Common MythConceptions
The Vomitorium
No, not a room Romans used for Bacchanalian binges, but the name for the entrance to a stadium.
Different tongue parts
There are no different sections for each taste: bitter, sour, salty, sweet & umami (savoury/meaty).
Electric fan @ night
Big myth in S. Korea that this is deadly. Very unlikely to harm you. Well. Unless you put the fan in the bed...
Sharks don't get cancer
Oh yes they do. Particularly skin cancer.
Black 'holes'
Hugely dense objects with massive gravitational pull, creating a hole in the fabric of space time from which light cannot escape. But not a hole in the sense of a portal.
Don't wake sleepwalkers?
It's okay. They’ll be really confused. But they’re more likely to hurt themselves if they’re not awoken.
Depression = chemical imbalance
Simplistic. Thank pharma for the idea that major depression is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals like serotonin.
Napoleon was short
A tall tale. At 5’7”, he was actually above average height for a Frenchman of the time.
The 5 second rule
Amount of bacteria transferred to fallen food depends on how contaminated the floor is, not how long the food stays there.
Bulls hate red
They are actually colour-blind and instead react to motions of the bull fighter’s cloth as a perceived threat.
Great Wall of China
Not visible from space to the naked eye. Myth. Now stop saying it!
Missing person report
Police don’t demand a 24-hour period before accepting a missing persons report.
Bananas grow on trees
They actually grow on massive herbs that resemble trees. Bet you didn’t know that.
Oil stops stuck pasta
Nope. But it can stop the water foaming or boiling over.
A gene for…
Genes code for proteins, so there are actually no genes ‘for’ specific characteristics, esp. not psychological ones.
Sweaty dogs?
Dogs don't sweat by salivating. They regulate temperature through panting. They actually sweat through footpads.
We lose heat through the head
Only in infants is most heat lost this way. Or if the head is the only uncovered part of the body.
Vikings’ horned helmets
Actually created by a costume designer for a 19th-century Wagner opera.
Bats are blind
Don’t be fact-blind! Bats can not only see. They can also use echolocation. That’s why they’re so awesome!
Salieri hated Mozart
Nothing like the film. They were composer friends with a little rivalry. Nothing more.
Iron maidens
Never were medieval torture devices, but 18th century fakes created for sensational circuses.
Don’t eat & swim!
Doesn’t increase risk of cramps; alcohol is the biggest risk increaser. But a full stomach will make you short of breath.
Einstein failed maths
Nope. He failed an entrance exam for a school but still excelled in maths.
The 5 senses
We actually have close to 20, including balance, pain, movement, hunger, thirst, etc.
“Yes, I’m a cop”
US undercover police do not have to identify themselves as cops. A Hollywood-induced myth.
The “autism epidemic”
There’s only been an increase in diagnoses of autism, caused by heightened awareness of the ailment.
Fishy 3-sec memory
While not the smartest, goldfish boast a memory span of 3 months – better than most politicians.
Humans lived with dinosaurs
Despite 41% of US adults thinking they coexisted, we actually missed each other by ~63 million years.
Evolution is just a ‘theory’
In science, a ‘theory’ is anything more than a conjecture. Usually an extensively tested idea uniting data from many observations.
Chastity belts
Not anti-adultery devices. Instead invented by prudes in the 19th century to prevent ‘dangerous’ masturbation.
We evolved from chimps
Nope. Along with bonobos, they are our closest living genetic relatives. But a shared ancestor lived 5–8 million years ago.
Glass is a liquid
Actually an ‘amorphous solid’. ‘But that‘s why stained-glass windows are thicker at the bottom.’ Nope. It’s just badly made glass.
Caffeine dehydrates
Not really. The diuretic dehydrating effect of caffeine is offset by the amount of water in a caffeinated drink.
Shaving thickens hair
Regrown hair isn’t thicker, coarser or darker. It just appears so because it’s no longer tapered.
