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THERE ARE CERTAIN things you know to be true in this life. Certain facts that you would swear on a stack of Bibles to be true.
And yet… Are you sure they’re true? Really sure?
We have seven ‘facts’ that are doing the rounds that we can categorically debunk – and you will look like an all-knowing genius from now on when you do the same in future.
You’re welcome.
It’s long been mooted that you can see the Great Wall of China from space and that it’s the only manmade object that can be seen from there.
Sadly, that’s just not true. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield explained on Twitter:
It’s too narrow, and it follows the natural contours and colours [of the landscape].
So there now.
It’s long been said that humans only use 10% of our brain capacity and just imagine what we could be doing if we used the whole 100%? It’s not certain where the 10% figure came from – possibly Albert Einstein being misquoted or even this from William James:
We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources.
The truth is that most of the brain is active almost all the time making complex decisions just to get through the day. So give your poor brain a break – it’s doing just grand.
As if bats don’t have it hard enough with the myth that they’re only dying to nest in ladies’ hair, they’re also victims of the rumour that they’re blind.
They’re not blind, ok, guys?
They can’t see perfectly in pitch black (no animal can) so they use their echolocation to help navigate and find food.
If you’re a parent or any adult who spends time around children you probably try and keep the kids’ sugar levels to a minimum, right?
While that’s never a bad thing to do for general health reasons, but if the other reason you were doing it was so they wouldn’t get hyper, well, you have one less reason to keep them off the white stuff.
Turns out that scientists gave a lot of sugar to children in playschool (brave), and they weren’t able to discern any significant differences in behaviour.
And not only that – that the Russians just gave their astronauts pencils to use, which worked grand.
Well, yes and no. Originally, NASA also gave their astronauts pencils to use but pencils had their own problems – they broke and bits flying by could possibly harm equipment or other astronauts. Plus they are flammable – not good in space.
What happened is that NASA originally ordered 34 mechanical pencils for the crew at a cost of $4,382.50 and there was public outcry for spending $128.89 per pencil, so they needed an alternative. Enter Fisher Space pens, which were developed to write in space at the cost of $1 million – but not using NASA money.
They’d like you to think they don’t sweat, they glow, thank you very much, but you just can’t see it under all that fur.
Actually the truth is they do sweat but through their feet - the only place that they have sweat glands. They use panting to cool down additionally, though so you’re not too far wrong.
So, you’ve probably heard about how daddy longlegs are the most poisonous spider in the world, but their teeny-tiny teeth couldn’t break your skin to deliver all that poison?
Well, it’s just not true – apparently they don’t even have venom glands or fangs or any other way of ‘chemically subduing their food’ according to University of California scientists.
So, you’re safe. Phew.
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Vaccines don’t cause autism
I hope the 16 eejits who red thumbed this don’t chime in!
An Aircraft ‘black box’ is an orange/red colour so that it is easier to find if tragedy does strike
There are also two on most commercial planes. One for audio data and one for technical.
Did anybody ever try to give up sugar? Total nightmare. I gave up drink and smoking far easier. It’s on absolutely everything.
Myles what’s wrong with sugar – its a natural ingredient present naturally in say most things like fruit, honey etc etc. Moderation.
Check out low carb high fat diets myles. High fat diets are great for keeping sugar cravings away
I have and while it was hard, terribly hard I have succeeded to a point. There is still sugars in my diet but I try and avoid sweet things and I don’t add sugar to tea, cereals etc
Yes, it’s a nightmare, lots of sugar even in Mayonnaise
It’s the raw sugar that is the worst.
60% sugar in marmalade..
….just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down…. If you don’t need medicine keep away from usage!
Cathal cereals are sugar.
Refined sugar is the problem. It will assist in shortening your life, among other things.
Typewriter is the longest word in the english language that can be typed using only the top row of letters on a keyboard. *Drops mic*
I wonder how people would have discussed this in the PRETYPEWRITER era.
Stewardesses
Daddy long-legs are not spiders. They are crane flies.
Harvestmen, which resemble spiders, and may also be referred to as daddy long-legs, are neither spiders nor venomous either.
But a daddy long legs has 8 legs and a fly only has 6! So I checked with the source of knowledge: Wikipedia. They say “Daddy longlegs may refer to: 1:Opiliones, an order of arachnids also commonly known as harvestmen
2:Pholcidae, a family of spiders also commonly known as cellar spiders
3:Crane fly, a member of the family of insects in the order Diptera
& 4:Stylidium divaricatum, a plant (!) in the genus Stylidium
@anynews43 A crane fly is indeed a fly of the order Diptera, and like all flies (all insects) it has six legs. It depends on what you recognise as a daddy long-legs l guess. In my family it’s crane flies (flying daddy long-legs) and harvestmen (crawling daddy long-legs). Spiders are just spiders.
No spider is poisonous, there are many venomous ones however. Big difference
Well Mark… you try eat a venomous spider and come back to us on that!
The government really IS your friend and cares about all of you
Brother of denis?
The government is not your friend and is out to screw you.
The truth is out there…
Can’t you see the Great Wall of China from anywhere in the world?
That is 100% true. Looking out my window I can just see a corner of it behind LIDL.
They do a savage Kung Po Chicken
Irish water is the greatest “utility ” company .Ha Ha sorry could not help it
Sap.
Next time try harder to ” help it “
Here’s an interesting fact- Ulster Bank screwing their customers over tracker mortgages…there’s a fact that they’d prefer not to see publicised!
Interest rates go down, they apply it as late as they can. Interest rates go up they apply it immediately.
“you’ve probably heard about how daddy longlegs are the most poisonous spider in the world”
Nope, never heard that at all.
I have to contest that sugar certainly makes my kids hyper. A few skittles and their running around the place and screaming like they’ve just thrown themselves into the midst of an angel dust binge.
Foods high sugar usually have Es that causes some kid to be hyper, but sugar gets the blame.
Foods high in sugar usually have Es that causes some kids to be hyper, but sugar gets the blame.
You can see the great Wall of China from space, you can’t see it from the moon.
I’ll take Chris Hadfield’s word over yours.
And you would be right to do so were I disagreeing with him. Chris Hadfield was observing from the ISS at an orbit of about 400km, it is possible to be in a low earth orbit of approximately 160km from which distance (while still in space) one could see the Great Wall of China.
No matter where you are, you are in space
Cannot disagree with you there, F J D. Which further corroborates the fact that you can most certainly see the Great Wall of China from space.
Carrots do NOT improve your night vision. It was mis-information spread during WW2 by the allies who had developed a better radar system to make the germans think that is why their fighter pilots were better at dogfighting at night.
HOW CAN FACTS BE WRONG? Who writes these headlines? Sack him/her.
The human head does not weight 8 lbs. it actually doesn’t weight anything at all.
Ya what now?
Maybe yours doesn’t =P
Jet fuel can’t melt steel beams.
Jet engineers actually burn hotter than the melting point of their components.
So do jet engines
Termites are responsible for more methane than cows.
A Panda smells with its ears and hears with its nose, thus making its ears it’s nose and it’s nose it’s ears. – David o’Doherty
I can’t believe it’s not butter really isn’t butter
It was proved ( myth busters) that ‘cracking a match’ to clear up smells in the bathroom – didn’t work ! But in spite of that, we STILL do it……… ;)
Not sure if this counts but orcas or killer whales ‘ (terribly misleading ) are in fact part of the Delphinidae family and not the Cetaceans family a lot people just assume they are whales .
have your say