35 Scientists Share That “One Science Fact” They Wish The Whole World Would Know
Each and every single one of us has at least one pearl of wisdom that we feel needs to be shared with everyone else. Something that the world definitely needs to hear. A piece of information, a tiny parcel of a fact that might change everything for the better. Scientists are no different in that regard. They do, however, have access to far more interesting facts and revelations than anyone not from their field. From biology, physics and chemistry to medicine and beyond.
Today, we're bringing you a whole host of intriguing science facts and opinions about science. All those brainy and bright scientists shared their insights under the #MyOneScienceTweet hashtag, started by entomologist Dalton Ludwick, and it’s eye-opening, to say the least.
Scroll down, upvote the facts you thought were the most illuminating, and let us know in the comments what you think. We can’t wait to hear your top science facts, too, Pandas!
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about the way good scientists should approach things and why there have recently been more people mistrusting science in general, so we reached out for a chat to Steven Wooding, a member of the Institute of Physics in the UK. He is also a member of the Omni Calculator Project which hosts a lot of interesting and frankly fun tools like the Weird Units Converter.
To start things off, Steven shared with Bored Panda the most interesting science fact that he knows: "A photon created at the sun's center takes up to 100,000 years to get to the surface but then only 8 minutes to get to Earth. Due to the density of the sun, the newly created photon encounters an atom after a few millimeters; it is absorbed then re-emitted in a random direction. So most of the time, it will not be making progress towards the surface. Once in the emptiness of space, most photons make an uninterrupted journey to Earth." We're willing to bet you probably didn't know that, dear Pandas.
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Steven told Bored Panda that the fundamental basis of the scientific method involves proposing an idea of how the world works and then proving it by experiment. In short, scientists have to set their egos and feelings aside for the sake of getting a step or two closer to the truth. However, that's far easier said than done! We sometimes forget that scientists are human beings just like we are.
"To be a good scientist, you have to be open to your original notion being wrong. However, scientists are also humans, so it can be incredibly tough emotionally to accept that you are wrong. It's best to look at the bigger picture of human knowledge and progression. You being proved wrong will help focus effort on other ideas that might be correct. In this way, you play your part in building knowledge," the scientist explained.
It's impossible to argue against this and it a good explanation of why god doesn't exist. If it created us to be the master species, why did it make us so selfish and irresponsible as a whole? "I have created people to destroy this planet in a relatively short period of time. Not one of my best ideas, but I've had enough, really."
Steven agrees with the idea that there generally seems to be less trust in scientists and science itself by the public. "You have to have an open mind to accept ideas from others. A great example is the flat earthers. They what to check and verify that the Earth is round by themselves and don't trust anything anyone says on the subject," he pointed out how some people can be misguided.
"One reason for mistrust in the latest science is that the public see the scientific method playing out in real-time. As more data comes in, the scientists change what they say, which can confuse the public. They may see a scientist admit they were wrong, which raises doubts about everything scientists say. A better understanding of the scientific method would certainly help the public's trust in science," the expert shared a possible reason for all the mistrust.
A major study published this week estimated 1.2 million deaths last year from drug-resistant infections. That's more than malaria or AIDS and it's only getting worse.
Drives me nuts when people complain about scary "chemicals" or "toxins", but are completely unable to say exactly which chemical is bad or why. Or assume anything with a long scientific name is bad. Just consider the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide, it causes thousands of deaths and millions in property damage, but that doesn't mean we should ban it.
One thing that many of us are likely to agree on is that the flood of information in the Digital Age can be overwhelming at times. It sometimes makes us dream of running away to an uninhabited island that doesn’t have tech or internet access. Alas! Not everyone has that luxury.
So the next best alternative is learning to navigate the choppy waters of information overload. We’ve got to learn to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources, and learn to fight back against our diminishing attention spans.
This. February 2020 to January 2022, for example. New/more data means you change conclusions. If it's science.
Entertainment and pop culture expert Mike Sington from Hollywood knows all about how info overload, especially on social media, can make it hard for some of us to distinguish between facts and fiction. Earlier, he went into detail with Bored Panda about some of the red flags we should watch out for, indicating that a fact or source isn’t trustworthy.
"Red flags to watch out for that a claim may be fake: it's outlandish, it's too good to be true, you haven't seen the claim anywhere else, you've never heard the source, the source isn't reputable, you can't find two other sources making the same claim, your gut tells you, 'this can't be true,'" Mike shared.
