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Home » fact

3 Random Major Scientific Falsehoods Thought Facts

December 25, 2015 By Theresa Carrion Leave a Comment

Knowledge keeps accumulating for the human race. And as it does, what was hard fact yesterday becomes questionable tomorrow or it becomes downright false. Such is the way of incremental progress.

Add to that the effect of popular, opinion altering influences like popular media or authoritative sources and the problem becomes even more complicated.

 This has happened in all ages of history, so it doesn’t have anything to do with how technologically advanced, modern, or “civilized” a population is, much to our inflated modern egos.

In fact, it can be argued that the Age of Speed, coupled with the boost in information, has in fact brought about the Age of Information Overload and consequently, much more false information flying around from “respectable” sources than it used to.

So in the interest of pointing out a few such instances, here’s 3 random major scientific falsehoods thought facts, in some cases even today.

1. Humans Pop In Vacuum

3 random major scientific falsehoods thought facts - eyes pop out in vacuum, like depicted in this scene from Total Recall.

A common myth, probably popularized by the in-its-time very popular movie “Total Recall”, is that if humans are exposed to a very low pressure atmosphere, or the vacuum or space, their eyes will pop out of their skulls in the matter of seconds.

In other sci-fi depictions, the whole human explodes due to differences in pressure or some such.

In reality, as confirmed by very brief accidental exposure of astronauts to the vacuum of space and by scientific analyses on the subject, you can survive for 15 seconds without any side-effects at all. After that, for the next 5 seconds, you become confused. After 20 seconds you become unconscious due to lack of oxygen. Over 80 seconds, you will certainly die, due to the loss of oxygen and other gases from your body, as well as the outer layers of cells that have collapsed and died.

But you won’t go pop.

2. Lightning Never Strikes Twice…

Sketch of a lightning rod system.

…in the same place. That’s what immediately came to your mind when you saw the first part, right?

Because this belief had become so ingrained into the collective consciousness, that cultures all over the world held it to be a true fact. So much so that it became a proverb.

Which is weird. Considering… you know, ummm lightning rods? Which are designed to attract lighting so that it doesn’t hit other things that you might care about? Like your barn or some high tech alien searching satellite dish you have installed.

So, this one’s easy. If the lightning does strike a lightning rod more than once during the same storm, it must mean that there are certain principles that govern where lightning strikes (hint: it loves metal). So, you can not only expect it to strike twice in the same place, you can even direct it (sort of) to where you want it to strike repeatedly. Nifty, huh?

Oh, and of course, the end-all argument is that even Iron Maiden had doubts about this. As they kept repeating on the chorus of “Lightning Strikes Twice” (hint in the title here too): “Maybe lightning strikes twice/ Maybe lightning strikes twice/ Maybe lightning strikes twice … etc.”

3. Sunflowers Follow The Sun

One of the 3 random major scientific falsehoods thought facts - sunflowers follow the sun - is contradicted by this picture of sunflowers facing east, away from the sun.

That’s why they’re called sunflowers!

Yes, but unfortunately it’s another case of a misconception that stuck.

Heliotropic plants are plants that orient their flowers or their seeds to aim at the sun as it progresses across the sky. Sadly, despite their names, sunflowers are not heliotropic plants.

As can be seen in many time-lapse videos of a sunflower field from sunrise to sunset. And also confirmed by many botanists who somehow can’t manage to eliminate this belief.

The only time in its life at which a sunflower moves is during its growth, when the bud slowly changes its orientation as it grows. However, once it’s figured out that the sun rises from the East and the plant has finished growing, it will remain pointing in that direction for the rest of its life.

Ergo, all sunflower plants do point towards where the sun rises in the morning, but they can’t be bothered to follow it around all day. Imagine all the contortionist skills that would involve.

Image source: 1, 2, 3.

Filed Under: fun Tagged With: fact, facts, science, scientific fact, scientific falsehood, scientific falsehoods thought facts, scientific truth

Fast Food: Facts and Myths

January 19, 2015 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

There are countless of myths ad facts revolving round the Fast Food industry especially since many Americans struggle with weight gain. However, many of the things said about Fast Food chains are just rumors made up by either angry customers or employees or simply people who try to find flaws in everything.

It is undeniable that fast food is fattening and unhealthy but up to what point? Here you will find some crazy facts and myths about the fast food industry and see if what you believe in is true or not.

Myth: Taco Bell uses only 35% meat in their seasoned beef

fast food facts

Fact: This myth actually made Taco Bell release a statement is which they assure people that 88% of their seasoned beef contains actual beef. The other 12% consists of filler. Although this is not an ideal proportion, it is still way better than 35%.

Myth: McDonald’s hamburgers do not rot

fast food facts

Fact: Some people on the Internet decided one day to conduct an experiment to see whether or not McDonald’s hamburgers can naturally decay. After leaving the burger to rot for several days, “the researchers” found out that the burger looks pretty much the same as it did at the beginning (I wonder if they also tasted it). After many people started questioning what the burgers are actually made of, McDonald’s decided to stop fueling these assumption. A company’s spokesman said that McDonald’s hamburger tend to dry out instead of rotting because of the way the hamburgers are cooked. However, to see a McDonald’s hamburger magnificently rot, you need to keep it in a moist environment.

Myth: Salads are a healthier option

fast food facts

Fact: When people see the word “salad” they automatically assume it’s healthy. Why? Well, there are healthy vegetables and/or fruit in it, right? Yes, indeed, but besides those healthy fruits and veggies there is also a bunch of unhealthy stuff such as loads of salt and sugar. If you really want to order a healthy salad, be sure it does not contain fattening dressings such as mayonnaise and always opt for yogurt or a simple vinaigrette dressing.

Myth: Fast Food will make you fat

fast food facts

Fact: The truth is any food can make you fat if you do not know how or when to eat it. We tend to blame it all on fast food because it is the simplest option and you will most likely find one on your way home or to work. Of course there are a lot of food processing methods in the fast food industry that make fast food seem like the most dangerous food on Earth but it doesn’t have to be like that. If you really want to reduce your fat intake but do not want to give up on fast food completely, consider fast food as a treat you should indulge yourself every once in a while or opt to eat fast food from places which offer you the chance to actually see how the ingredients are cooked and put together.

Myth: Fast Food is the cheaper option

fast food facts

Fact: Fast Food is cheaper than eating out at a restaurant, that’s for sure. But is it really cheaper than what you can make at home? Try this simple experiment: Put together a list of ingredients you can find in your favorite burger from beef and cheese to salad and sauces. Next, figure out the proportion. How much beef did they use? How much tomato? How much sauce? Try to find out how much they actually spend on making the hamburger and how much you could spend on making it. You might be surprised of the results.

Myth: Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC because they stopped using chicken

fast food facts

Fact: KFC indeed had to change their name from Kentucky Fried Chicken but not because they actually stopped using chicken meat, but because of the word “fried”. Frying is considered one of the most unhealthy food processing methods so it had to go away from the title. You do not have to be concerned in regards KFC’s meat origin; they still use chicken and not genetically modified meat.

Myth: The roast beef from Arby’s is actually a gel

fast food facts

Fact: Arby’s beef comes packed in an air tight bag filled with beef and a layer of basting solution, which helps the meat from becoming dry and sticky. It is believed that this is why a rumor about their beef being a gel came out in the first place. Don’t worry though, Arby’s roasted beef is still just roasted beef. It might not look good before being roasted but it sure does after.

Although fast food is one of the most unhealthy choices we have in terms of food, you do not always have to feel guilty or sorry when you eat it and you must certainly not believe everything people out there say about it.

These were out facts and myths about fast food and the fast food industry. What other stuff have you heard about Fast Food?

Let us know in the comments.

 

Filed Under: food Tagged With: fact, fast food, fast food facts, fast food myths, myths

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