When it comes to misconceptions, there are more floating around the internet than ever before. From small, factually incorrect notions, to outright lies that are on a grander scale, it is all misinformation that is being spread like wildfire.
But, of course, this being the age of the internet, it also means that just a little research can expose this nonsense for what it really is. The trick is that most internet users won’t take the time to fact check shared information, no matter how bizarre and unbelievable it sounds.
Luckily, we’ve taken the time to shed a little light on some of the more common misconceptions that are still floating around. Let’s take a look.
The Great Wall Of China
How many times have you heard that the Great Wall of China is the only manmade structure that can be seen from space? More times than you can count? Well, if you believed it you would have been chomping down on nonsense, hook line and sinker. The Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space and browsing a few images of the earth from space will quickly put that concept into perspective.
Very little of anything can be seen from orbit, let alone from what is officially referred to as being ‘outer space.’ Why this misconception got started is anyone’s guess, but it is, without question, not even close to being true.
What is curious though, is that the misconception very specifically refers to ‘manmade objects.’ It may come as somewhat of a surprise that thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions of manmade objects can be seen from space, namely the lights of all the metros across the globe. These lights are very clearly visible, and in fact rather difficult to miss.
15% Of Our Brains
Another one that is repeated so often as to eventually have become accepted fact; we only use 15% of our brains. Or, the lie is also sometimes reported as being 5% of our brains. It doesn’t take too much effort to realise that this is some pretty silly nonsense. After all, if looking at evolution has taught us anything it’s that abnormally sized brains with no purpose are against basically every example seen in nature.
But even without looking at nature, scientific research is virtually overflowing that demonstrates how much we use of our brains. Spoiler; its 100% of it. The misconception may come from the fact that parts of the brain are used for certain activities, meaning that it is rare for 100% of the brain to be used at any one given time. Since the brain is divided up, with certain parts being used for certain functions, it can be said that we only use a limited part of our brain, at any one moment in time.
But we never use as little as 15%, and if recalling an emotional story, for example, while running laps, we could use as much as 60% at one time.
Speaking of using your brain, if you want to put it to work, click to visit this site and put that grey matter to work.
Fortune Cookies Are Chinese
To be fair, it is easy to see why this has become so commonly believed. A huge number of Chinese restaurants beyond the borders of China have accepted this belief, and simply embraced it. So it is only reasonable that many continue to believe that it was the Chinese that started the tradition.
However, with a bit of research it becomes quickly clear that fortune cookies are, in fact, an American invention. As the idea caught on, the fortune cookie spread across the world, and became firmly linked to Chinese eating venues. But what is most fascinating is that in China the fortune cookie is only associated with American cuisine, which makes the situation even more confusing.
Either way, there is not much harm in this faux fact, but it is better to understand the truth of the situation.
Vitamin C Will Treat A Cold
How many times have you been told to treat your flu or cold with vitamin C? Sorry to say that vitamin C will do absolutely nothing to help you get over your sickness, though, it can’t really hurt to get a few extra doses into your body.
Instead, where vitamin C does help is in boosting the immune system. So, dosing up with a few oranges before winter is a good idea. Once you do have a cold, though, the best option when dealing with the sickness, something minor in this case, is to just ride it out, and let your body deal with it. Taking anything more than a bit of cough mixture, like antibiotics, really isn’t necessary, and may well do a great deal more harm than good.
Penguins Mate For Life
This is another that is repeated over and over, and most love the idea that it is true. But no, sorry to say it just isn’t. Although some penguin species do indeed show signs of lifetime monogamy, it is important to keep in mind that there are many different species of penguin, who all display different characteristics.
Emperor Penguins are serial monogamists, for example. Which is to say; they mate with another penguin only for as long as a season lasts. When the next season comes along, they will mate with a different penguin, and stick with it for that season.
So, this is true to some extent, but with more than a few caveats to take into consideration.
The Forbidden Fruit Is An Apple
Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit, and apple, and bit into it, right? Yes, the fruit is almost always depicted as being an apple, and that in itself deserves some serious investigation. But no, it is never mentioned as being an apple in the Bible. In fact, it is never mentioned as being anything other than forbidden fruit.
There really is no need to mention what sort of fruit it is, given that the story makes much more sense as an allegory, rather than a factual account of events.
