From fact to fiction

Don't do this! 10 popular myths busted by science

Image: Hartono Creative Studio

Some claim that humans only use 10% of our brains, others say that eating turkey makes you sleepy, and everyone has heard the supposed remedy for a jellyfish sting. Like these, there are many well-known myths we frequently repeat without giving them much thought. Fortunately, science has taken the time to put these ideas to the test to see if they are true: it turned out that they were not! Join us to discover these 10 popular myths that science has debunked.

Image: David Foodphototasty

For centuries, both children's tales and cartoons have depicted the idea that cheese and mice are inseparable. However, science has revealed that mice don’t have a particular preference for cheese over other types of food. Although this is a common stereotype, mice are more drawn to foods high in sugar, such as candy or fruit.

Now you know—next time you’re setting a mouse trap, you might want to bait it with a Snickers bar instead of a piece of cheese.

Image: Claudio Schwarz

There is a famous myth going around that claims eating turkey can make you sleepy. However, this is not exactly the case. The myth arises because turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the body produce serotonin and melatonin, essential for promoting sleep. However, the amount of tryptophan in turkey is not enough to make you drowsy. So, you can enjoy your turkey dinner without worrying about nodding off at the table!

Image: Bernd Dittrich

For years, it was widely believed that the Great Wall of China was the only human-made structure that could be seen from outer space with the naked eye. However, while we would all like it to be true, this claim is actually a myth.

It's a fact that the Great Wall is indeed very long, but it's also relatively narrow. That means that as we gain altitude, the Great Wall blends in with the surrounding natural landscape.

Image: Felix Mittermeier

A common myth claims that lightning never strikes the same place twice. This may be reassuring to many, but science—and nature itself—have proven otherwise. In fact, lightning can strike the same location multiple times, particularly if it’s a tall structure or an area containing water or metal.

The safest and most recommended thing to do during a lightning storm is to stay indoors.

Image: sanjiv nayak

Goldfish are said to have a memory span of only a few seconds. This myth probably originated due to the repetitive behaviors observed in these fish. However, science has debunked this notion.

Through various experiments and research, it has been demonstrated that goldfish can remember multiple things for several weeks. For example, they can recognize the faces of their keepers, remember feeding schedules, and even associate certain stimuli with rewards.

Image: CHUTTERSNAP

You're chilling, enjoying some chips, when suddenly—oops! One hits the floor. What do you do in that case? Do you follow the so-called "five-second rule"? According to this myth, if you drop food on the floor, it's safe to eat it if you pick it up within 5 seconds.

While we would like it to be right, science discourages this idea. The truth is, as soon as food hits the floor, any bacteria present can transfer to it instantly.

Image: Team Mfina

A classic cartoon scene: the frightened ostrich burying its head in the ground. You've probably seen it, too, right? Although this is a common belief, ostriches never actually bury their heads.

This myth likely stems from the way ostriches care for their nests. These birds make a small hole in the ground and place their nests there to keep them safe. From a distance, when we see the ostrich sticking its head in the ground, it is actually taking care of its chicks!

Image: Giovanni Calia

This is one of the most widespread myths in the world, originating from bullfighting traditions. The myth claims that the color red makes bulls extremely angry, driving them into a mad rage. However, this isn’t true.

In reality, bulls can’t even perceive red—or many other colors—the same way humans do. Experts believe bulls react to the movement of the bullfighter’s cape, not its color.

Image: Jeffrey Hamilton

What should you do if you get stung by a jellyfish? Many of us instantly think of the myth that urinating on the sting will relieve the pain. Unfortunately, not only is this a myth, but it can actually make things worse!

If you're unlucky enough to be stung by a jellyfish, the best course of action is to rinse the affected area with vinegar to neutralize the venom. Be sure to avoid touching the sting with your bare hands to prevent further irritation or spreading the venom.

Image: Chewy

As kids, many of us grew up hearing that dogs only see in black and white. Luckily for our pets, that's just a myth!

Dogs perceive colors in a way that's different from ours. While the human eye has three types of color receptors, dogs have only two. In other words, while we can see a broad spectrum of colors, dogs see a more limited range, similar to someone with red-green color blindness.

Dressed in meaning

Mannequins were real people once? The origin of 10 fashion item names

Image: Yasamine June

Fédora was a Princess, Cardigan was an Earl. Even though all of these garments have evolved over time, their unusual names remain. Sometimes we can’t even pinpoint the language from which they derive. Have you ever asked yourself why we call bikinis, tuxedos, and galoshes exactly that? Where do the words "denim" and "cashmere" come from? In this article, we uncover the origins of 10 items from the fashion industry.

Image: Suzy Hazelwood

A couple of centuries before Levi Strauss popularized denim jeans, two cities in Europe were already developing the textile that would become an icon of the future.

In the late 17th century, weavers in Nîmes, France set out to design a sturdy cotton fabric similar to the one that was being produced in Genoa, Italy, which had a distinctive diagonal weave. Laborers and sailors would benefit from using strong, durable clothes. The serge fabric they elaborated came to be known as serge de Nimes, a phrase that time shortened to simply "denim."

