Debunked Science Myths

Tom Feltham Explains Why These Five Things are Science Myths

1) We only use 10% of our brains

Probably one of the most popular biological myths, the fact that humans supposedly use only 10% of their brains has been misattributed to Albert Einstein and for many years has lead to the notion that people can tap into this unused potential therefore increasing their intelligence markedly. Of course, this claim has been refuted through arguments such as the widespread effects of brain damage, the evolutionary cost of an inactive portion of the brain and finally through magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity.

 

2) Men think about sex every ten seconds

Another popular culture myth, and one often brought out to highlight the simple minds of us Y chromosome carriers. In reality the figure is closer to once every couple of hours. Much better. Researchers have found that the steamy part of the male mind is only engaged around 13 times a day which, let’s face it, is probably on par with thoughts of envy for Tom Selleck’s moustache or those of animosity towards the ‘TV show’, Loose Women.

 

3) Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis

In my memory, kids who could crack their knuckles were always the envy of the playground. The only comfort for those who could not perform this mystical act was that they would not get arthritis (well, that was my slightly nerdy and misinformed comeback). In fact, this is another old wives tale that has fallen foul of scientific fact. Many studies have shown no correlation in the occurrence of arthritis in knuckle crackers compared to the rest of us. In fact, the doctor Donald Unger cracked the knuckles of his left hand for fifty years while leaving his right hand crack free. No arthritis formed in either hand and he was awarded the 2009 Ig Nobel Prize in medicine.

 

4) Dropping a penny from the Empire State Building can kill someone

This one falls down on the nemesis of physics myths: terminal velocity. This is the maximum speed an object can achieve whilst falling and, in the case of a penny, is a measly 65 miles per hour. Studies have shown that a penny travelling at this speed fails to cause any penetration into a ballistics gel head with a human skull. Further failings are revealed when you consider the architecture of the Empire State Building; its tiered roofs of lower floors would prevent any object from being ‘dropped’ to street level.

 

5) The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure visible from space

This is perhaps the vaguest of myths on the list due to the difficulty in defining where people consider the earth’s atmosphere to end and space to begin. In close orbit, some of man’s finest accomplishments can be seen such as the BP oil slick and the congested runways of many a busy airport.
Inspiring.