“Boost Your Knowledge”: 50 “Facts” That Are Actually Not True, Shared By This Twitter Account
Just because something’s repeated on the internet or in the classroom over and over again doesn’t automatically make it true. New research helps to constantly update our understanding of the world, but far from everyone gets the memo. And while some science lovers stay up-to-date with the newest and freshest discoveries, others cling on to old ‘facts’ that might no longer be true.
The internet’s full of ridiculous ‘facts’ and bro-science that sound logical but are anything but the moment you start digging just a bit deeper. And the ‘Myth Vs Fact’ Twitter account helps debunk popular internet myths by contrasting them with the truth.
Scroll down for some myth vs. fact comparisons and let us know in the comments which of these took you by surprise. Were there any myths that you took for facts? Are there any myths that weren’t mentioned that you think all Pandas should know about? Tell us all about it in the comments.
Bored Panda had a chat about scientific myths and facts with Steven Wooding, a member of the Institute of Physics in the UK, a member of the Omni Calculator team, and the creator of the Weird Units Converter. He told us that in areas where our knowledge is lacking, we can't immediately tell if something is a lie or not. "Most people then default to thinking the myth is true because they believe it is too much effort to check it out," he said.
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Steven, from the Omni Calculator team, explained to Bored Panda that in modern times, we have a much easier time accessing and double-checking information. For instance, in the past, you'd need to go to the library. Meanwhile, "we now have Google and Wikipedia and can quickly debunk most things." However, that doesn't automatically mean that someone will spend their time making sure a fact is actually correct.
"A lot of people still don't take that step. It should get better over time. Facts will win in the end," Steven said.
Depression causes so many health issues, sadly resulting in many deaths. I just wished we addressed mental health as much as we address other illnesses...
Steven agrees that keeping up with every new scientific finding is probably a full-time job these days. He suggests not stressing out too much about it.
"Focus on subjects and areas that interest you and seek out news about them," he told Bored Panda. "It is essential to appreciate that human knowledge is just today's best answer, but the answer may change tomorrow. Hopefully, the fundamentals don't change much, but relatively new sciences can and do change rapidly."
He effectively bought the patent and improved it, but it still would’ve been pretty useless without Tesla.
Of course We use all of our brain, we use multiple parts of our brain at any given moment. (Each section uses approx. %10 at a time). Give or take. Different areas of the brain have different functions, so depending on what you're doing at the moment will determine which parts of it you will use. Edit: I could be mistaken but I was watching a documentary on these sort of tests so it could have changed since then. I'm constantly researching things I'm curious about, even the stupid things lol. Sometimes it's not always correct.
According to Steven, from the Omni Calculator project, the myths that tend to get repeated the most are usually the ones that offer simple answers, whereas more complicated ones are actually closer to the truth.
"For example, the 'world population is growing exponentially.' No, it's not. The growth rate is now half of what it was in 1965, and in some developed countries, the population is falling, " he said, noting that Europe, North America, China, Japan, and Australia all have birth rates below the required replacement rate. "So the basic 'fact' of the myth is wrong, and the reality is a lot more complicated."
The ‘Myth Vs Fact’ Twitter page has nearly 90k followers which is an impressive feat, considering that the account was created very recently, in June 2022. The project is a good primer to get your curiosity revved up and to get you doing your own research about the topics that interest you.
It’s impossible to portray every single scientific nuance on any question in a tiny Twitter post, so take some of the myth vs. fact pairings with a tiny grain of salt: there’s always a slightly broader context to be aware of. For instance, the Great Wall of China really can’t be from space, unless you use magnification… and even then, the conditions have to be pretty much perfect.
Meanwhile, carrots can improve your eyesight only under certain conditions. However, carrots don’t actually have the near-mystical qualities that you might have heard about in popular culture. So, when asked whether carrots actually improve your eyesight, you’d be better off saying yes and no, leaning more towards the latter. But nuance doesn’t always make for good social media content because brevity is key there.
