We all spend a major portion of our lives in schools and colleges learning about the numerous fields of life. Chidlhood is a time when we are quite impressionable and also gullible so we tend to believe what we are fed and it stays with us for a long time as well.
However, we have to realize that science has come a long way since then and several concepts that we then believed to be fact are now nothing more than myths. Remember, once Earth was considered flat too.
Top put your curiosity to rest and to upate you with the latest findings, we have put together some of the most common myths of the scientific world so we can put an end to all the confusion.
Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice
To start off the discussion, we will be talking about probably the most dangerous myth of the scientific world that is “Lightning never strikes the same place twice.” The reality of the matter is quite the opposite.
For instance, Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela gets struck by lightning almost all year round. Moreover, structures such as the Empire State Building get struck by lightning up to 100 times a year.
An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Even though apples are a great source of sugar, fiber, and vitamin C, they are not enough to keep you healthy by themselves. Your body needs all sorts of nutrients and minerals to function properly that are not present in an apple.
As per research, more than 700 people who ate an apple every day were studied but researchers were unable to find its correlation with visit to the doctor’s office. Do eat an apple every day if you prefer, but do not ignore other healthy foods that are just as important.
We Only Have Five Senses
Since childhood, we have been taught that we have five senses, namely sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. However, there are four more senses in the human body that you might not have heard of before.
The other four senses are thermoception – the sense of temperature, proprioception – the sense of orientation in space, interoception – the sense of own psychological state, and equilibrioception – the sense of balance.
Goldfishes Have a Three-Second Memory Span
Another popular myth that we all have heard of is that the goldfish has a memory span of no more than 3 seconds. In reality, though, this shiny looking fish can remember things for up to 5 months even.
According to scientists, goldfishes can remember survival skills, they can tell time, and identify sounds that they heard in captivity months after hearing it. They might not be the nerds of the aquatic world but this does not mean that they are complete no-brainers.
You Can See the Great Wall of China from Space
One of the great wonders of the world is the Great Wall of China. This humungous wall has been popularized as the only man-made structure that is visible from space. However, if you look at some of the pictures from NASA, you will know that it is not true at all.
At such height, the wall blends in with other structures around it making it almost impossible to distinguish. In fact, back in 2003, a Chinese astronaut named Yang Liwei claimed that he could not spot the Great Wall of China.
Water Conducts Electricity
Since early childhood, every one of us has been taught to keep water away from electricity at all times. We were taught that water is the ultimate conductor for electricity. However, this phenomenon is only true to some extent.
Pure or distilled water is known to be the best insulator for electricity, crazy right? What makes the water we use a great conductor are the different kinds of minerals and salts in it..
Alexander Graham Bell Invented the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell has been famous for many years for inventing the telephone. In reality, he is not the actual inventor of the telephone. The actual inventor of the first-ever telephone is Antonio Meucci.
Meucci invented the telephone in 1856 when he needed to communicate with his sick wife. Speaking of communication, you cannot rely on centuries-old communication methods now can you? You are better off relying on the likes of CenturyLink internet to help you stay in touch.
Trees Provide Most of the World’s Oxygen
Trees are nature’s way of decorating the planet. Even though they are highly essential for the survival of the planet, there is a myth about them that says that they are the biggest providers of oxygen in the world. They do provide us with it, but not the major portion of it.
There is a small yet integral creature on this planet called phytoplankton that is responsible for the world’s oxygen supply. Phytoplanktons are small plants in water that are responsible for providing around 80% of the Earth’s oxygen.
People Only Use 10% of their Brains
This is probably the hardest myth to debunk. Many have provided proof against its integrity but people find it hard to let go. The belief that we use only 10% of the brain is not true at all. Even though it takes up only 3% of the body’s total mass, it consumes 20% of the body’s total energy.
The reality of the matter is, humans completely utilize their brain. You might not realize it, but the brain is taking all sorts of decisions that are needed for the functioning of the human body.
Human Beings Evolved from Apes
Remember when in the show Friends, Phoebe got on Ross’ nerves saying that she did not believe in evolution. Turns out she was right – humans did not evolve from the apes. Humans may have evolved in some manner over time but it does not mean that our ancestors were apes at some point in time. Apes may appear to be similar to humans in many ways, but it does not mean that we evolved from them.
Bats Are Blind
Bats are known to use echolocation to know where they are going but saying that they are blind is completely false. All bats are able to see, but they see in black and white. They can even see better at night than humans do.
They only have trouble seeing during the day because they lack color receptors, but saying they are completely blind is not fair at all.
Eating Ice Cream Will Make Your Cold Worse
You may have been told several times that you should stay away from ice cream when you are going through a cold because it can make it way worse. Cheers to you because this is another one of the myths that have kept you in the dark.
The reality is that cold dairy products can soothe your throat and give you the necessary calories you need at this time when you are feeling down. Now you can enjoy your favorite ice cream even when you are feeling cold.
In a Nutshell
Science has come a long way and still has a long way to go. Things that were facts in the past are now myths and things that seem magic right now may be a fact in the future. There is no telling where we might end up. All we can do is keep our minds open to every possibility no matter how improbable.
