Top 10 Biggest Lies Taught in School About Science
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Humans evolved from monkeys
Humans did not directly evolve from monkeys. Instead, both humans and monkeys share a common ancestor that lived millions of years ago and branched into separate evolutionary paths. Modern monkeys and modern humans represent different outcomes of that divergence, rather than one being descended from the other.
I find it frustrating how most people, even teachers, refer to evolution as us evolving from monkeys. We share common ancestors with apes, making them more like our cousins. That doesn't mean we are apes ourselves.
This is the most common misconception among creationists. Humans did not evolve from monkeys. All apes, including human beings, evolved from a common ancestor.
Humans and monkeys share a common ancestor, which evolved in two separate ways. We may be like brothers, but not parents to one another.
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We have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste
The human body has more than five senses. In addition to sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste, people also sense balance, temperature, pain, and the position of their bodies in space. These additional senses help us navigate our environment and respond to changes beyond the traditional five.
This is really not taught in school past casual mentioning in elementary school. What most people are referring to are the five wits, and while they don't cover all sensations (like balance, pain, temperature, moisture), they are still culturally important. You can't really write a poem about the world as experienced through temperature or hunger.
Seriously?! If those are all of my senses, how can I subconsciously decide to run from a tiger, recall information from certain stimuli, eat, sleep, rave, repeat?
The brain, in fact, has many more senses than that.
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The North Pole is a stationary north pole
The geographic North Pole remains fixed, but the magnetic north pole moves over time. This shift occurs because of changes in Earth's molten outer core, which influence the magnetic field. Measurements show that the magnetic pole has migrated significantly across the Arctic in recent centuries.
The geographic North Pole is in fact a magnetic South Pole. Why else would the north pole of a compass point north? And also, it's not a physical pole like a lamppost that stays in one place. Because the rotating core of the Earth drives this magnetic field and is not a perfect sphere, perturbations in the core cause the poles to move. Mind blown!
Given the nature of the spinning orb we are on, compasses won't all point to the same place at the same time from different geographical positions.
Try getting a region 1 compass to point you even close to magnetic north from a region 3 location.
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There are seven colors of light
Visible light is not divided into only seven colors but exists as a continuous spectrum. The popular concept of seven colors comes from Isaac Newton's categorization rather than a natural separation in light. In reality, wavelengths blend smoothly from red through violet without distinct borders.
Under infrared, certain species can see different colors. I am not talking about hues or tints - those are just our basic colors with a drop of black added or a drop of white added to the colors humans see: red, yellow, blue, the primary colors. Apparently, there is a part of our brain which is locked into seeing just the primary colors and the secondary colors (mixing two primary colors will give you a different color. Blue and yellow give you green). These colors are secondary colors.
To reiterate, hues and tints are simply adding white or black. Humans see them as well as primary colors, and we can see secondary colors. There are other colors, but 1. Humans cannot even imagine what they are, and 2. Currently, only a few animals can see colors that we can't see, since they have different wiring in their brains. This probably evolved for their survival thousands of years ago.
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We use only 10% of our brains
The idea that humans use only a small portion of their brains is a myth. Brain scans demonstrate that activity occurs throughout the brain, even when performing simple or routine tasks. Every region plays an important role in processes such as movement, memory, and perception.
Not 10%. Hitting a baseball with a bat will use more than 50% of the brain. Also, while you're eating with your friends, you use all your senses, which is almost 50% of your brain.
I was offended when I saw a Teen Titans Go episode proving that we use 10% of our brain. Man, that cartoon is stupid.
Then wouldn't evolution have gotten rid of that other 90%?
Wrong, we use 100% of our brains. At any given time, we use 10-40% of it, depending on the situation and which part needs to be used more. However, every part of the brain is used.
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Only mass can mediate gravity
Gravity is not influenced by mass alone. According to general relativity, energy and light also play a role by curving spacetime. This means even massless particles like photons are affected by and contribute to gravitational effects.
I believed this lie in primary school, as did most people. It is in fact momentum and energy which are needed to induce gravitational wells. But Einstein famously stated that mass and energy are interchangeable, so mass serves as the more noticeable source of gravitational force. How else could we model both energy and mass with the electronvolt unit? Think E=mc^2.
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Stars burn
Stars do not burn in the way a fire does. Instead, they generate energy through nuclear fusion, a process in which hydrogen atoms combine into helium under extreme pressure and temperature. This fusion releases massive amounts of energy, producing the heat and light we see from Earth.