Just 100 corporations are responsible for 71% of global emissions. So stop blaming the population. Start with the 100 corps. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change
Less than 10 percent will ever wake up at all. If you have to do CPR and the person still dies, you didn't do anything wrong. Do not feel any guilt.
"The rise of social media has decreased the reliability of information because misinformation can spread so quickly before it can be corrected," the entertainment industry expert shared.
Even a simple Google check can help fight back against the spread of misinformation. If you take the time to double-check something that sounds iffy, you’re better off than you’d be if you just straight-up believed it. If you can’t find any reliable sources backing up the ‘fact,’ odds are that it’s fake.
Yes! It's just a few people every year that gets killed by a shark, humans on the other hand kill lots of sharks all the time. They are of utterly importance to the oceans!
This should be #1. The biggest problem in science is biases because it cripples growth. The Earth remained the center of the universe for 1000s of years longer than it should because we knew that it was true. Millions of women die unnecessarily every year from heart attacks because the entire detection and treatment regime was developed on men. Contextual biases like racial profiling have dramatically affected the African American community's treatment options for chronic diseases. Way too much psychological theory is all based on first world1 8-22 year old college students who, unsurprisingly, do not reflect the overall psychological spectrum of our planet. How many of us can say our own psyche worked the same at 8, 18, 38, and 88? Outright racism gave Hitler proof the Jews were inferior.
Mike suggests that everyone should remain skeptical and try to find additional evidence and supporting sourcing before reposting any bit of info. Otherwise, they might be contributing to the problem. “Amplification doesn’t make a claim true or accurate," he said that just because a lot of people believe something doesn’t make it true.
The expert pointed out that the personally trusts the Associated Press, Reuters, and The New York Times the most. "They employ fact-checkers and editors that ensure the information they post is correct. They’re basically doing the research and homework for you," he told Bored Panda.
100%. I don't know a single domestic cat who's ever been responsible for a wind farm.
many research scientists have autism. Some research scientists work in health. Therefore, autism causes vaccines.
I do miss when Asperger's was separate though, made for a lot less assumptions when you explained to people why I'm a bit off
Oh my god thank you. As someone on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum, I struggle with this a lot even though I know the facts. I’m high functioning enough not to need constant help (other than behavioral therapy as a child) but I still have sensory issues, cognitive issues and lacking social skills that get in the way of daily life. But to most people I don’t “look” autistic and so most are actually surprised to learn it. Sometimes I feel like I’m being in-genuine with vocalizing my diagnosis because of this, even though it is valid and real.
Or when NTs reply "oh you know that's the same for me" when you try to explain some of your issues and you don't look "autistic enough". 😐
Load More Replies...I'm pretty sure I'm on the spectrum as well. I just have way too many peculiarities that line up, compared to most other people. It honestly helps to know, because a lot of the time, you end up asking, "what's wrong with me?" And there's nothing wrong, per-say, you're just a little different.
I will start this with this is just MY OPINION... Being a late diagnosed Autistic female at 32 in the UK. I personally hate all the stuff like different abled. It IS a disability - it causes problems and things that must be overcome because society does not fit with Autism. If I didn't have my partner I wouldn't have had any help at all, I was given my diagnosis and just left. I was told there's no adult support. If it's not a disability then I think people are then just trying to soften and make light of just how much I struggle every single F-ing day. It's exhausting, often humiliating, hard life. Some things are better - I make for a better driver, I notice more, my whole family would rather me drive than anyone else but those pluses are few and far between for me. The hardships way outweigh them and that, for me, must make Autism a disability. It's hard, we need help wherever we are on the spectrum. Well.. there's my 2 pennies and a bit of a rant.
It is NOT a diagnosis, It is simply a description of behaviour. Before you can 'treat' it you need to know the cause
To anyone who thinks Autism (and other learning dissabilities) doesn't really exist because of some kind of spectrum that anyone can fall onto... they are wrong. It's not a brain disease, it is a measurable, testable, disability with very specific markers that have to be met. Being tidy, or messy, or fast or slow are not measurements used, but rather IQ vs, ability, vs knowledge, vs capability to execute an action, all in measurable quantities can lead to a testable diagnosis. Autism is not a weird person without social skills, its an actual physical and psychological disorder and disability that everyday people can deal with, and achieve better lives once they know how to.
