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5 secret places that governments (and scientists) have forbidden from the public

2026-07-31 22:05:21Histori SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Global Seed Vault in Svalbard

 

 

It's natural to be curious about places we're forbidden from entering. But there are often good reasons why they keep us away from them.

From places where hazardous materials are stored to places where valuable artifacts are located, Science Focus brings the scientific background to some of the most protected and restricted areas on Earth.

An elephant's leg

5 secret places that governments (and scientists) have forbidden from the public

Known as one of the most radioactive objects in history, the Elephant's Foot is a two-ton chunk of molten material located beneath Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

It is made of a rare material called "corium" - a mixture of nuclear fuel and the molten core of the reactor.

When it was discovered in 1986, eight months after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, it was so radioactive that being near it could kill a person in just three minutes.

Radioactive decay means the risk decreases over time, but you still wouldn't want to be near it for long. Large steel and concrete structures were built around the abandoned power plant to contain the radiation, and access to the site is restricted.

Global seed vault in Svalbard

5 secret places that governments (and scientists) have forbidden from the public

This secure underground vault is home to some of the most important biological samples on Earth.

Buried beneath permafrost, inside a mountain on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, the Global Seed Vault houses more than a million seed samples, which are kept locked away.

Its purpose is to protect the genetic material of our crops, cultivated plants and wild species, providing a backup in case other seed banks around the world are damaged by equipment failure, war, disease or natural disasters.

Lascaux Caves

5 secret places that governments (and scientists) have forbidden from the public

In the south of France, there is an archaeological site so valuable that only a few authorized people are allowed to visit it. The Lascaux Caves contain more than 600 cave drawings dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period, about 17,000 years ago.

The cave network was originally open to the public, but thousands of visitors a day had a devastating effect on the prehistoric art.

Their breathing increased the level of carbon dioxide in the air, and their body heat warmed the interior of the caves, creating the perfect environment for fungi and lichens to grow.

In 1963, the caves were closed to the public and heritage conservationists installed an air conditioning system to protect what remained of the cave art.

Red Zone

5 secret places that governments (and scientists) have forbidden from the public

Spread over 1,200 square kilometers (463 square miles) in northeastern France, the Red Zone has been closed to the public since World War I.

These former battlefields are littered with unexploded ordnance, and the soil is contaminated with mercury and arsenic that have leaked from abandoned weapons.

In the most affected areas, the soil contains up to 300 shells per hectare. The team responsible for cleaning up the site estimates that it will take at least 300 years to completely clear the area.

Surtsey Island

5 secret places that governments (and scientists) have forbidden from the public

 

Only a handful of scientists are allowed to set foot on this uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean.

Located in southern Iceland, it was formed in 1963 when an underwater volcano erupted and has been carefully studied ever since. The reason for this is that it is a unique natural experiment in the study of biocolonization.

Scientists recorded the arrival of hundreds of plant and animal species, and this experiment continues today.

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