February cover story; MYTHS!

It is said that those who don't know history are condemned to repeat it - and as any history buff can tell you, much of history is something you would NOT want to repeat. However, many well-known historical "facts" are myths, with no basis in fact. Here are *15 of the most common, which have misled and misinformed people for years, decades, or centuries…..

15. Newton was hit by an apple: Apples continued to get bad press with the famous story that scientist Sir Isaac Newton was under a tree, minding his own business, when an apple fell on his head. Just as well it provided him the inspiration for the laws of gravity, or the poor apple would never be forgiven! But while the falling apple is a good story, it probably never happened. The story was first published in an essay by Voltaire, long after Newton's death. Before that, Newton's niece, Catherine Conduitt, was the only person who ever told the story. It was almost certainly an invention.


14. Be hydrated, drink 8 glasses of water: While it's a good idea to drink plenty of water, there is no scientific or medical basis for the specific amount of eight glasses per day. Water-intake needs vary from person to person, depending on age, size and amount of physical activity. We also get a fair amount of water through the foods we eat and from other beverages, so it's not always necessary to get all our fluid from drinking water.

13. Causes of Myopia: There is no single theory that satisfactorily explains myopia (lack of foresight) – in particular, studies show that "eyestrain" from close reading and computer games does not explain myopia. There is also no evidence that reading in dim light causes vision to deteriorate.
There have also been no scientific studies that link watching television to damaged vision. Sitting too close to the TV or watching in a dark room can cause eye fatigue, but not permanent damage. Eye doctors recommend sitting at least 5 feet from the TV and keeping a dim light on in the room.

12. The Great Wall of China can be seen from space: According to a number of astronauts, several man-made features, including highways and large structures, are visible from a low orbit of the Earth -- some more so than the Great Wall, in fact, which is barely distinguishable. However, once in outer space, it is impossible to see any man-made objects on the planet.

11. Taste can only be detected by taste buds: Different tastes can be detected on all parts of the tongue, with slightly increased sensitivities in different locations depending on the person, contrary to the popular belief that specific tastes only correspond to specific mapped sites on the tongue. The original "tongue map" was based on a mistranslation by a Harvard psychologist of a discredited German paper that was written in 1901.

10. We only use 10% of our brain: People do not use only ten percent of their brains. This myth is thought by some to have emerged after the discovery of glial cells in the brain, or it could have been the result of some other misunderstood or misinterpreted legitimate scientific findings, or even been the result of speculation by self-help gurus.

09. Dog’s have cleaner mouths than humans:
This notion stems from the fact that for humans, a dog bite is less likely to get infected than a bite from another human. But this has less to do with cleanliness than with the types of bacteria we harbor in our mouths. Many harmful bacteria are species-specific, so most of the bacteria in a dog's mouth is harmless to humans, but may cause an infection in another dog. Similarly, if a human bit a dog, the bite would not do as much harm as if the man bit another person. Still not convinced? Well, humans do not clean themselves with their tongues, drink out of the toilet, or carry dead animals in their mouths.

08. Shaving causes hair to grow thicker: Shaving does not cause hair to grow back thicker or coarser. This belief is due to the fact that hair wears down over time, whereas, immediately after it has grown back, it has had no time to wear. If you continue to let it grow and expose it to the sun, it will eventually match the texture and color of the hair you shaved off.

07. Cure for split ends: There is no "cure" for split ends or damaged hair. Shampoos and conditioners that advertise themselves as being able to reverse damage or reduce split ends are bogus. Scientifically, the only way to "cure" split ends is by a simple haircut. Once the cuticle of the hair shaft is split, it can often still
split, but can never be mended. Hair care products can be used to soften the texture by using fillers that attach to the hair shaft, making the hair appear healthier.

06. Mountain Dew= Glow sticks: Despite what you may have seen on YouTube, adding baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to a bottle of Mountain Dew will not make it glow in the dark. These videos are a hoax -- something else is either added to the bottle off-camera (such as the contents of a glow stick), or careful editing allows the bottle to be substituted for another with glowing contents. In any case, if you try this at home, you'll be sorely disappointed with the results.

05. Goldfish’s memory: The notion that goldfish have a memory of only three seconds is completely false. They have been trained to navigate mazes and can recognize their owners after an exposure of a few months.

04. Sugar ruins engine: Revenge is sweet, they say. And what better way to exact sweet revenge than to ruin someone's car with a bag of sugar. If you empty the bag into the gas tank, the sugar will make its way into the engine, caramelize from the heat, and then harden like rock candy once the car cools down, effectively destroying the engine ... right?
Wrong. Sugar does not dissolve in gasoline, and filters prevent any solids in the fuel from getting into the engine, so it is likely to remain intact in the gas tank. The only harm you can hope to inflict by putting sugar in someone's gas tank is the inconvenience of a trip to the mechanic to replace the fuel filters and clean out the tank.

03. In a lifetime, we unknowingly eat 8 spiders while asleep: Aren't you glad this one isn't true? Despite what you may have heard, there is no evidence that spiders secretly crawl into our mouths while we are sleeping. Hard as it may be for arachnophobes to believe, most spiders are more wary of us than we are of them. Even if you were lying perfectly still, your breathing would scare it off, so a spider is unlikely to hang out around your mouth.
We hate to break this to you, but you probably unwittingly consume more spiders when you are awake -- in your food. The Food and Drug Administration guidelines indicate a certain level of whole insects or parts are acceptable in some food products, such as those containing fruits or vegetables.

02. Elephants are afraid of mice: There is no evidence that elephants are afraid of mice, according to animal behavior experts. In fact, elephants do not appear to be very fearful, especially in the wild, where they share habitats with fierce predators such as lions and tigers. Most elephants in captivity coexist peacefully with rodents, which nest in the abundance of hay and straw and feast on the pachyderm's leftovers. Elephants can behave unpredictably in captivity, however, and are very protective of their young.

01. Chocolate causes acne breakouts: Contrary to popular belief, there is no link between eating chocolate and acne breakouts. Several scientific studies have disproved this common myth.
*Source:
Mythbusters and Wikipedia.