Wasn’t that propaganda from WWII to hide their having radar from the Germans?
i saw a long video all about this and it is actually partially true. Rechargeable batteries deteriorate more when they are at full charge or when they're very low on charge. They're "happiest" at around 50% charge. Most batteries are capable of holding much more charge than they do but they limit them to lengthen it's life in the long run (explains why you sometimes see other batteries the exact same physical size that somehow hold more charge. It does so at the expense of longevity) So, if you leave your phone on charge over night it will stay at 100% all night wearing it out slightly quicker than unplugging it letting the charge run down a bit. They said either way won't make a HUGE difference due to the charging limits manufacturers apply but keeping your battery around 50% all the time would increase it's life a little bit but it's not really practical to do so.
Bored Panda has spoken about media literacy, the reliability of information, as well as fact-checking quite a few times now. A while back, we got in touch with Lee McIntyre from the Center of Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. Lee noted that repetition plays a key part in what we accept as the truth.
"Repetition is important in making us believe things, whether they are true or not. There is a cognitive bias called the 'illusory truth effect' which is when we are repeatedly exposed to false information over and over and, over time, it begins to seem more plausible," he said that the idea has been on people’s radars since antiquity.
"Social psychologists have known since the 1960s that repetition works, for truth or falsity. In fact, this idea goes back to Plato who said that it didn't hurt to repeat a true thing. And of course, for falsehood, this was one of the main propaganda tactics in Nazi Germany, where Hitler's propaganda minister understood the 'repetition effect.’" People begin to believe falsehoods if they’re repeated over and over (and over) again.
Even well-educated individuals can sometimes fall prey to these biases and fallacies. "I understand cognitive bias, yet last election season I kept seeing signs for the same candidate running for local office around my town. I thought, 'Wow, I guess everyone is voting for her.' It turns out I was just walking my dog in the neighborhood where she lived, and her friends and neighbors had up lots of signs! So I fooled myself,” Lee shared an example from his own life with Bored Panda.
The expert mentioned that it would be absolutely exhausting to fact-check every single piece of news that we hear. That’s why we have to learn to pick the right news sources. “In fact, insisting on this degree of skepticism is something that demagogues use to get us to be cynical, because when we doubt that it is possible to know the truth—even when it is staring us in the face—we are riper to their manipulation. So I'd say the best thing with news is to do a little investigation into finding a reliable source," he said.
"Look for an organization that does investigative journalism (and doesn't just repeat information from other sources), double sources its quotations, discloses conflicts of interest, etc. Once we've found that we can relax a bit and trust the reporting behind the stories. Do we still need to be on guard? Yes. Even The New York Times can make mistakes. Or individual reporters can have biases. But that doesn't mean 'all sources are equal.'"
The reality is likely that people who microwave all or most of their food tend to eat more processed (less healthy) food in the first place. Correlation more than causation.
Lee shared some questions that everyone should be asking themselves when on social media and reading the news: “Is the story copyrighted? Is it dated? Is there a byline? Are other stories by the author solid? Is it published in a source that has been reliable in the past? Does it seem plausible—if not then you can do some research. Will we get fooled sometimes in doing this? Yes. But we're going to get fooled sometimes anyway”
He continued: “It's analogous to how scientists form their beliefs. They are skeptics, but they also—at some point when the evidence is sufficient—give their assent. Scientists deal with warrant, not 'proof.' They are what philosophers call 'fallibilists.' You give your belief to things that are well-sourced with evidence, while always holding out the possibility that if further evidence comes to light that contradicts your belief, you should give it up because you might be wrong."
Even in a wind tunnel. I did this as a complete beginner, the guy was like “watch me and do what I do.” Okay. Except the second I stepped into the tunnel, both my contacts flew out of my eyes and stuck to the inside of my goggles. So now all I can see is a vague blurry blue and pink thing waving at me. He was probably yelling too, but as stated, you cannot hear anything but your own thoughts of “f**k”.
