Most myths have a hint of truth or common
sense to them. Since they sound like they should be true,
few people think to question or verify the accuracy of the myth. Here however are 10 common myths that have
been debunked. It’s a lovely day at the beach. That is until your friend starts splashing
and screaming. They’ve been stung by a jellyfish. You help them out of the water. As they lay on the sand trying not to cry
from the pain, you stand over them and pull down your board shorts….Stop right there. We’re putting an end to this gross myth
for once and for all. 10. Peeing on a jellyfish sting stops the stinging. Peeing on a jellyfish sting does not stop
the stinging. Actually, urine can worsen symptoms by aggravating
the stinging cells the jellyfish left behind on the victim’s skin and causing them to
release more venom. Rinsing the sting area with vinegar will greatly
lessen the pain. Then use tweezers to remove any tentacles. Then the sting area should be soaked in hot
water. If there’s no vinegar handy, rinsing a jellyfish
sting with sea water is better than nothing, but stay away from using urine. Our next myth is scientifically impossible,
but you may have heard it from your mom or grandma. 9. Don’t go outside with wet hair, you’ll
catch a cold. It’s simply not true; colds are caused by
viruses, which are transmitted through exposure to virus-causing germs which often spread
through bodily fluids. Sick people sneezing, coughing and spitting
releases respiratory droplets into the air and they may end up on surfaces. Touching surfaces that are teeming with virus-causing
germs, and then touching your mouth, or nose transfers the germs into your system. We still don’t suggest going out into the
cold with wet hair though. Not only can it be uncomfortable, it’s actually
bad for your hair. Hair is more fragile when wet and cold weather
can exacerbate hair breakage. Water molecules which have penetrated the
hair shaft will expand as they freeze, which can cause the hair to stiffen and snap. Freezing water molecules also lift the cuticle
and leave hair exposed to environmental damage. Some of us have tried myth number 8 equally
fascinated and horrified at the possibility of it actually working. 8. A penny dropped off a skyscraper can kill
a person below. Several different groups have done experiments
testing this myth; it’s simply not true. Pennies and in fact all coins are aerodynamically
unstable and tumble as they fall. The flat surface of a coin is conducive for
air pushing up on it, which limits acceleration. Pennies fall to the ground at approximately
25 mph. Being hit by a penny dropped from a skyscraper
feels like being hit by a casually tossed pebble. An ordinary item actually dangerous to drop
off a skyscraper is a metal ballpoint pen with a shirt clip. The clip acts like the fletching on an arrow
and keeps the pen pointed down. The aerodynamics of the pen can cause it to
accelerate to around 190 mph. When the pen hits, it slams into a small area
with a lot of momentum. It could quite possibly punch a hole in a
human head. Myth number 7 only seems true because of the
physical discomfort that can occur if you disobey the myth. 7. Wait at least 30 minutes to go for a swim
after eating. Supposedly after eating, the blood diverted
to your digestive tracts steals the blood needed to keep your arms and legs pumping
during swimming, making you more likely to drown. Your body does supply more blood into your
digestive system after eating to process a meal, however it’s not enough blood that
it could prevent your arms and legs from functioning properly. So, no you don’t need to wait before going
for a swim. However it is possible to get cramps, especially
if you swim when you’re very full. Our next myth is semi true, but not for the
reason people think. 6. Chameleons change color to camouflage themselves
and hide from predators. Most chameleons are born with skin that mimics
the colors and details of their native habitat, so they have a tendency to blend in. Chameleons do actually change colors, but
generally it’s to maintain a comfortable body temperature as they cannot generate their
own body heat. So a cold chameleon may become dark to absorb
more heat. A too hot chameleon may turn pale to better
reflect the sun’s rays. Chameleons also alter their coloring to communicate
with other chameleons. Males may become bright to signal their dominance. To signal ownership of territory or while
fighting for a mate, male chameleons may turn dark. Females can let males know that they’re
ready to mate by altering their coloring. Some chameleon owners learn to read their
pet's mood based on the color of its skin. However, videos or images that show chameleons
changing colors as they encounter different surfaces or changing colors to match patterns
such as a chess board are fake. We’re not sure how our next myth got started,
but fish are a lot smarter than humans think they are. 5. Fish, especially goldfish only have a 3 second
memory. Of course goldfish look bored swimming around
a tiny bowl! Wouldn’t you? Studies by scientists suggest that goldfish
and other fish have memories that last much longer than 3 seconds--they have memories
of around 5 months. During one study, scientists spent a month
training young fish in captivity to associate a certain sound with feeding time. Then the fish were released into the wild. Some five months later, the scientist played
the sound and the now adult fish showed up looking for food, having remembered the sound. Other experiments have been done with training
goldfish to complete obstacles courses or associate a certain color with food. A bonus myth about goldfish. - Goldfish can be kept in bowls. Actually no fish should be kept in a small
bowl without filtration or aeration systems. If you do so, you shorten the life of the
