We learnt a lot of things when we were at school but since the world is evolving everyday, there are new things that are constantly being discovered. This means that many of the things that we learnt in school are now no longer true. Today, we have a chance to relearn a few things that might keep our knowledge in check and save us any future embarrassment.
You Can Fold Paper More Than 7 Times
We have all come across the fact that says we cannot fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 or 8 times. The reason behind this is that too much energy would be required to fold the paper more than that.
However, a California student Britney Gallivan challenged this myth and proved it to be wrong. She folded a long sheet of tissue paper in half, 12 times. She was able to do so in the same direction, too.
George Washington Did Not Have Wooden Teeth
We all must have learnt about President George Washington and how he lost the battle when it came to oral hygiene and dental issues. Our books claim that he had only one natural tooth by 1789 and that the rest of his teeth were made out of wood.
However, the truth is far more disturbing since a lot of strange things went into the making of George Washington’s denture. These things included lead, gold, and ivory, however some people suspect that some of his teeth weren’t even human and that he actually had cows and sheep’s teeth as well.
Brain Hemispheres Do Not Have An Effect On Personality
For years now, we have been taught that the left hemisphere of our brain is responsible for our logical thinking while the right hemisphere of our brain is responsible for all the creativity.
Every part of the brain has its own purpose to fulfil and there is no particular distinction as to where the logical reasoning starts and stops in the brain. The same goes for the creativity as well. This can be easily observed in people who have suffered from a stroke or undergone a traumatic brain injury.
The Three States Of Matter
Ever since we plunged into the world of science, we have learnt that there are three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. But if you step out far, far away in further regions of our atmosphere you will find a fourth state.
It’s commonly known as plasma. This element is pretty common in the universe, and it consists of highly charged particles that carry kinetic energy. In 1995, scientists generated the Bose-Einstein condensate in a lab.
There Is No Taste Map On The Tongue
According to professor Steven D. Munger of the University of Florida, the taste map on the tongue is utter nonsense. It all started when a German scientist’s findings got published in a paper in 1901. His study included a graph that misrepresented his research.
The graph kind of made it seem like the human tongue had its own “taste map” and people took it literally, so for years, everyone believed this to be true. But the receptors that can detect salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami are distributed all around your tongue.
All Dinosaurs Are Not Extinct
It may sound crazy, but not all dinosaurs were extinct 65 million years ago like we were taught in school. There are still seagulls, blue jays, hummingbirds, and pigeons flying around all over the world.
Steve Brusatte, the author of the book “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” explained, “Today’s birds evolved from dinosaurs, which makes them every bit as much of a dinosaur as T. rex or Triceratops.”
Dinosaurs Did Not Look LIke Giant Lizards
Paleontologists have discovered a few well-preserved fossils that prove dinosaurs were covered in fluffy colorful feathers. These researchers explained that they were able to identify colors when they studied these small structures known as melanosomes found in fossilized feathers.
“It’s one of the most amazing things that’s happened in my lifetime as a scientist,” explained Steve Brusatte.
Brontosaurus Was Actually A Dinosaur And Not An Apatosaurus
For over 100 years, the Brontosaurus wasn’t really considered a dinosaur. In 1879, Paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh classified it as an Apatosaurus because it shared some similarities with another specimen he had found 2 years prior.
But in 2015, a study discovered that the two fossils were inherently different. So much so, that they belonged to two different categories, so now we know that the Brontosaurus is actually a dinosaur after all.
Pluto Is Not The Only Dwarf Planet
In the 90s, scientists demoted Pluto from being a planet to being known as a Kuiper Belt Object. Ceres, another body formerly known as a planet, was reclassified as part of an asteroid belt.
But then, in 2006, scientists bumped back Ceres and Pluto and assigned them the category of “dwarf planets”.
The Salem Witches Were Not Burnt At The Stake
Apparently, no one got burned when the Massachusetts Bay Colony witch scare rolled around in 1692. Anyone believed to be a witch was occasionally burned in Europe. In England, most people got hanged. Out of 200 people who were thought to be a witch, 19 were convicted and hanged.
Only one person was believed to be crushed under stones until they passed away. Women weren’t the only ones however of being accused of delving into the supernatural. During the Salem Witch trials, 5 men were actually executed.
Napoleon Bonaparte Was Actually Not Short
At 5 foot 7, Napoleon may be considered somewhat short today. But back in the day, he was of average height. For years, the infamous conqueror was depicted as being this petty, pint-sized brat in British cartoons.
When he passed away, Napoleon was measured and was claimed to be only 5 foot 2, but in the end, this was just a mistake because of the difference between the French and British measurement systems.
The Unknown Planets In Our Solar System
NASA claims that there are 3 more dwarf planets orbiting the sun and that there are potentially hundreds of other planets and bodies that haven’t been identified. Planet X, for example, still baffles scientists. They believe it could be as big as Neptune. For now, phys.org recognizes 8 regular planets and 5 dwarf planets.