Meanwhile, media expert Mike Sington reiterated the fact that it’s vital to check which sources are reliable. He told Bored Panda that the sources that he personally trusts are the Associated Press, Reuters, and The New York Times.
"They employ fact-checkers and editors that ensure the information they post is correct. They’re basically doing the research and homework for you. 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.”
Some red flags that indicate a claim might be completely made up, according to Mike, include: "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.’”
As social media continues to become even more widely used, it’s had a negative effect on the reliability of information. That’s because misinformation can spread just as quickly as—if not quicker than—the truth.
The media expert told Bored Panda that you should kick things off by doing a simple Google search if you doubt the veracity of a fact. If you’re not able to find any additional evidence to support a claim or if you doubt the reliability of the sources, you ought to remain skeptical.
"Do this and think before reposting or you may be contributing to the problem. Amplification doesn’t make a claim true or accurate.”
It is long enough to be seen from space but it is not wide enough. Most don't realize that you need to two dimensions that are large enough for something to be seen from a specific distance.
You catch disease when your imunity system is eager to catch any disease. When you are weakend it is more likely you get ill more than when your imunity is boosted. But that's a known fact.
"boosted immune system" is also called "allergy". Tedious hearing this "immune booster" myth all the time.
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Actually, that 'fact' has already been debunked as not true by the medical profession. Cold and flu viruses thrive in cold weather, cold weather changes the way our bodies respond to diseases, therefore yes, it is easier to catch a cold in cold weather.
Yes but it’s not caused by the cold weather itself, there has to be a virus present. And you can catch a virus in other seasons, not just when it’s cold.
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Cold viruses survive longer in cooler temperatures and because more people remain indoors in the cooler weather, people are more likely to get infected.
It has existed as a myth but there is plenty of evidence that you are more likely to get sick with a virus if you are cold for a period as this reduces the immune system's effectiveness. Many of the FACTS here are dubious and certainly not scientific.
Exactly!! And the problem is that many people will just take them as it is. This is supposed to help combat the spread of false rumors but they are very misleading themselves.
Load More Replies... Actually the "myth" here isn't a myth. Your immune system isn't quite as effective when it's cold so you are slightly more vulnerable to catching viruses like a cold therefore it is "easier". Also in winter months people aren't exposed to sunlight as much lowering your Vitamin D level which also effects your immune system. People tend to gather in groups indoors more in winter further increasing transmission.
thank you. When you are "cold" your body temperature is still 36 C ... you don't magically go into hypothermia in winter unless you are naked out in the snow. Really now. You just FEEL cold because your skin is picking up energy leaving at a higher rate. So the change to your metabolism must be minimal.
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I think it's more about people being indoors and closer to each other when it's cold out allowing for the virus to spread quicker/easier.
This "myth" is true. Studies have found that viruses spread by way of air currents more in cold weather. The denser cold air causes the viruses to stay airborne longer.
This belief comes from the fact that almost all viruses have a protective layer of fat around the virus particles (viron). In warmer weather, that fat layer melts away quicker, exposing the viron which makes the virus die off quicker. So in theory, transmission is more difficult. The warmth from our own body heat could kill it before it could infect us. In cold weather, the fat layer doesn't melt off quite so easily. That's just the theory though. None of it's been proven.
Uh, really doubtful of this... The only fat layer around viruses that I'm aware of is the layer of cell membrane that some viruses obtain when exiting ("budding" from) the infected cell. So it should "melt" as much as regular cell membranes do... which is to say, not much at all. In fact they are *supposed* to be liquid and moving, and the molecules are arranged in such a way that they can't really "drop" off.
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What influence it in winter is the fact that people stay indoors more (better circulation of viruses among a group) and the decrease of sunlight used by our immune system to function optimally
But when it's cold, you're more likely to be indoors with lots of other people, with the windows closed. That increases your chances of infection
No one said what causes colds. They said it's easier to catch them when it's cold. This is true.