What happened to the original textile from Genoa? It was an ancestor of the modern denim, too. In France, people would refer to the foreign fabric as coming from Gênes, as they called the city. When English speakers heard about these clothes from "Gênes", they annotated the textiles as "jeans."

Image: Rasheeque Ahnaf (Piash)

Fedora, the soft-brim hat that was an icon of American culture in the early 20th century, has an unexpected origin: it was the name of a princess.

A fictional princess, at least. Fédora (1882) was a very successful play by French author Victorien Sardou. In it, the protagonist Princess Fédora Romazoff wore an iconic felt hat that soon women in Paris picked up. At first, this center-creased hat became a symbol for the women's rights movement. Eventually, Edward, Prince of Wales, started wearing a similar one in the 1920s, and the fashion spread among men.

In American society, the hat became an accessory for public courtesy and a symbol of status. History went full circle when, again, the garment became an emblem of cultural icons such as Indiana Jones or Michael Jackson.

Image: Diana ✨

Did you know that, before the fashion industry developed these real-life-sized dolls, women’s clothing was displayed in young male boys?

The first mannequins originated in the 15th century. But before that, in the Middle Ages, young pages were made to wear female clothes to expose the fit for potential buyers. Eventually, the need for dolls was understood, and when these figures were developed, the Flemish called them manneken, meaning "little men."

When the device arrived in Paris, it was written as "mannequen." It wasn’t until the 19th century that female mannequins were introduced.

Image: Jess Loiterton

Yes, the modern two-piece swimsuit was named after a beach –but the story is more perplexing than one would imagine.

Louis Réard was the French designer who introduced this disruptive garment in 1946. He dressed a young French dancer in it to debut the invention in a Parisian piscine. When asked about the name of the design, he said it was "Bikini." He didn’t add much. Four days prior to this fashion launch, an event had occurred in the South Pacific grabbing the world’s attention: a nuclear warhead had been tried in a small coral reef from the Marshall Islands, called the "Bikini Atoll."

A theory says that this label was a pun he played at Jacques Heim, a fellow French designer who had shortly before introduced a similar small bathing suit he had called the "Atome."

Image: Divazus Fabric Store

"Spandex" is the preferred name in the U.S. for the material that in the rest of the world is known as "lycra".

This notably elastic fabric had been developed in 1958 by Joseph Shivers while working for an American company named "DuPont Textiles and Interiors." DuPont decided to launch a sub-brand that would only sell synthetic fiber products. They picked the trade name "Lycra" to market their inventions.

Why "spandex," then? That is the name that was chosen for the fabric without attaching it to any brand. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that "spandex" is an anagram (an alteration of the letter order) of the word "expands."

Image: Steve Johnson

One of the most versatile pieces of clothing, bandanas have their origin in the Middle East and South Asia.

The word derives from the Hindi and Urdu word bandhana, "a bond," also related to bāndhnū, which means "tie-dyeing" in Hindi. The most traditional pattern used in the cloth was the Paisley, of Persian origin, which looks like a motif made of curved "tear" shapes.

Another word for the accessory is "kerchief," which derives from the Old French couvre-chef, or "cover head."

Image: No-longer-here

They are not exactly rain boots, and they are not to be confused with Wellington boots. Galoshes are overshoes, usually made of rubber, meant to protect your actual shoes in muddy or wet weather.

A distant relative of this invention is the calopedes. These were wooden clogs or heals used even before the Middle Ages. The word came from the Greek kalopódion, which roughly meant "feet wood". In French, footwear derived from these devices came to be called galoche, which translated in English to "galosh" or "golosh."

Image: Jovan Vasiljević

The knitted jacket that is now associated with a cozy, homely look, had its origin in military apparel. Cardigans were named after the waistcoats used by British officers under the command of James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, known by history as Lord Cardigan. He commanded a brigade during the Crimean War in the early 19th century.

Cardigans were sleeveless vests at first, but they evolved over time to include all the versions we know today. Cardigans are characterized by having an open front, as opposed to pullovers which are of similar materials but must be "pulled over" the head of the wearer.

Image: kevin Clonee

Back in the 1880s, when white collars and tailcoats were the norm for extremely formal evening wear, the introduction of jackets without tails was considered rebellious.

Originally known as "dinner jackets," these less formal substitutes were an option picked up in the United Kingdom, and popularized after Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, wore one with matching trousers. In the U.S., the tailless coat was quickly adopted in the New York area of Tuxedo Park. For a few years, "Tuxedo" referred only to the jacket, but then its pairing with trousers also caught on, and the term came to name the whole suit. More recently, the piece also became known as "tux."

Image: Skylar Kang

One of the rarest and most expensive fibers in the world, cashmere is made from wool sheared from goats. Kashmir, in the high plateaus of the Himalayas, was the region where the wool was originally produced. The soft and luxurious fabric was first spun as early as the 3rd century BC. Kashmiri weavers became known for their high-quality shawls made from this wool.

"Pashmene" is sometimes used interchangeably, although it is a variant of fiber, sometimes mixed with silk. Pashm means "wool" in Persian, and around the 15th century, this fabric was already a sign of wealth for cultures in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.