Sunday 28 July 2013

20 Common Misconceptions



I hate people who keep on saying stupid, unproven things. So, today I would like to clear some misconceptions widely believe by most of us.

Misconception #1 You must wait 30 minutes after eating before swimming.
Fact:No one has ever drowned because they went swimming with a full tummy. Well,you'll only feel comfortable not drown you!

Misconception #2 Brain cells can't regenerate
Fact:In 1998,scientists at the Sweden and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California discovered that brain cells in mature humans can regenerate.

Misconception #3 A penny dropped from a very high building can kill a pedestrian below.
Fact:The aerodynamics of a penny are not sufficient to make it dangerous.

Misconception #4 Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Fact:Lightning obviously favors certain areas such as high trees or buildings- the tallest object is likely to be struck multiple times until the lightning moves sufficiently far away.The Empire State Building gets struck 25 times a year.

Misconception #5 Sex during the final stage of pregnancy will harm the baby.
Fact:It is completely safe for the baby and actually can promote a healthier, speedier labor and delivery.

Misconception #6 Men think about sex once every 7 seconds
Fact:According to Kinsey Institute:
(i)54% of men think about sex once per day.
(ii)43% of men designate just a few fantasies over the course of one week.

Misconception #7 It is dangerous to use a cellphone at a gas station
Fact:There's not even a single case a cellphone causing an explosion at a gas station and no one has been able to prove that it is even possible in scientific testing.

Misconception #8 Two condoms would be better to prevent pregnancy
Fact:In reality, two condoms increases the friction between the condoms that lead to a rupture.

Misconception #9 Eating at night makes you fat!
Fact:It doesn't matter what time of day you eat,as long as you eat only the total calories that you burn each day,you will not gain weight.

Misconception #10 It is harder to lose weight than to gain weight.
Fact:
*if you eat 3500 calories more than you burn,you will gain 0.14kg
*if you burn 3500 calories more than you eat,you will lose 0.45kg

Misconception #11 Pandas eat only bamboo.
Fact: Pandas are omnivores-they'll eat anything they can catch e.g small animals & carrion.

Misconception #12 The North Pole is north and the South Pole is south.
Fact:780000 years ago,the magnetic poles of the earth were reversed (geomagnetic reversal) so,in terms of physics, North Pole is south magnetic pole while the South Pole is north magnetic pole.

Misconception #13 Catholic priests can't be married
Fact:In the Eastern Catholic Church,priests are allowed to be married-but a married priests can't become a bishop.

Misconception #14 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
Fact:The first functioning telephone was actually invented 15 years earlier by Philipp Reis-it able to transmit musical tones quite clearly;human voices faintly.

Misconception #15 Popes and the Catholic church selling an Indulgences
Fact:In the Middle Ages,forgers who were working for disobedient Bishops would write fake indulgences offering the forgiveness of sins (removal of eternal punishments) in exchange for money which was often used for church building.Popes had been trying for at least 3 centuries before the selling finally end.

Misconception #16 Earthworm becomes 2 worms when cut in half.
Fact: Only the front half of the worm (where the mouth is located) can survive.

Misconception #17 The number of people alive today is greater than the number of people who have ever died.
Fact:Most demographers peg the number of dead at approximately 60 billion.

Misconception #18 You can't keep your eyes open when you sneeze.
Fact: Some rare folks are capable of it.

Misconception #19 Jesus Christ was born on Dec 25.
Fact: Dec 25 was the winter solstice according to the old Julian calendar and it was on that day that Mithraism,a chief rival to Christianity, celebrated the birth of the ''god'', Mithra.

Misconception #20 300 Spartans defended Greece from Persia at Thermopylae
Fact:There were 300 Spartans who lay down their lives to give the rest of the Greeks a chance but there were a total of about 4000 fighting under Leonidas including willing Thesbians and unwilling Theban allies.

Source : various articles published in listverse.com, snopes.com, wikipedia.org, toptenz.net and many other websites

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