Actually, when it's colder, the droplets from mucoses don't try as fast as when it's hot. So when it's colder the viruses can spread more because they exist in the air longer.
The "myth" is true. Flu season is when it is cold, people get sick more easily when it is cold, also less sunlight to disinfect surfaces Also, less sunlight leads to low vitamin d leads worse immune system
It's more about the way people congregate inside when it's cold, rather than the actual climate.
It's easier to catch a cold when it's cold because everyone is inside breathing the same recirculated air, so a virus can spread more easily.
The cold is the rhinovirus, 99% of humanity carries the rhinovirus at all times. When the immune system begins to weaken, for example when you get cold and your core temperature drops, you become more susceptible to the virus rearing its head. This has been proven by studies from multiple universities.
The left side wording is 100% wrong. Viruses can't survive in hotter temperatures. They thrive in the winter and are much easier to spread. So it is actually easier to catch a cold when it's cold.
Sorry to be "that guy" but: Many viruses, including rhinovirus -- the usual culprit in the common cold -- and influenza, remain infectious longer and replicate faster in colder temperatures. That's why these viruses spread more easily in winter. Wearing a heavy coat won't necessarily make a difference.
People often mistake a runny nose during the winter for the beginning of a cold. We get runny noses from our sinuses getting dried out from the heat. Run a humidifier in the winter to prevent this.
A rhinovirus is more likely to get past your first line of defense when your mucous membranes are dry, which is more likely to occur at lower temperatures.
so it’s everyone all huddled inside with recirculated air that gets more people sick during the winter huh?
How come there's a "cold and flu" season during the winter months? Or is that a myth as well?
This myth is not a myth. Yes, the common cold is caused by a virus. However, that virus thrives in slightly lower temperatures than our standard body temperature. Thus, the rhinovirus is more successful when our bodies are colder. Hence, being cold actually makes it easier to catch a cold.
Right, but those viruses are IN YOU at all times. And your immune system isn't so effective when you're cold.
For all your toxin cleansing needs, please refer to the liver. On a serious note, toxins is a unhelpful ambiguous term. Urine for example removes waste from your body, but also excess water. As you may have heard, too much water can actually kill you, is water considered a toxin then? Many substances in your body are both vital but also often discarded in order to keep the necessary concentrations. Basically the whole concept is weird and bogus, your body constantly produces waste as a nirmal part of life, reabsorbs certain parts, discards others. Anything capable of hanging around in your body and also doing you harm will not be helped by sweating thats for sure, but with stuff like heavy metal poisoning thats the point, your body cant get rid of it so it accumulates. Anything your body doesn't want and CAN yeet, it swiftly will, wether you like it or not.
And technically makes you colder since the dilated blood vessels loose heat faster.
You do know that sneezing and coughing are not purely down to illness, right?
Excellent. I can’t gain weight to save my life, a great excuse to nap after every meal.
Note: this post originally had 56 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
This list is rubbish. I can't believe anyone believes in most of these "myths".
So many of these "truths" are just downright wrong too. So that shows BP staff have plenty of time to go through anything and get rid of nasty words like "die" or "D**k" but can't be bothered to quality check anything.
Load More Replies... And you think they'd care why? Copied content from another place, check, got you to read to the end, check, pushed loads of adverts and trackers at you while you read all of the content, check, got you to interact with the content boosting their page rankings, check.
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I do recommend The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. It is full of myth/facts like this with great explanations and interesting (real) facts. And is funny too! :)
Almost half of the images are cropped and miss an important part of the text. I had to use Google Lens to find the original uncropped images. It also would have been nice if these sources were credited.
This is Bored Panda. They don't credit their sources. They steal other people's work and pass it off as their own.
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What are the sources for the facts? Without reference- I don't have any way of believing many of them.