When I was getting my Masters in Teaching Special Ed, I read an awesome article explaining that autism isn't as easily explained as a spectrum. The article reads, "one of the distinguishing features of autism is what the DSM-V calls an 'uneven profile of abilities.' There’s a reason people like to say that 'if you have met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.' Every autistic person presents slightly differently." As a special Ed teacher, this really helped me understand the nuances of Autism and even other disabilities! https://www.google.com/amp/s/neuroclastic.com/its-a-spectrum-doesnt-mean-what-you-think/%3famp
Me on my way to sneeze on you to give you autism: police-cla...d8ddcf.jpg
Thank you! It's called Autism Spectrum Disorder. As a SPED teacher and over the last 10 years, every kids I've worked with that's had Autism has been very distinct and individual.
One reason I always hated the anger outpoured on the incel movement is that the reason many "involuntary celibates" are involuntarily celibate is that much of the behavior of some individuals with asperger's syndrome and other mild "on-the-spectrum conditions" is hated as "creepy." And, sometimes it is. I have known an AS person who decided paying unwanted attention wasn't as lonely as paying no attention at all. Tying to the previous issue, is legalized prostitution the answer? Or does that just breed more anger and frustration when the AS person goes home alone and unloved anyway? I don't know whether the AS person I knew turned to prostitution or not, but I do know he frequented strip clubs and still harassed women around him. I know that some of the women he harassed and knew of his strip-club habits still simultaneously felt victimized by him and sorry for him. I also don't mean to typify AS people by him; I know others who just suffer intensely.
If every stage of autism is shown, surely it's just a name for people being different to an arbitrary (and probably wrong) definition of "normal"
My twin brother is on the autism spectrum, and I might be too.
There are so many levels of autism that you could put everybody in the world on the scale. If you sort your CD's or films in a certain order (I know most people don't have them any more!) Or you hang your tools up in your shed or garage in a neat order or your child lines their toys up in a specific order then you could be placed on the autism scale.
... wouldn't even call it a disability. But then again, I'm not diagnosed ... so maybe, being a light case likely, I may not have the full picture from inside ... cannot share inside views, sadly, either ... anyway, autism is not always bad, but often made to be bad by pressuring children (well, starting when you're children ... they don't stop that) to "fit in", not even only in cases the nonfitting causes any trouble, but just because. Shattered my belief in authority when I was like 5 years old ... couldn't have worded it so, but I pretty early got that any title or badge giving you power over other individuals is likely undeserved and unjustified, at least not earned, but just given and taken and used, often abused.
That's going to REALLY suck for people with lisps.
Load More Replies...Saying all autistic people have "gifts" is stereotypical. Some of us just don't and that's fine too.
Load More Replies..."There are literally too many online sources to list that can’t be trusted and should be avoided. Anyone can basically post anything they want… proceed with caution.”
Mike noted that our attention spans have been “reduced to mere seconds at a time.” That’s because this is the way that information and entertainment are fed to us right now.
“People get tiny bite-sized bits of news by scrolling a Twitter feed, they entertain themselves by scrolling quickly through Instagram and TikTok. It’s creating a habit that doesn’t have to be," he warned.
"The good news is there’s plenty of long-form entertainment and news available, you just have to seek it out. I believe the benefit is worth it. I’ve discovered it improves your ability to focus, it’s more calming, you retain more information, and it gives you a more balanced and nuanced view of the world."
Again . . . birth control would reverse this cycle. Human answer to just about everything is MORE MORE MORE, and supply will NEVER keep up . . .
I work in a hospital lab, we run 24/7 to get results for patients. We get almost no recognition despite how qualified and hard we all work. Hospitals would not be able to operate without us, unless you just want to guess how sick people actually are. Same goes for pharmacy
This is why the US practice of 8 weeks of maternity leave is so damaging. I firmly believe that one parent needs to stay with kids until they're old enough for school, and it doesn't matter which parent. The fact that families now need two full-time incomes to survive is proof that capitalism is deadly to a healthy society.
There is a whole industry about this for years. From how we can learn how to compute like a cell to collecting water like a beetle
From all of the light thrown out by the sun, a miniscule amount of it reaches the earth, but it's enough to keep the planet alive and it will do this for billions of years.
Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
Wildfires are not "bad". They have been around millions of years longer than we have. Many ecosystems ans species depend on them.
They are very bad in Australia when they have become unprecedented in size, the air quality becomes dangerous and millions of animals are lost to the flames
Load More Replies...Just 222 (including mine) up - vote clicks??????????????? What does it tell you about people?