Water Does Not Flush The Opposite Way In The Southern Hemisphere
For years, people believed that the Coriolis Effect would make toilet bowls flush in the opposite way, but that’s actually false. Simply put, the Coriolis Effect is the reason why cyclones rotate and why they do so in opposite directions in the southern and northern hemispheres.
But there isn’t enough water inside a toilet bowl for this force to have any effect on it.
Neanderthals May Have Been As Smart As Us
Did you know that scientists believe that some members of the animal kingdom may have superior brains than humans? But our ancestors could also give us a run for our money. Researchers have found evidence that Neanderthals were able to make jewelry, paintings, and crafted tools that made life easier.
According to a 2017 study published in the journal Nature Communications, the poor guys were simply outnumbered by flocks of Homo sapiens that came in from Africa. Sadly, 2 species wouldn’t be able to coexist in the same space, unless one of them changes or dies out.
Blood Does Not Turn Blue With Lack Of Oxygen
Your veins might look blue on the outside but this is just a visual effect because of the way the tissue distorts the light. But the blood inside is just as red as a tomato. Blood is always red, whether it’s full of oxygen, or not. And it’s still red when it’s making its way back to our hearts through our veins, even when its oxygen-deprived.
Columbus Didn’t Discover That The Earth Is Round
According to The Washington Post, people with a strong educational background already suspected that the Earth wasn’t flat. Apparently, this was common knowledge for centuries among intellectuals. As a matter of fact, a bunch of clever ancient Greeks believed that the planet was round.
They stated their beliefs during the time of Pythagoras in the sixth century B.C.E. During the middle ages, a few Europeans still believed that the earth was flat. But this myth may have started when Washington Irving published a fictional biography about Christopher Columbus where he erroneously stated that his voyages proved that the Earth wasn’t flat.
Humans Have More Than Five Senses
Humans have the ability to take in information in many different ways. We know where our bodies are located in space thanks to Proprioception, which allows us to find balance. Kinesthetic receptors allow us to keep track of our body parts, allowing us to detect stretching in our tendons and muscles.
There are also some receptors that allow us to know how much oxygen we’ve got running through our arteries.
Gum Does Not Take 7 Years To Digest
Who knows where this myth came from, but here’s the 411 on eating gum: while it’s not healthy for you, it’ll take about a week for the average person to digest it.
Gastroenterologist, David Milov tells Scientific American that he has run into a few pieces of gum when performing endoscopies or colonoscopies. He said, “Usually it’s not something that’s any more than a week old.”
Fingernails And Hair Stop Growing After Death
Once the blood stops circulating after death, that’s the end of it. A few hours after a person dies, the corpse’s skin dries out, which means the skin retracts at the fingertips.
This creates a visual effect that makes it seem like their nails are longer. Since men’s facial skin also gets dehydrated, their 5 o’clock beard appears to look like it has grown longer. But if there is no blood circulating, there won’t be any cells to produce hair and fingernail tissue.
We Don’t Use Just 10% Of Our Brain
Brain scans show clear activity all throughout the brain. Sure, sometimes it feels like we’re running on a half tank of gas, especially when you’re trying to juggle parenthood, work, and life.
Maybe we’re a little bit slower than our peers, or perhaps, we’ve gotten a tad lazy as we’ve grown older. But no, 90% of our brain tissue isn’t there for no reason. We even use our brains when we’re resting.
The “I Before E, Except After C” Rule Does Not Always Apply
This grammar rule doesn’t always apply. Sure, it seems to work well in words like “believe,” “receive,” “perceive,” and “friend.”
But there are countless other cases where this rule would simply not work. As a matter of fact, this grammar rule would be wrong 75% of the time.
There Are A Lot Of Man-Made Structures That Are Visible From Space
This architectural wonder is impressive on all counts. But the notion that you can see the Great Wall of China from outer space is insane for many reasons. In 2003, a Chinese astronaut claimed he wasn’t able to spot it.
Many other space explorers say you can only see it if the weather conditions are on your side. Plus, there are other historical man-made structures you can see from above, such as the pyramids, a few roadways, and bridges too.
Christopher Columbus Did Not Actually Discover America
Native American tribes had already been living there for 15,000 years. Columbus wasn’t even the first European to step foot on these mysterious lands.
500 years before Columbus accidentally stumbled into America, Viking explorer Leif Erikson had already explored these lands.
The Color Lineup Of The Rainbow Is Not Actually ROYGBIV
In fact, everyone is now skipping indigo altogether. Even the LGBT pride flag is only represented by 6 colors. So why was this shade of blue included in the first place?
Well, Sir Isaac Newton believed that the number 7 had a somewhat cosmic meaning, so he believed that 7 colors would have to be put together to make white, so he included indigo, which was a very popular color dye at the time.
Thomas Edison Did Not Invent The Bulb
Humphry Davy is the man who came up with the first electric light in 1802. And in 1860, inventor Joseph Wilson Swan concocted the first working prototype of a light bulb. He used carbonized paper filaments, but his invention wasn’t without a few problems.
That’s where Edison entered the picture. He eliminated a few technical issues and came up with a more practical, cheaper, and safer prototype according to Live Science.
