Science Myths That Need To Be Debunked Once And For All

So many inventions are attributed to Thomas Edison, but there’s a notable one that shouldn’t be. Many people think he came up with the lightbulb, yet someone else beat him to the punch — and by some margin.

Expectant parents naturally want the best for their unborn babies, so they’ll do what they can to aid their development. Some people even play their baby Mozart in the hope that it’ll make their little one more intelligent.

We’ve all grown up watching cartoons where mice steal little chunks of cheese, so who are we to blame for this piece of misinformation? Even so, this isn’t at all based on reality.

Many of us were taught that humans are equipped with five senses, but we actually have way more than that. Some people suggest that it’s closer to 18, but we can definitely say that it’s no less than nine.

Lots of people get freaked out when someone cracks their knuckles — it just seems like a bad thing to do. But in reality, there’s no scientific evidence to suggest that the habit is actively damaging.

We’ve all heard the assertion that ostriches, when confronted by uncertainty, will “hide” by burying their heads in the sand. It’s certainly a funny notion, but it doesn’t exactly bear scrutiny.

We’ve all heard the expression “blind as a bat,” but did you know that it is, scientifically speaking, complete baloney? In reality, bats do have eyes — and they work just fine.

When it comes to human evolution, a serious misconception can sometimes crop up. It revolves around the notion that humans evolved from apes. This is, of course, a big misunderstanding.

Over the years, Twinkies have developed a reputation for never expiring. And some rumors have gone so far as to suggest that they’d survive a nuclear holocaust.

Though you definitely shouldn’t do it, the truth is that flinging a penny from the top of a skyscraper isn’t that dangerous. Pennies aren’t at all heavy, and they’re not the most aerodynamic of objects, either. So if one falls from a great height and clips someone on the head, it’ll be irritating — but it shouldn’t be fatal.

Note to the squeamish — this one is a little gross! Here goes... When the remains of a person begin to decompose, it might appear that their hair and nails continue to grow. In reality, this is just an illusion.

Around 65 million years ago most of the life on Earth was destroyed. Though we don’t know for sure what happened, the leading theory is that the extinction was set in motion by an asteroid smashing into the Earth.

It’s easy to see why some people believe that blood is a shade of blue when it’s inside the body. After all, that’s what it seems like when you look at the veins on the back of your hand.

Hollywood, just like the rest of us, is obsessed with the idea that we humans may be sitting on an unfathomable level of higher consciousness. Inception, Lucy, Inception, the list goes on. We might like to believe that we’re only accessing a fraction of our brain’s potential, but sadly, it just isn’t true. 

There’s definitely something amusing in the notion of a giant elephant being terrified of a teeny-tiny mouse. But it’s unlikely. Despite the rumor, elephants don’t seem to have any particular aversion to the rodents.

There’s long been a rumor that the Great Wall of China would be visible if you stood on the Moon. But this simply isn’t true. And we can be sure because a person who’s been up there has told us so.

Who remembers being told not to go swimming during a storm? We're betting it's most people. In actual fact, it’s a falsehood to suggest that water is able to conduct electricity. But you still shouldn’t take a dip if there's lightning about. And that's all down to the purity of the water you'd likely be submerged in.

The dark side of the Moon is so famous that British rock band Pink Floyd named an album after it. Any time you look up at the night sky, there's an obvious 'dark' side of the Moon that's not facing towards us. So what's the catch?

When we think of deserts, we tend to imagine red sands and intense sunlight. The largest desert of this kind is undoubtedly the Sahara, but there are other types, too.

There's no denying it: being able to change your color to anything you fancy is a seriously cool idea, but sadly it doesn’t hold up in real lilfe. Chameleons are capable of changing color — that much is true — but the array of shades available to them isn’t infinite.

From our perspective here on Earth, the North Star — otherwise known as Polaris — is something special. As other stars appear to move over the course of a night, the North Star stays perfectly still. That makes it the perfect candidate for navigation, but it won't be winning any prizes for brightest star in the sky.

You should definitely dispose of your gum in the trash after you’ve finished chewing it. But if you do swallow, it won’t stay in your system for seven years, as folklore has long suggested.

Given we were the only species of human to survive, it's easy to think why we might think of ourselves as more advanced than our archaic cousins. But the fossil record tells us otherwise.

Sure, houseflies certainly don’t have the longest of lifecycles in the animal kingdom, but they tend to live for longer than a day. Some can even keep going for as long as a month or so.

This particular myth is especially important to dispel. Some people believe that taking antibiotics is an effective means of getting rid of a virus. Not only is this inaccurate, but it’s also potentially damaging. Antibiotics destroy bacteria, not viruses.

Many people believe that the appearance of the Moon can affect the way we act. The assertion is so prevalent, in fact, that scientists have even looked into the matter. Despite their research, they haven’t found any direct evidence to suggest that it’s true. Usually, wayward behavior can be explained by some other factor besides the Moon.

It might seem logical that the seasons are determined by the position of our planet in relation to the Sun. But in reality, it has to do with how the planet is angled.

There’s a common misconception that dog’s mouths are more germ-free than people’s. Well, no. And common sense alone should tell us that! As you might have noticed — unlike humans, dogs aren’t equipped with hands!

When it’s a cold day outside, we’ll likely put on a woolly hat to keep our bodies from losing warmth. While this is certainly a good idea, it’s not because the head is particularly prone to heat loss.

It's worth noting that there is an element of truth to this common misconception. First, we have to understand one unusual force. The Coriolis effect dictates that hurricanes rotate in different directions, depending on whether they’re north or south of the equator.

At more than 29,000 feet above the surface of the ocean, Mount Everest is commonly touted as the world’s tallest mountain. But, despite what most of us might have been taught in school, it's time we learned that this isn’t the case.

Ever heard the phrase, "like a red rag to a bull?" If the answer is yes, then you'll understand the concept. When it comes to these big bovines, scarlet hues alone are enough for them to see red. And the controversial sport of bullfighting seems to support the fact that bulls are sent into a fury when they see a red cloak.

Goldfish get a bad rap when it comes to their memory. We’re often told that they forget things after just three seconds, but experiments say otherwise. One, for example, involved playing a particular noise for fish when they were being fed.

We can all remember being told as kids that eating too much candy would pull us into a state of hyperactivity. Well, it turns out that sugar really doesn’t specifically impact the way children go about their business.

You may have heard that opossums sleep much like bats — namely, by hanging upside down. It’s definitely an amusing thought, but sadly it doesn’t quite ring true. The creatures do have remarkably strong tails, but there's more to the story.

Our Universe is made up of matter, which itself exists in a variety of states. As schoolchildren, many of us were informed that these were liquid, gas, and solid. Well, matter certainly does exist in these three states – but what of plasma?

It’s a widespread belief that dogs are unable to perceive color, but the truth is more complicated. The truth is that dogs aren’t colorblind, but they do detect color in a different way than humans.

If you’re unfortunate enough to step on a jellyfish, do not pee on the sting! We repeat — do not pee on the sting! Not only would such a gross act be ineffective, but it could also make things a whole lot worse.

You may have heard of a “banana tree,” but such a thing doesn’t really exist. Sure, the things that bananas grow on look like trees, but they’re classified as something else entirely.

Contrary to the popular saying, lightning can, indeed, strike the same place twice. Though it might feel like an unlikely thing to happen, there’s no scientific basis for suggesting that it can’t.