Sugar = hyperactivity
Studies have disproved this. ADHD and poor behaviours still occurs in children with sugar-free diets.
Vaccines = autism
Groundless fears based on fraudulent research that’s been shown to have been manipulated.
Scientific proof
No such thing. Proof is incompatible with science which is, by its nature, provisional and self-correcting. Only Maths has proofs.
"Net Neutrality"
The web hasn’t been a neutral delivery system for years. Google & Facebook etc already have ‘fast lanes’ at ISPs to deliver services to you. The real issue is giving power over the web to just a few aggressive & powerful cable companies.
Dropped pennies kill
Terminal velocity of a penny is 30–50 mph, which isn’t fast enough. It would hurt, though.
Left & right brain
There's no evidence that creativity or logic reside in a particular side of the brain, or that a person can be "left-" or "right-brained".
The three wise men
Nowhere in the New Testament does it specify there were three.
Alcohol is warming
Dilates warm blood vessels near the skin, creating the impression of warmth. It can actually drop core body temp.
Fatwa = death
Not a death sentence. It actually means ‘non-binding legal opinion’.
Only 10% of brain
Misunderstood metaphor. Proportion of our brain ‘firing’ is task-dependent and maybe as low as 10%. But, ultimately, all cells are important.
Satan rules hell
Doesn’t actually say this anywhere in the Bible.
Milk & mucus
Nope. Milk doesn’t create mucus. There’s no need to avoid dairy if you have a cold.
Salt boiling water
Adding a sprinkle of salt to fresh water makes only a negligible difference to boiling time. Huge, sea-level amounts do.
Alcohol kills brain cells
Only in heavy users & alcoholics who rely on alcohol to get most of their calories.
Multiple personalities
Confusing. Schizophrenia technically means ‘split-mind’, but it is different to multi-personality disorder.
Jihad is ‘holy war’
It actually translates as ‘struggle’.
Lie detector
No such machine. A polygraph test detects arousal, not lies. And can be easily faked.
No sex before the game
No evidence intercourse impairs athletic performance. Could even help athletes due to increased testosterone.
Flush direction
Toilet water does not rotate the other way in the S. hemisphere. The Coriolis effect only affects large bodies of water.
Gum = 7 years to digest
The chewy base of gum is indigestible & passes straight through. The remainder is absorbed.
Hard-wired brains
Our central organ is actually incredibly fluid & plastic. So virtually no psychological capacities are ‘hard-wired’ from birth.
Washington smoked weed, dude
He grew hemp to make rope & clothes, but there’s no evidence he smoked a phat one most nights.
Black belt = masters
Only introduced in 1880, in Judo, to show competence in basic techniques. Not ninja-level mastery.
Islamic martyrs get 72 virgins
A matter of debate in Islam. Nowhere in the Qu’ran, but is reported in other texts.
Brainwashing
No evidence that people’s minds can be changed against their will.
Get “closure”
No evidence this mythical emotional end state is ever achieved by victims of trauma, bereavement or loss.
Steep learning curve
Actually means a skill that is relatively easy and quick to learn. Think about it. The curve just goes exponentially up and up.
Photographic memory
No hard scientific evidence that a memory that mimics a camera is a real ability. Some people just have great or well-practised memories
Sushi = raw fish
Lost in translation. Sushi means 'sour rice' and does not always feature fish. Sashimi means 'raw' - but isn't just fish.
Vegetarians lack protein
There's a ton of it in eggs, beans, cheese, seeds and vegetables. Vegans do need vitamin B-12 supplements though.
Water & electricity
Water itself doesn't conduct electricity. It's actually an insulator. But substances dissolved in water (salts etc) often can conduct current.
Refreezing raw meat
It's fine as long as it was thawed in the fridge.
Waving your phone around
Does not improve your phone signal. In fact it makes it worse, and makes you look like an idiot.
The World’s biggest misconceptions and myths. Click on each entry to see the source.
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