in France. I am told that, from the Neolithic era through antiquity, it was quite common for people to construct vast urban complexes beneath the earth, primarily as a defensive measure against attacks by foreign groups. Regarding these subterranean cities—though I have heard of their existence all over the world, and despite the fact that they are documented in various historical and literary accounts from the past—I believe we remain, even today, at virtually ground zero in terms of serious, modern scientific study. There is a great deal of work to be done, and undoubtedly much to be learned, should we choose to turn our attention to them.
There are many other areas—gaps in our understanding of our own civilization—that warrant further exploration. I shall not list every one that comes to mind here. That said, since the subject of underground life has been raised, I would like to add one detail: beneath the city of Rome lie catacombs—famous for having sheltered some of the earliest Christian communities, and which, according to history books, later served as a refuge for many bandits. Regarding these catacombs—which I was fortunate enough to visit briefly some time ago—it is said in Rome that they are so deep, and so well-structured, that their chambers and galleries extend to a depth of over a kilometer. Furthermore, it is claimed that at their terminus—roughly 1,200 meters below the surface—they provide access to a colossal subterranean lake. As far as I am aware, almost nothing is known about this lake, save for various legends. Extraordinary! In my view, the Roman authorities still have a great deal to learn about their own city…
Beyond our interest in human history and the mysteries of our civilization, I believe there is immense progress to be made in the encyclopedic documentation and scientific study of the world itself—its geography, its biology, and, in particular, the animals and plants it harbors. It is a little-known but well-established fact that new species emerge on Earth every single day. Yet, it seems that no significant effort has been made to catalog these new species—a task that would surely be invaluable for preparing our future! Furthermore, even among the living organisms that already exist alongside us, statistics confirm that we are far from knowing them all; in fact, there is much we remain ignorant of. Countless plants, animals, fungi, lichens, and minerals exist right here with us, yet remain unknown to us. Compiling a comprehensive list and studying them would be a magnificent undertaking—and, clearly, of great benefit to science!
Moreover, if we consider that identifying and subsequently conducting serious observation of these new mineral species or types would also require examining their natural environments—which in themselves constitute a vast, untapped field of research—it becomes clear how much there is to learn about the life that surrounds us! What do we truly know about mysterious seahorses—those little “water dragons”—and their reproductive habits? Based on what I have read recently, almost nothing. How can we precisely date the emergence of many plants or lichens that exist all around us, in the very areas we frequently explore and observe? According to biologists, we do not yet know how to do this. And what about the “language of trees”—a phenomenon our researchers now confirm to be real, with individual trees in a forest, for example, communicating via pheromones and the exchange of amino acids through their intertwined root systems? We know virtually nothing—or, at the very least, precious little—about it so far…
I do not wish to write an overly long text—though there is much more I could say—so I will conclude by citing another scientific fact: at least 90% of the ocean floor remains unknown to us. It has barely been mapped in a rough, rudimentary fashion; it has not been explored, nor even surveyed—it is simply unknown. Given our current search for new living concepts that would exist in greater harmony with the natural world—at a time when major institutions are funding research into amphibious or underwater urban planning—it seems highly appropriate to call upon my contemporaries to study this marine environment more closely; an environment about which, as we can see, we still know so very little!
The reason I wished to share these ideas with you is that, by seeking to better understand and gain deeper insight into the world, I hope our civilization may find more effective solutions to adapt to the challenges of our times.
Thank you for your kind attention to these few words.
Kindest regards,
Timothée Bordenave
