Shrouded in Mystery

What about the world news headlines today - so many aimed at pulling you in.  They certainly get my attention: Cheetah Approaches Man Sleeping New Zealand PM has beef with the Impossible Burger Hunted for their body parts and stigmatized:  Malawi's... After Man Saves Bear's Drowning Cub... A piece of chewing gum, a bottle of water and new... Of course there are more lurid ones and more urgent headlines - particularly about the Thailand boys trapped in the cave. I had found was an article about Scotland's 5,000-year-old carved stone balls shrouded in mystery on the CNN site. CNN's articles are 'sensational' - like the headlines above.  It is as though the stones were found yesterday.  Their articles typically are missing in background and context.  And then there are other aspects that fall short, but not to worry as there are reputable sources to go to.  I credit CNN with alerting me to this most interesting mystery. So off I went to Wikipedia to read an organized article on them.  It is HERE. These stones have been found over time.  By the late 1970's a total of 387 had been recorded.  The majority were found in the north-east in Aberdeenshire. By 2015 a total of over 425 were recorded.  There's a collection of 30 carved balls in the British Museum's collection.  They are generally the size of tennis balls or oranges. They have knobs in varying numbers and ornamentation.   The mystery of their function is what drew me in.  Could they be used as weapons, with fishing nets, as oracles, working on hides, megalith construction aids, or evidence of the knowledge of the five Platonic solids.  The most elaborate one is from Towie in Aberdeenshire, likely 3200 - 2500BC.  It is typically in the pictures that accompany their story.  There is no conclusion to what their purpose is.  Just the wonderful mystery... We visit the Grimsby Market today and pictured here is John, of Park Road Bread. He is among the artisan bread makers specializing in sourdough.  John makes a chocolate sourdough bread and a chocolate sourdough cake.  Sourdough remains magical and mysterious.   We know its function, unlike our Scottish Stones.  And we know that scientists have tried to 'solve the mystery of San Francisco sourdough.'  Two scientists are known for their landmark exploration of this wonderful living organism.  If you love sourdough, read the discovermagazine article HERE.