So cool to come on here to relax and see people arguing that cats have done nothing wrong and in fact dogs are the real monsters, and we shouldn’t do anything to keep cats in check but also it’s entirely your fault that pollution exists and corporations are not responsible at all.
Actually humans population need to be kept in check, they destroy everything thousands of species extinct thanks to humans
Load More Replies...From medicine: No, WebMD is not more accurate than "real doctors". You get a few dunces in any field, but some diseases are harder to pin down than you think, b/c they all start with "aches and fatigue" or such.
I need to disagree in that one. It is important to take what you read online with skepticism. And to use trustworthy sources (like PubMed). But doctors are very very uneducated when it comes to non basic illneses (flu, cold...). And are very often dismissive of their patients. So for many, the only chance of diagnosis and improvement is to do their own research and then find a specialist in that area. Believe me, it took me 10 years to get diagnosed with endometriosis with textbook symptoms just because nobody listened to me. And thats the case for most chronic or not obvious diseases. Most doctors prefer to lie and say that you are healthy than to admit that they dont know something.
Load More Replies...#3 You're talking about hybridization, NOT genetically engineering, which is what GMO products are. GMO soy and corn have been genetically engineered to accept glyphosate aka herbicide ROUNDUP and not whither and die. And these GMO crops ABSORB that herbicide! And WE ingest it. GMO foods are not innocuous. They are NOT natural. They are genetically engineered by man and are no longer 'natural'. No longer 'normal'. They've been tinkered with and have had genes inserted that don't belong and were never there naturally. So stop saying GMO is natural. It isn't. Hybridization is natural. Genetically engineering is not.
If you actually support data based policies and personal experience in regards to prostitution, you wouldn't be supportive of it. 9 out of 10 women want to leave the industry, the average age of entry is 13, prostituted women have higher rates of PTSD than veterans, many of them are murdered at the hands of pimps and John's, the younger the girl, they higher price they fetch. THOSE ARE FACTS.
Its funny how conservatives find so much "anger" in people disagreeing with them but mock others for being "emotional"
Load More Replies...Wildfires are not "bad". They have been around millions of years longer than we have. Many ecosystems ans species depend on them.
They are very bad in Australia when they have become unprecedented in size, the air quality becomes dangerous and millions of animals are lost to the flames
Load More Replies...Just 222 (including mine) up - vote clicks??????????????? What does it tell you about people?
So cool to come on here to relax and see people arguing that cats have done nothing wrong and in fact dogs are the real monsters, and we shouldn’t do anything to keep cats in check but also it’s entirely your fault that pollution exists and corporations are not responsible at all.
Actually humans population need to be kept in check, they destroy everything thousands of species extinct thanks to humans
Load More Replies...From medicine: No, WebMD is not more accurate than "real doctors". You get a few dunces in any field, but some diseases are harder to pin down than you think, b/c they all start with "aches and fatigue" or such.
I need to disagree in that one. It is important to take what you read online with skepticism. And to use trustworthy sources (like PubMed). But doctors are very very uneducated when it comes to non basic illneses (flu, cold...). And are very often dismissive of their patients. So for many, the only chance of diagnosis and improvement is to do their own research and then find a specialist in that area. Believe me, it took me 10 years to get diagnosed with endometriosis with textbook symptoms just because nobody listened to me. And thats the case for most chronic or not obvious diseases. Most doctors prefer to lie and say that you are healthy than to admit that they dont know something.
Load More Replies...#3 You're talking about hybridization, NOT genetically engineering, which is what GMO products are. GMO soy and corn have been genetically engineered to accept glyphosate aka herbicide ROUNDUP and not whither and die. And these GMO crops ABSORB that herbicide! And WE ingest it. GMO foods are not innocuous. They are NOT natural. They are genetically engineered by man and are no longer 'natural'. No longer 'normal'. They've been tinkered with and have had genes inserted that don't belong and were never there naturally. So stop saying GMO is natural. It isn't. Hybridization is natural. Genetically engineering is not.
If you actually support data based policies and personal experience in regards to prostitution, you wouldn't be supportive of it. 9 out of 10 women want to leave the industry, the average age of entry is 13, prostituted women have higher rates of PTSD than veterans, many of them are murdered at the hands of pimps and John's, the younger the girl, they higher price they fetch. THOSE ARE FACTS.
Its funny how conservatives find so much "anger" in people disagreeing with them but mock others for being "emotional"
Load More Replies...