22 Mysterious Finds That Would’ve Remained Unsolved If Not for the Help of the Internet

Every once in a while you find objects that — no matter how hard you try — you can’t identify. A line of staples taped to your library book or a piece of orange tape nailed to the pavement, they turn into real mysteries that you can’t let go of until they have been solved. Luckily there are many helpful people on the internet that turn out to have the answer to your head-scratcher.

At Bright Side we love solving riddles, so we’ve collected 22 of them here. The people sharing these mysteries were lucky enough to find some answers, but can you help us out with the unsolved problem in the bonus section?

1. “Found in a library book. Tape over staples?”

This is an electro-magnetic security tag. So you can’t just take the book out without checking it out at the desk! © sndtech

2. “I was cutting my watermelon and was confused when I saw these hard stems inside, does anyone know what they are?”

That happens when the watermelon gets stressed during growing. It was likely due to drought that the fruit got messed up inside. It’s technically edible, but likely doesn’t taste very good. © Sirlancelotmn

3. “A handle with 2 flat, crescent-shaped pieces of metal with corrugated edges, with the concave parts facing each other.”

It is for cutting wontons or dumplings. © jackrats

4. “Found this in a public park. Everything not screened in is removable. What is it for?”

It’s a bee and bughouse filled with different materials for lone bugs to overwinter. © MammieisQueen

5. “What is this plastic rack used for? Stands about 3 ft high.”

This is a boot rack! © jackrats

6. “What is the purpose of the metal plates on the ground in front of these water fountains?”

It is for blind people and their white cane. It is similar to the warning dots on the footpath at intersections. © MrRed311 ©sdorph

7. “Found these in my cooked spaghetti. The sauce was canned.”

They definitely look like rosary peas. Don’t eat that spaghetti bro! And if you already ate it, go to the doctor. © kookykerfuffle

8. “I bought a used guitar and it came with this plastic pouch which has a pick inside and this other thing. It’s too short to be an extra string.”

My guess is that it is an extra string for a different instrument (probably a ukulele). You mention that you bought the guitar used. If it was purchased from a music shop, they might have thrown that in so you had a pick and they didn’t really care about a random string. As a string instrument player, I have had plenty of little packets like that laying around. © Rentauskas

9. “I have a long list of things that this is NOT — but I have no idea what it is.”

It is 100% a molinillo. Used in Colombia to make hot chocolate frothy. © DasRodriguez

10. “Found in my building’s recycling — Sailing / marine gear? Cat toy?”

It’s a flute embouchure trainer! © TreeWithNoCoat

11. “Orange tape nailed to pavement with orange triangle and sometimes a number”

Surveyors control point. Surveyors will typically establish several control points just outside of the proposed work area that are a fixed location that will not likely change during construction. These points are usually GPS located and have a fixed elevation. It’s a way for the construction crews to have a way to verify that what they are building is located in the correct place and built to the right height. © stardustdriveinTN

12. “About the size of a ping pong ball, hollow like one too. Found in the woods.”

Oak apple wasp gall. © BaconReceptacle

13. “Purchased these herbs in Hong Kong for soups and drinks, but don’t know what they are exactly.”

Kind of looks like Dendrobium. © jackrats

14. “What is this bubbly stuff coming out of this banana? It split open by itself, like it’s under pressure.”

Ripened bananas tend to foam due to the presence of sugars. © Melvin Furtado

15. “My old roommate forgot this in a kitchen drawer when they moved out, what is it?”

Bradshaw Good Cook corn stripper. © Win4All

16. “A weird strainer-type thing sent to us without an identifiable return address”

It’s a gyro bowl for kids’ snacks. I have many of them. Toddlers can walk around with the snacks in the bowl and they stay level while they walk around and don’t fall out. Don’t worry, kids will still find a way to spill anything. © knoxiusgero

17. “This cable came in a baggie with my new laptop and it has no mention of it in the set up guide. What is this thing?”

It’s for adding an ssd/hdd to your laptop, the flat side of the cable connects to your motherboard. If you open the laptop there is probably an empty space/bracket for the extra drive. © triiiflippp

18. “Weird plastic item with 2 points at each end, 2 different sizes. Fork for scale.”

Used for holding stitches in knitting. © Sharhamm

19. “Looks like a dough blender, but the bar across the middle makes it otherwise.”

Pretty sure this is one of those rocker-chopping motion food choppers. © bwmlax

20. “Found this while cleaning. It’s fairly small, just over 1”. Any ideas or suggestions as to what it may be are much appreciated!"

I believe the images represent the chakras. © jackrats

21. “What’s this metal lump? It shines very bright under light and is almost blinding to look at.”

Looks like the top of a silicon boule. It’s possible it is a failed boule that broke before it was complete. © jsthgrau

22. “I found this blue disc in a packet of sour cream chips.”

This is a test piece. © unknown

BONUS: This one isn’t solved yet. Can you help us out?

“There’s something between the glass in my nail polish. Wasn’t there last time I looked. What could it be?”

Do you also have an object that you would like to identify with the help of other Bright Siders? Or can you maybe solve the mystery from the bonus? Let us know what you think it might be in the comments!