tag: myths
24 proofs
0.999... (with 9s repeating forever) is strictly less than 1.
2026 being divisible by 2, 3, 7, 11, 13, 17 proves it has "hidden perfect number properties."
2026 is both a "happy number" and mathematically "perfect," proving the year is cosmically special.
A mathematical model proves the world will end on a specific day in 2026.
Sources: Wikipedia: Future of Earth (synthesizing peer-reviewed astrophysics), LADbible: Chilling mathematical equation predicted world end date (Jan 2026), Live Science: How Much Longer Can Earth Support Life?
Bulls charge because they are enraged by the color red.
Sources: Jacobs et al. 1998, Visual Neuroscience (PubMed), West Texas A&M University — Science Questions with Surprising Answers, ScienceABC — Do Bulls Really Hate the Color Red?
Computers had a hidden "math glitch" preventing division by zero until it was patched in 2026.
Sources: Wikipedia: IEEE 754 floating-point standard, Wikipedia: Division by zero, OSDev Wiki: x86 Processor Exceptions
Cracking your knuckles regularly causes arthritis later in life.
Sources: Harvard Health Publishing, Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (Deweber et al. 2011), Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (Castellanos & Axelrod 1990) +1 more
Current global warming is primarily driven by natural climate cycles rather than human CO2 emissions.
Sources: NOAA Climate.gov — Are humans causing or contributing to global warming?, NOAA Climate.gov — What evidence exists that Earth is warming and humans are the main cause?, NASA Science — Is the Sun causing global warming?
Earth will lose gravity for exactly 7 seconds on August 12, 2026, causing 40 million deaths.
Sources: BGR (citing NASA spokesperson confirmation), Daily Galaxy (citing NASA statement on the hoax), NASA Space Place (NASA official educational resource on gravity)
Hair and fingernails continue to grow for days after a person dies.
Sources: BMJ Medical Myths (Vreeman & Carroll, 2007) via PMC/NCBI, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS Health), FactMyth.com
Heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects even in a perfect vacuum.
Sources: NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Science, Wikipedia: Equivalence Principle
Higher atmospheric CO2 is beneficial "plant food" with no net negative effects.
Sources: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Earth Observatory: Global Warming, NOAA Ocean Service — Ocean Acidification +2 more
Humans use only 10% of their brain at any one time.
Sources: Scientific American (Barry Gordon, Johns Hopkins), MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Neuroscience For Kids, University of Washington (Eric Chudler)
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Sources: National Weather Service (NWS), NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), NASA Spinoff +1 more
Napoleon Bonaparte stood shorter than the average Frenchman of his era.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, HowStuffWorks, History.com (A&E Networks)
The average person swallows eight spiders per year while sleeping.
Sources: Scientific American, Burke Museum — Arachnology & Entomology, Encyclopaedia Britannica +1 more
The climate has always changed — today's warming is not unusual or alarming.
Sources: NASA Science — Climate Change Evidence, NOAA Climate.gov — Climate Change: Global Temperature, IPCC AR6 via Carbon Brief +1 more
The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from space with the naked eye.
Sources: NASA, Scientific American (quoting NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman), Encyclopaedia Britannica +1 more
The human brain does not generate new neurons in adulthood.
Sources: Moreno-Jiménez et al. 2019, Nature Medicine (PubMed abstract), Kempermann et al. 2018, Cell Stem Cell (PMC), Llorens-Martín et al. 2021, Journal of Neuroscience (PMC)
The phrase "rule of thumb" originated from an old English law that allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb.
Sources: Wikipedia — Rule of thumb, Phrases.org.uk — Rule of Thumb meaning and origin, University of Oregon — Rule of Thumb essay (Prof. J.J. Freund) +1 more
The Pyramid of Giza was built by slaves.
Sources: CBS News — More Evidence Slaves Didn't Build Pyramids, AAP FactCheck — The pyramids of Giza were not built by slaves, Guardians.net — Zahi Hawass: Discovery of the Tombs of the Pyramid Builders
You must eat animal protein to meet daily protein needs effectively.
Sources: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Melina et al. 2016 (PMID 27886704), Nutrients 2019: Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets — A Review (PMC6893534), Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials: Complete Proteins
You must wait at least 30 minutes after eating before swimming or you will suffer dangerous cramps.
Sources: Duke Health (Duke University Health System), UAMS Health (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences), Encyclopaedia Britannica +1 more
You need to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily for optimal health regardless of thirst.
Sources: PubMed — Valtin H. (2002) 'Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.' Really? Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 283(5):R993–R1004, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Salt, and Potassium press release, Tufts Medicine — Medical Myths: Drink 8 Glasses of Water Each Day (2022)