fish and the size that they will grow to. When healthy and having access to good water
quality and space, a goldfish never stops growing. That’s why in the wild, a common goldfish
is capable of growing to 10 pounds (453 grams). We were rather disappointed to find out that
our next myth isn’t true because an animal that could shoot stingers from its butt would
be awesome. 5. Porcupines can shoot their quills long distances. Sadly this myth is an exaggeration of a porcupine’s
powers. The North American porcupine has about 30,000
quills, each one adorned with between 700 and 800 barbs along the 4 millimeters (.16
inches) nearest its tip. These barbs help quills remain embedded in
a victim’s skin. However, the quills are not shot, a victim
must come into contact with the porcupine for the quills to be released. As the quills easily detach and the barbs
help it stick in your flesh, it’s still not in your best interest to go near a porcupine. We’re glad to find out that myth number
4 isn’t true. 4. Humans swallow 8-10 spiders a year while sleeping. While it’s possible to eat a spider while
sleeping--especially if you sleep with your mouth open, it’s unlikely. Spiders have no interest in humans. When they spin a web and take up residence
in your home, it isn’t because they’re craving human company. In North America there are 3 or 4 species
of spider that are most likely to invade your home and they do so because they’ve found
a safe spot that they feel has great potential for catching prey. When spiders go exploring or hunting for food,
they’re unlikely to crawl into bed with humans. An important part of a spider’s sensory
data is vibrations. Humans give off plenty of them while they
sleep via heartbeat and breathing. Spiders are far more interested in avoiding
the huge vibrating lump rather than exploring it. If you sleep with your mouth open, you’re
liking snoring which gives the spider yet another reason to avoid you. Finally, if something crawls on your face,
chances are you’ll feel it and wake up before it reaches your mouth. Countless crime drama TV shows are responsible
for our next myth. It's often used as a dramatic plot device,
but it’s wrong. 3. You must wait at least 24 hours before filing
a missing person’s report. You don’t need to wait 24 hours to find
a missing person’s report. In fact, there’s no time period anyone must
wait before reporting a person missing. The sooner you notify the police the better. Taking action within the first 48 hours is
often vital to locating and bringing a missing person home safely. Speaking of police, myth number 2 is a little
far farfetched, but probably rooted in the fact that police are seen as heroic and having
to follow a particular moral code since they enforce the law. 2. In the US, undercover police have to disclose
that they are police if you ask. Utterly false. The point of an undercover cop is to gather
data to build a case against an individual or organization for criminal behavior. This process involves a lot of resources--money,
labor, surveillance. No way is an undercover officer going to tell
you that they are a cop if it could jeopardize the operation. In fact strategic lying is specifically a
part of going undercover. Sometimes an undercover law enforcement officer
will commit illegal activity to reinforce their cover identity and prove that they are
definitely not a cop. An undercover cop participating in illegal
activity with you or encouraging you to perform illegal activity is not considered entrapment. Entrapment only occurs when an officer gets
someone to commit a crime they had no intention of committing or wouldn’t likely normally
commit. For example if an undercover cop convinced
a nonviolent criminal who has a record of shoplifting to help with an armed robbery. Otherwise undercover cops are free to lie
about whether they are a cop and just about anything else. Our final myth highlights a dilemma nearly
everyone in the world has experienced at some point. 1. The five second rule. - It’s safe to eat food that’s been on
the floor for five seconds or less. Obviously, this myth is dependent on the what
and where. If you drop the cheese sauce covered nachos
you just purchased on the floor of the convenience store, it’s better if you let them go. But what if you drop a cookie on your regularly
cleaned kitchen floor, is the 5 second rule true? If you choose to snatch the cookie up and
eat it, you’re in good company. In a survey of 2,000 people, 79% or 1400 admitted
to eating food that had fallen on the floor. We’d actually call this myth inconclusive. There have been many experiments done to determine
how true this myth is. In addition to how moist the surface of the
dropped food item is, how dirty the floor is and the length of time the food is on the
floor, the type of floor surprisingly made a big impact as to how dirty the dropped food
got. Researchers discovered that carpet has a low
transfer rate while ceramic tile, wood and stainless steel flooring have much higher
transfer rates. But no matter how quickly you snatch it up,
once any food item comes into contact with a surface, it will pick up some type of bacteria. Sure you can brush off any visible dust, but
unfortunately, it’s not possible to sanitize dropped food. This occurs even when the floor is clean. No matter how clean a floor is, it still has
bacteria. Chances are a floor cookie isn’t going to
kill you, or even make you sick, but you are playing russian roulette with eating some
gross germs. And now that you've reached the end of our
video, why not keep the watch party going?! It’s a myth that we use only 10% of our
brain. We actually use 100%, but different areas
activate at different times. What if you used 100% of your brain at the
same time? Click here to find out: Check out Insane, interesting & funny 15 second
facts you didn't know
