7 Simple Questions That Scientists Still Can't Answer

5. The Brazil Nut Effect

Donald Trump is undeniable proof that the biggest nuts tend to rise to the top, but have you noticed the same thing happens to your granola? The "Brazil Nut Effect" is a phenomenon that seems frustratingly simple, but remains an unsolved mystery. In a many-body system, such as a bowl of mixed nuts, the largest ones will tend to rise to the top if it is disturbed. To begin with, this sounds counter-intuitive as you'd think that the heavier object would sink to the bottom. Then you might consider that the smaller pieces are falling through the cracks and trickling to the bottom. Some have observed that it is similar to a convection current or that it is even attempting to move from a high-energy state to a low energy state. This is all very well, but the thing is that we just can't seem to figure it out. So far, no computer programme or formula has been able to predict or reproduce the effect. Solving this isn't just about getting your muesli evenly mixed, scientists from all kinds of fields ranging from astrophysics to geology, would love to get this one sorted out once and for all.