Most of this list is fooey! However, waking up to Ride of The Valkarie would send me into cardiac arrest.
Just another example of BP's agenda to push garbage at the public in order to keep their (useless, overpaid) jobs. Apparently nobody bothered to fact check the "truths" before stupidly posting them.
A lot of this stuff is nonsense. As a whole, the post is pretty poor; BP editors should know better.
The best part of this post was all the mansplaining after each one. UGH.
Myth: BP always provides excellent information. Fact: What a load of garbage.
BP doesn't provide any information. As you can clearly see this was copied from Twitter, they're screenshots of Twitter posts.
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This is pathetic. A reminder than anyone can put a BP list together. And there is zero oversight. And zero accountability.
Oh Hi again Kristin. Sorry to burst your bubble again and all but you do like to make out you know all about this site. If you'd bothered to read then you'd see this 'article' is credited to a Bored Panda staff member and not some random user of the site. If you also care to look at the posts they're all copied from someone else's Twitter account. Literally screenshots. But of course you're going to tell me you and everyone else already knew that aren't you. Even though plainly you and quite a number of people don't.
Load More Replies... Not that it's not going to hurt a lot anyway. I burned my foot while in prison. (Spilled boiling -temp. water on it we used for cooking), and that hurt far worse than my broken arm ever did.
Lol. Really. They only care about you seeing ads. This site is only good for reading on the toilet when you've nothing better to read. If you're that bothered then click the link under the pictures where you get to go to the Twitter posts they copied these from.
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This list is rubbish. I can't believe anyone believes in most of these "myths".
So many of these "truths" are just downright wrong too. So that shows BP staff have plenty of time to go through anything and get rid of nasty words like "die" or "D**k" but can't be bothered to quality check anything.
Load More Replies... And you think they'd care why? Copied content from another place, check, got you to read to the end, check, pushed loads of adverts and trackers at you while you read all of the content, check, got you to interact with the content boosting their page rankings, check.
Load More Replies... I do recommend The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. It is full of myth/facts like this with great explanations and interesting (real) facts. And is funny too! :)
Almost half of the images are cropped and miss an important part of the text. I had to use Google Lens to find the original uncropped images. It also would have been nice if these sources were credited.
This is Bored Panda. They don't credit their sources. They steal other people's work and pass it off as their own.
Load More Replies... What are the sources for the facts? Without reference- I don't have any way of believing many of them.
Most of this list is fooey! However, waking up to Ride of The Valkarie would send me into cardiac arrest.
Just another example of BP's agenda to push garbage at the public in order to keep their (useless, overpaid) jobs. Apparently nobody bothered to fact check the "truths" before stupidly posting them.
A lot of this stuff is nonsense. As a whole, the post is pretty poor; BP editors should know better.
The best part of this post was all the mansplaining after each one. UGH.
Myth: BP always provides excellent information. Fact: What a load of garbage.
BP doesn't provide any information. As you can clearly see this was copied from Twitter, they're screenshots of Twitter posts.
Load More Replies... This is pathetic. A reminder than anyone can put a BP list together. And there is zero oversight. And zero accountability.
Oh Hi again Kristin. Sorry to burst your bubble again and all but you do like to make out you know all about this site. If you'd bothered to read then you'd see this 'article' is credited to a Bored Panda staff member and not some random user of the site. If you also care to look at the posts they're all copied from someone else's Twitter account. Literally screenshots. But of course you're going to tell me you and everyone else already knew that aren't you. Even though plainly you and quite a number of people don't.
Load More Replies... Not that it's not going to hurt a lot anyway. I burned my foot while in prison. (Spilled boiling -temp. water on it we used for cooking), and that hurt far worse than my broken arm ever did.
Lol. Really. They only care about you seeing ads. This site is only good for reading on the toilet when you've nothing better to read. If you're that bothered then click the link under the pictures where you get to go to the Twitter posts they copied these from.
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