Six Common Myths You Might Still Believe
It's hard to tell fact from fiction these days. And some myths even stick with us our whole lives. Here's the truth about some myths you might still believe.
"Adding salt to water makes it boil faster."
It actually takes longer to boil water with salt. But it's such a small difference anyway, it's hard to notice.
"Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis."
No matter how many times your mom told you that one, scientists haven't found a link.
"Dropping a penny from a building can kill someone."
No, because it doesn't have enough mass. It would need to be going a lot faster.
"The sun is yellow."
Nope, and it's not orange either. It's essentially all colors at once. So if you were in space, it would look white. Yellow and orange are the only wavelengths that get through the atmosphere and reach our eyes.
"Juice cleanses rid your body of toxins."
There's no solid proof they "detoxify" anything. That's what your liver and kidneys are for.
"Your appendix is useless."
For years, scientists said it was. But now they think it's home to "helpful bacteria" that fight off disease. And as kids, it helps us form antibodies and white blood cells.
Now you know.