Myths accompany man throughout his history. Due to ignorance and inability to explain numerous occurrences around them, our ancestors gave explanations that were to them at that time acceptable. That is how myth were born, about after life, myths about the origin of man, heroes or myths about the origin of the world. According to this myth, in the beginning there was no earth, water, sky. It was all mixed and there was chaos. Then from chaos the goddess Gaea (earth) and god Uranus (sky) appeared.
This and similar interpretation were kept until today. Some of unproven rumors and false data easily find their roots in people, although modern science can provide and explanation. Whether it is the case of false information or simply a desire to believe in something we know is not true, it’s hard to say. Look at 10 common myths, which are encountered by today’s science.
10MYTH: YOU CAN SEE THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA FROM SPACE
The Great Wall may be very long, but it has not been noted as visible from space. The most visible man-made things are in fact lights.
09MYTH: THE NORTH STAR IN THE BRIGHTEST
Polaris, or the North Star, is not the brightest in the sky. The brightest visible star after the SUN is Sirius, the “Gog Star”.
08MYTH: RUN IN ZIGZAG IF CHASED BY CROCODILE
Crocodiles rarely hunt on land. Their top land speed is around 10mph, making a straight line escape as feasible as a zigzag.
07MYTH: WE ONLY USE 10 PERCENT OF OUR BRAINS
Neuroimaging devices have shown that even basic memory drills result in over 35 percent brain activity.
06MYTH: SHOOTING GAS TANKS WILL BLOW UP A CAR
It is only true in films. In reality bullets will either lodge themselves in the tank, or pass straight through.
05MYTH: BULLS HATE THE COLOR RED
Bulls do not actually mind which color they charge at. With matadors it is the movement of the cloth that makes them attack.
04MYTH: LIGHTING NEVER STRIKES THE SAME PLACE TWICE
Lighting commonly strikes the same place twice, such as high buildings or trees. The Empire State Building is struck around 100 times a year.
03MYTH: GLASS IS SOLID
Glass is an amorphous solid. This means it actually flows very slowly, explaining why stained glass windows are thicker at the bottom.
02MYTH: DROPPING A PENNY FROM THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING CAN KILL
The aerodynamic of a coin makes this impossible. The coin would only cause a sting, rather than a fatality.
0101. MYTH: THERE IS NO GRAVITY IN THE SPACE
Gravity is what keeps Earth orbiting the Sun and satellites orbiting Earth. Gravity is only reduced by 10 percent at orbit height above Earth – 250 miles up.