10 Things You Think You Know That Aren’t Actually True

Nobody has the time to thoroughly investigate everything, thus some things that are obvious to us are frequently taken for granted. Unfortunately, not all of the knowledge you gather along the road is accurate. 10 of your beliefs will be refuted as you read on.

Myth #1: Humans have less hair than chimpanzees do.

You could mistakenly believe that a chimpanzee is considerably hairier if you were to compare a photograph of one with one of a person. That's not the case, though. Similar to other primates, humans have between two and five million hair follicles distributed throughout their bodies. Simply put, our hair is considerably finer and less noticeable. Humans have two forms of hair: terminal and vellus hair, whereas primates are furred. Our pubic and armpit hair is made up of vellus hair, while the hair on our heads, in our armpits, and elsewhere is made up of terminal hair. Compared to terminal hair, vellus hair is more finer, lighter, and shorter, and it is not attached to any glands beneath the skin. Although no one is certain of the exact reasons why we have developed in this way, it is likely[1] that when our ancestors moved from the cool forests to the hot savannah, they developed this type of hair as a way to shield their brains while keeping their bodies cool (through sweating) as they hunted and foraged in the heat.

The Earth rotates around the Sun is Myth #2.

In a strict sense, the Earth revolves around the solar system's barycenter, also known as the system's center of mass[2]. Every object in the solar system has a combined mass that is uniformly distributed around this equilibrium point. This point is always changing as a result of the planets' continuous motion. The Sun makes up more than 99% of the solar system's mass, hence the solar system's barycenter is often found close to or even inside the Sun. However, when the barycenter is farthest from the Sun, our planet is only circling a pointless region of space.

Myth #3: You should place a wet phone in rice.

It makes perfect sense to think that rice can dry a wet phone because rice is notorious for absorbing moisture. Contrary to what you may have heard, experiments[3] have demonstrated that rice not only won't assist but also likely works more slowly than fresh air. In fact, rice might be more harmful than helpful because the starch in it may even hasten corrosion and cause grains to become lodged in headphone connectors or charging ports. If you don't want to wait a week or two, you can try utilizing items[4] like silica gel packets or vacuum bags. Alternatively, you can simply leave the phone out to dry in a location with some ventilation.

Myth #4: Widening roads improves traffic

It's simple to think about how much faster you might be able to move when you're in traffic if only someone had the foresight to add more lanes to the roadway you're on. Due to a phenomenon known as "induced demand," which outlines how an increase in supply results in a drop in price and, thus, an increase in consumption, research[5] demonstrates that extending a highway frequently merely makes traffic issues worse. Increasing capacity on roads reduces travel time, which lowers the "cost" of driving and increases the number of miles driven by those who would otherwise not drive. So, as soon as the new lanes open, they immediately become congested with traffic.

Myth #5: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.

Amounting to 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) from base to peak (plus or minus 6.5 feet/2 meters), Mount Everest is typically regarded as the tallest mountain in the world. However, that depends on how you define "highest." [7]

If "highest" means "closest to the moon," Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador must claim the title. The Earth is not a spherical; instead, it has a bulge in the middle that resembles one of those comfortable ball seats when someone sits on it. Chimborazo rises 20,548 feet from base to peak (6,263 meters). It is actually 35,826 feet (10,920 meters) from the center of the Earth since it rests on a bump that is higher than Everest on a larger portion of the Earth's bulge.

And if "highest" is defined as the mountain that is the tallest from base to peak, then Hawaii's Mauna Kea must win the title of "highest mountain" because it is nearly a mile taller than Everest and measures over 32,808 feet (10,000 meters) from its base in the Pacific Ocean to its peak.

Sixth Myth: Space has zero gravity

Since film of astronauts floating around the space station is widely available, it is simple to assume that there is no gravity there. However, gravity is present everywhere in the universe; otherwise, everything would disintegrate and vanish. Due to the fact that both the space station and the astronauts are continuously falling toward the earth, they appear to be weightless. The space station and the astronauts descend together since objects of any mass fall at the same speed, giving the appearance of zero gravity. Fortunately, even though they seem to be falling, the space station is moving at a speed of about 17,150 miles (27,600 km) per hour, which keeps it and the occupants in orbit.

 7: Water transmits electricity

Even while it's likely not a good idea to drop a toaster in the bath, pure, distilled water really doesn't carry electricity well[9] because its molecules lack the free electrons needed to do so. An oxygen molecule that is linked chemically to two hydrogen molecules makes up pure water. Since each hydrogen atom has one electron and oxygen has six electrons in its outer reactive shell with room for two more, a perfect chemical connection results.

However, water is a fantastic solvent because it conducts electricity thanks to the free ions from dissolved contaminants like salts and minerals. It's interesting to note that when there are a lot of these ions in the water, the water conducts electricity so well that it bypasses less effective conductors, such as human bodies, and sticks to the better pathway, which is the abundance of ions in the water.

Myth #8: The rainbow has seven colors.

The myth of ROY G BIV stems from Sir Isaac Newton's superstitious beliefs. Newton, in contrast to his contemporaries, thought that pure, white sunshine was composed of every color in the spectrum. In several experiments, he demonstrated this in the 1660s by refractively splitting sunlight into smaller wavelengths using a prism. Newton initially only recognized five colors. However, he held to the idea of a harmonious world propounded by the ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras, in which the number 7 served as a mysterious link connecting a variety of natural phenomena, from the heavenly bodies (seven of which were recognized at the time) to the musical scale. As a result, in addition to the colors he had already named, orange and indigo were included in Newton's first color wheel, which was published in 1704.

Having stated that, our minds interpret what we refer to as color. The colors we perceive depend on how each of the cone-shaped photoreceptors in our eyes, which see red, green, and blue, is activated. Since the color spectrum of light encompasses a continuous distribution of colors, there is an endless number of possible combinations. As a result, each person may experience the rainbow in a different way.

The QWERTY keyboard was created to prevent keys from jamming, according to Myth #9.

Contrary to popular belief, the QWERTY keyboard did not originally have its current layout because the creator wanted to ensure that the mechanical keys on his typewriter wouldn't jam by spacing the most frequently used letters as widely as possible. Instead, it owes its current structure to the American Morse Code of the 19th century, claim historians Koichi Yasuoka and Motoko Yasuoka of Kyoto University. [11] This is due to the fact that telegraph operators were the main users of typewriters at the time the layout of the keyboard was designed, and as a result, the letters they used the most were placed where they were the easiest to access. Telegraph operators needed to quickly translate messages written in Morse code.

Myth #10: Bagpipes are only played by Scots

Not at all, no. Even though the Scottish Highlands may today be associated with the bagpipes, their origins were likely much further east. [12] Bagpipes have been mentioned in the past in both Turkey and Egypt. At Euyuk in Anatolia, a potential sculpture of bagpipes that dates to 1000 BC was discovered. In his play "The Acharnians," written in the fifth century BCE, the Greek playwright Aristophanes provides fresh evidence that early Egyptian bagpipes were constructed of dog skin and bone. He states, "You pipers who are here from Thebes, with bone pipes blow the behind of a dog."

Nero, the Roman Emperor, was the first well-known fan, and he even had a coin made with a picture of him playing the bagpipes. He used to play them before battle to motivate his soldiers. One of the most well-liked (and tenable) hypotheses about how the bagpipe came to Scotland from where it originated is that the Romans carried it with them when they conquered Britain.

Blown away in the mind!

 By SCITECHDAILY.COM