Originally published on Skit Hub
Science is a collection of millions of facts, and when we talk about facts, myths go hand in hand. There are still thousands of science myths out there, which you probably believe to be true. So, Let’s bunk those. Here are some common science myths which you got wrong at school:
Water is blue NOT ONLY because of sky reflection!
We were often taught in school that lakes and oceans are blue because they reflect the blue sky. That’s only the half-truth, though. The ocean looks blue because red, orange and yellow (long wavelength light) are absorbed more strongly by water than is blue(short wavelength light). So when white light from the sun enters the ocean, it is mostly the blue that gets returned.
House flies DO NOT have a span of 24 hours!
This is another myth we believed for long. But once again, It doesn’t have any truth associated with it. A common house fly can live up to a month.
Mercury is NOT the hottest planet of our solar system!
We all know that Mercury is the planet nearest to the Sun in our solar system and hence it is pretty safe to assume that it has to be the hottest too. However, that’s another myth. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system with an average surface temperature of 864 degrees Fahrenheit while Mercury just has a surface temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Venus’s thick atmosphere, around 90 times to that of Earth contributes to the greenhouse effect and hence the temperature.
You WON’T catch cold just at low temperature!
It is a very widespread misconception that the common cold can be caused by (or the chance of getting infected by it is increased by) exposure to cold weather. In reality, the common cold is caused by viruses and has nothing to do with low temperatures.
The Great Wall of China is NOT PARTICULARLY visible from space!
When at low orbit, the Great Wall of China can certainly be seen from space but it is not unique in that regard. From a low orbit of the earth, many artificial objects are visible on the earth, not just the Great Wall of China. Even highways, ships, dams, railroads are seen at that altitude.
As to the claim that it’s the only man-made object visible from the moon, Apollo astronauts have reported that they could not see any man-made object from the moon, not even the Great Wall.
Red DOES NOT enrage Bulls!
All our lives, We have talked about how we should prevent ourselves from wearing red near bulls. Because they seeing color red enrages them? Well, That’s Bull excreta(not sure if I could go with the original phrase). In all truth, however, bulls are colour-blind. It’s not the colour of the cape that enrages the animal, but the flapping movement of the material. So, next time you go near a bull, you can flaunt your shiny new red dress.
There are NO left or right brained people!
You might have given countless Buzzfeed quizzes about which sided brain you are, but sorry to break the ice, you are not creative by being right brained.
The University of Utah conducted a two-year study with more than 1,000 participants, whose brains were observed as they performed various tasks. While the researchers found it was true that the left and right parts of the brain are responsible for alternative functions (language on the left; attention on the right), no brain was stronger either way.
We DO NOT have just five senses!
Sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. These are the five sense we have right? Nope. Although this has been taught in most of the schools, it isn’t true. The truth is that we have far more, even as many as 20. The big five might seem to have every base covered, but we’re more perceptual than we realise. We haven’t talked about our ability to sense temperatures (thermoception), or our ability to balance upright while skiing (equilibrioception) –these need some classification too. And also, How about hunger, thirst, motion or spatial awareness?
These were the most common science myths we come across in our daily life. However, if you wish to know about some more science myths, this is the place to be:
