10 Disproven Myths That People Still Believe

Our brains are wired to acquire information, which allows us to ensure our survival. However, as humans, we have the habit of sticking to things that we strongly believe to be true; even though they were scientifically disproven. For instance, consuming too much sugar makes someone hyper, right? Well, science would disagree with you. Of course some of us would justify that with real-life experiences but what if they are just coincidences? Well, here are 10 disproven myths that people still believe in.

Myth #1: Dogs see black and white.

Contrary to the popular belief, dogs actually do see color, but many fewer colors than normal humans do. Dogs see the colors of the world as basically yellow, blue, and gray. They see the colors green, yellow, and orange as yellowish, and they see violet and blue as blue.

Myth #2: Bees defy all known laws of aviation.

For decades, people have believed that there is no way that a bee should be able to fly since its wings are too small to get its body off the ground. In reality, bees do not disobey any laws of physics. Bees flap their wings back and forth, not up and down. They also flap so fast that it creates vortices in the air, which lifts the bees upwards.

Myth #3: Cracking your knuckles is bad for you.

This is nothing more than an old wive’s tale since knuckle “cracking” has not been shown to be harmful or beneficial. The sound is caused as a result from a negative pressure pulling nitrogen gas temporarily into the joint.

Myth #4: Liars tend to avoid eye contact.

The old myth goes on to state that you can spot a liar by simply looking at their eyes since they have a hard time making eye contact. This is actually a myth and studies show that verbal hesitations and excessive hand gestures can help to accurately determine whether a person is lying or not.

Myth #5: The moon landings were staged.

More than 50 years after man first walked on the moon, many are still convinced that the whole thing was staged.

1) The technology needed to stage something of that magnitude did not exist back in the 1960’s.

2) If it was staged, why haven’t the Soviets been successful in proving that the whole thing never happened?

3) If NASA staged it, why did they stop?

4) Aldrin and Armstrong left mirrors on the moon so that with the help of a strong laser, we can ping the moon with laser pulses and measure the Earth-moon distance very precisely. If you can get your hands on a strong enough laser, you can conduct this experiment yourself.

Myth #6: Vikings had horns on their helmets.

Despite popular shows portraying them as having horns in their helmets, archaeologists have yet to uncover a Viking-era helmet embellished with horns.

Myth #7: Too much sugar can make someone hyper.

Studies show no evidence that too much sugar makes someone hyper. Scientists tested this theory by giving participants non-sugary sweets (but told them that there was sugar in them). Despite this, they observed that all the participants were hyper, whereas the parents felt like they were extremely hyper after consuming the sugary food.

Myth #8: Seasons are caused by the distance of Earth from the Sun.

We have four seasons on Earth, not because of the distance between the Sun, but rather the way Earth is tilted as it makes its journey around the Sun. To put it simply, when the north pole tilts towards the sun, it is Summer time in countries in the Northern Hemisphere and it is Winter time in countries in the Southern Hemisphere. When the north pole tilts away from the sun, it is Winter time in countries in the Northern Hemisphere and it is Summer time in countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

Myth #9: Bats can’t see.

The truth is, bats can see quite well using their eyes and utilize echolocation to find their way. Depending on the circumstances, bats sometimes prefer using eyesight to sound for navigation.

Myth #10: Water conducts electricity.

Pure or distilled water doesn’t conduct electricity well at all. Only water that is contaminated by minerals, dirt, and other things will conduct electricity.