There are a lot of things people go through life accepting as the gospel truth. We think these "facts" are true, but actually, they're just well known myths we have been told, over and over, throughout our lives.
By JESSICA ORWIG AND JENNIFER WELSH
It's about time, though, that the record is set straight. Prepare for your mind to be at least partially blown:
1.) Unlike their name would have you believe, killer whales aren't related to other whales as much as they are to dolphins.
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2.) We've all heard the myth that you shouldn't wake someone who is sleepwalking, but in reality it's better and safer to just wake them up and guide them to safety.
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3.) Ostriches don't bury their heads in the ground when they're scared. Cartoons lied to you. They actually play dead.
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4.) There are four, not three, states of matter: Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
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5.) The sun will not explode in 4 billion years, but will rather expand and engulf anything nearby.
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6.) House flies can actually live for a month, contrary to the common belief that they only live for 24 hours.
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7.) Black holes aren't actually colored black. They look so dark because they emit no visible light.
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8.) Don't let anyone tell you that cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis because this just isn't true. Crack away.
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9.) The center of the earth, rather than molten, is actually an extremely dense sphere of iron and nickel about 700 miles in diameter.
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10.) While it's not recommended that you throw anything off of the Empire State Building, the myth that dropping a penny from that height will kill someone is simply false.
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11.) The hottest planet in our solar system is not the one closest to the Sun (Mercury). Instead, Venus is actually the hottest planet. It has an average surface temperature of 864 degrees Fahrenheit.
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By JESSICA ORWIG AND JENNIFER WELSH
It's about time, though, that the record is set straight. Prepare for your mind to be at least partially blown:
1.) Unlike their name would have you believe, killer whales aren't related to other whales as much as they are to dolphins.
2.) We've all heard the myth that you shouldn't wake someone who is sleepwalking, but in reality it's better and safer to just wake them up and guide them to safety.
4.) There are four, not three, states of matter: Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
5.) The sun will not explode in 4 billion years, but will rather expand and engulf anything nearby.
6.) House flies can actually live for a month, contrary to the common belief that they only live for 24 hours.
7.) Black holes aren't actually colored black. They look so dark because they emit no visible light.
8.) Don't let anyone tell you that cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis because this just isn't true. Crack away.
9.) The center of the earth, rather than molten, is actually an extremely dense sphere of iron and nickel about 700 miles in diameter.
10.) While it's not recommended that you throw anything off of the Empire State Building, the myth that dropping a penny from that height will kill someone is simply false.
11.) The hottest planet in our solar system is not the one closest to the Sun (Mercury). Instead, Venus is actually the hottest planet. It has an average surface temperature of 864 degrees Fahrenheit.
