🤯 These “Facts” Aren’t Actually Facts
We were taught many of these myths in school, movies, and even by science teachers. But thanks to better research and fact-checking, science has updated what we once thought was true.
Let’s bust some of the biggest science myths people still believe—and reveal the surprising truth behind them!
🚫 21 Science Myths You Should Stop Believing
1. ❌ We Only Use 10% of Our Brain
📢 Truth: Brain scans show we use virtually every part of our brain—even when resting!
🧠 It's a myth Hollywood loves, but neuroscience says otherwise.
.png "Human brain glowing with 100% active regions, multiple colors indicating usage, medical style") |
| Human brain glowing with 100% active regions, multiple colors indicating usage, medical style |
2. ❌ Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice
📢 Truth: It often does—especially tall structures like the Empire State Building (which gets struck ~20–25 times per year). ⚡
3. ❌ Goldfish Have a 3-Second Memory
📢 Truth: They can remember things for months and are even trainable! 🐟
4. ❌ The Great Wall of China Is Visible from Space
📢 Truth: It’s actually very hard to spot from orbit—its color and width blend into the landscape.
👨🚀 Many astronauts have debunked this myth firsthand.
5. ❌ Humans Evolved from Monkeys
📢 Truth: We share a common ancestor with monkeys but did not evolve from them. 🧬 It’s more like cousins, not children.
6. ❌ Bulls Hate Red
📢 Truth: Bulls are color-blind to red. It’s the movement of the cape, not the color, that makes them charge.
7. ❌ Shaving Makes Hair Grow Back Thicker
📢 Truth: Hair may feel thicker because it’s cut bluntly, but the growth rate and thickness stay the same.
8. ❌ You Swallow 8 Spiders a Year While Sleeping
📢 Truth: There’s no scientific evidence this happens. Spiders avoid humans, especially noisy, breathing ones.
9. ❌ You Lose Most Heat Through Your Head
📢 Truth: Heat loss depends on what’s covered or exposed. No more than 10% of heat is lost through your head.
10. ❌ Touching a Baby Bird Makes Its Mother Abandon It
📢 Truth: Most birds have a very weak sense of smell and won’t abandon their chicks if touched by humans.
11. ❌ Bananas Grow on Trees
📢 Truth: The banana plant is a giant herb, not a tree. 🍌
Its “trunk” is actually made of tightly packed leaf stalks.
12. ❌ Humans Have Five Senses
📢 Truth: We have at least 9 to 20 senses, including balance, temperature, pain, and body position (proprioception).
13. ❌ The Moon Has a Dark Side
📢 Truth: All sides of the Moon get sunlight. The “dark side” is just the far side we never see from Earth.
14. ❌ Seasons Are Caused by Earth’s Distance from the Sun
📢 Truth: Seasons happen because of Earth’s tilt, not distance. In fact, Earth is closer to the Sun during Northern Hemisphere winter.
15. ❌ Water Conducts Electricity
📢 Truth: Pure water doesn’t conduct electricity. It’s the minerals and impurities in tap water that do.
16. ❌ Cracking Your Knuckles Causes Arthritis
📢 Truth: Studies show no link. The cracking sound is just gas bubbles popping in the joint fluid.
17. ❌ Hair and Nails Keep Growing After Death
📢 Truth: It only looks that way. After death, the skin shrinks, making hair and nails appear longer.
18. ❌ Chameleons Change Color to Camouflage
📢 Truth: Their color changes are mostly for communication and mood, not hiding.
19. ❌ The Coriolis Effect Determines Toilet Flush Direction
📢 Truth: Flush direction depends on toilet design, not hemisphere. The Coriolis effect only influences large-scale systems.
20. ❌ Mount Everest Is the Tallest Mountain
📢 Truth: Everest is tallest above sea level, but Mauna Kea (Hawaii) is taller when measured from base to summit.
21. ❌ You Can See the Great Wall of China from the Moon
📢 Truth: Let’s end this once and for all—you can’t. It’s too narrow and Earth’s atmosphere blocks such fine detail.
🧠 Final Thoughts: Science Is Always Evolving
These myths stick around because they sound simple—but real science is rarely simple. Stay curious, question everything, and always double-check your facts.
🔜 Coming Soon on "Did You Know Facts":
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🐾 Top 17 Animals with Superpowers You Won’t Believe Are Real
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🧬 Top 21 Psychological Facts That Will Mess with Your Mind
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🌍 Top 25 Geography Facts That Sound Totally Fake but Aren’t