Top 10 Ridiculous Science Myths You Were Told Growing Up
From bananas to brain cells we countdown 10 Ridiculous Science Myths You Were told Growing Up.10. Dropping Pennies From A Tall Building
This myth is so common that if you asked most school children what happens if you dropped a penny from a tall building, they would probably tell you it could kill someone if they were hit. In reality, if someone was hit by a penny dropped from say the CN tower or Empire state building they may feel a slight sting and nothing more. The aerodynamics of the penny ensure that it won’t gain enough momentum to do any serious damage.
9. The Great Wall of China is so big you can see it from space
The Great Wall of China is one of the most amazing wonders of the world, stretching across over 20,000 kilometers. Even though the wall is massive, it’s not big enough to be seen from space unless you’re being aided by radar or a camera that can zoom in. This myth is so prevalent that even NASA has an article explaining why you’re not able to see the Great wall from space.
8. People are Left Brained or Right Brained
Growing up, people are commonly told that being either right brained or left brained can influence your personality. For example, the right side of the brain is best at expressive and creative tasks while the left side is known for analytical thinking and logic. Studies have shown that neither side of the brain is dominant, and therefore the myth is not true.
7. Bats Are Blind
In public school, most of us learned that bats are completely blind and use echolocation to find their way around and hunt for food. While Bats do use sound to help them visualize their environment, they also have eyes and can see extremely well.
6. Brain Cells Are Unable To Regenerate
Cells in our body are constantly regenerating, but some of us learned that brain cells are unable to regenerate and that we have a limited amount. That isn’t completely far from the truth, as there are areas of the brain that aren’t able to regenerate, but there are other areas like the hippo campus and olfactory bulb that do have regenerating brain cells.
5. Bananas Grow On Trees
Bananas look like they grow on trees, but they actually grow on a flowering plant. The edible fruit are produced when the plant starts to flower which usually takes about 6-7 months. Another interesting fact about bananas is that each “bunch” is called a hand and each individual banana is called a finger.
4. Alcohol Kills Brain Cells
You’ve probably heard this myth, but luckily for casual drinkers it isn’t true. Alcoholics can experience brain damage related to their drinking, but not because the alcohol is killing brain cells. Dr Roberta Pentey has found that alcohol impairs brain function by damaging message carrying dendrite cells so while binge drinking isn’t the best idea, it’s not going to actually kill off cells in your brain.
3. Most of your body heat is lost through your Head
When the weather gets cold, our parents and teachers told us that up to 50% of our body heat is lost through our head. Even though you’ll still want to dress appropriately when the snow starts, scientists say this myth is complete nonsense. The origin of this myth was traced back to a US Army Survival Manual that strongly recommended covering the head when it’s cold. The face head and chest are more sensitive to changes in temperature, so it may feel like you’re losing more heat from those areas, scientists believe that no more than 10% of heat is lost through your head.
2. Lightning Never Strikes The Same Place Twice
Lightning will usually targets the tallest object in the area, making it more likely to hit things like skyscrapers or radio antennas. It’s said the CN tower in Toronto is hit by lightning around 75 times a year, and the empire state building around 25 times a year. Even shorter objects like trees have been known to get hit more than once, making this myth completely untrue.
1. Humans Will Explode in the Vacuum of Space
Many sci fi movies show some unlucky person getting sucked out of a spaceship and exploding into a giant mess. Luckily for us, these movies are completely wrong and humans can actually survive up to 30 seconds in outer space as long as they exhale before being exposed. After around 30 seconds the lack of oxygen can cause unconsciousness and lead to death by asphyxiation, but your head will not explode when it comes into contact with the vacuum of space.
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