Nothing can burn in space. For something to burn, oxygen needs to be present in the atmosphere around it. Plus, if a star such as the Sun were burning, it would have run out of fuel by now. The Sun is driven by the fusion of atomic nuclei to produce heavier nuclei, in which their mass is converted purely into energy. This process yields more energy for a given quantity than burning.
These nuclei can continue to fuse for longer than coal, including fusion into heavier nuclei in the case of the heaviest stars, from hydrogen up to iron. Iron is the most stable nucleus, so less energy is released than put in when heavier elements are fused. This is why fission works to generate power from them.
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Particles are fundamental
Not all particles are truly fundamental. While quarks and leptons are currently considered elementary, many others, such as protons and neutrons, are composites made of smaller components. Quantum field theory goes further by describing particles as excitations of underlying fields rather than indivisible building blocks.
When 5-year-olds take on science, they are told that everything is made of particles, which is, in a sense, true, ignoring waves and strings. But that implies to them that all particles are the same. They later rename them "atoms" and call them fundamental. Later, they tell you to forget that, because atoms are made of nuclei and electrons, and this time, they mean it, nothing smaller. But they don't.
This will eventually wind down to leptons, quarks, and bosons, which are fundamental as far as we can confirm, but it's more than a decade of misinformation beforehand.
It always baffled me how, in every succeeding grade, I realized that the particle I considered fundamental was not at all.
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Black holes are physical balls of compressed matter that would crush you to death
Black holes are not solid balls of matter. They are regions of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Their defining feature is the event horizon, while the central singularity represents a point where known physics breaks down.
True, black holes are formed when matter is compressed to such an extreme density that light cannot escape its surface, but that's only half of it. Once the matter is compressed, it is reduced to an infinitesimally small point, a singularity. The "surface" of a black hole is the event horizon, the boundary which, once crossed, light cannot escape. We cannot see past it because light would need to be reflected off of the surface to illuminate it.
We also cannot be crushed to death because the tidal forces, which change immensely with spacetime in the vicinity of a black hole, stretch us to death instead. This is spaghettification. However, because of the time dilation outside of the black hole, one would not simply tumble into it like you see in Star Trek. Your approach slows until the light from your body fades from view. To an observer, you never enter the black hole's space. But you can't really enter a singularity's space anyway. By definition, it is a point in time but not in space. It is the universal arrow of time which makes this unavoidable.
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All disease is caused by germs
Not every disease is caused by germs. Illnesses can also result from genetic mutations, autoimmune disorders, or environmental influences. Conditions like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease are examples of diseases that are not explained by the germ theory of infection.
Nobody even mentions genetic diseases until four years into high school. Before that, kids think that genetics are only why you look like your parents and have brown hair.
We learn about genetic diseases in my school before we reach high school. We learn about them in 8th grade.
Ok, stop blaming everything on these little poor creatures who only want to live.
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Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is unhealthy
Scientific studies have not confirmed that MSG poses health risks for the general population. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies MSG as safe when consumed at typical dietary levels. Sensitivity reactions, sometimes called Chinese restaurant syndrome, are not supported by consistent scientific evidence.
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There are three states of matter
Matter exists in more than three states. In addition to solid, liquid, and gas, there is plasma and several exotic states, such as Bose-Einstein condensates and fermionic condensates. These additional states are typically observed under extreme conditions.
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Bats are blind
Bats are not blind, and most species have functional eyes that allow them to see. Many bats rely on echolocation for navigation and hunting in darkness, but they can also use vision when needed. Some species even have eyesight adapted for low-light conditions.
No, they are not entirely blind. Sharks are also not entirely blind. Moles are nearly blind but still not completely blind.
Eh, I think you'll find that Pos is about as unreligious (and unbiased, I might add) as they come.
Even though they're not blind, it's a saying or catchphrase, okay?
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Different areas of the tongue can taste different flavors
The idea of a "tongue map" with distinct regions for sweet, sour, salty, and bitter is incorrect. All areas of the tongue that contain taste buds can detect all five primary tastes. This includes sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
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There is no left and right side of the brain
The brain is divided into left and right hemispheres, each controlling the opposite side of the body. While both hemispheres work together, certain functions show lateralization, such as language processing often being stronger in the left hemisphere. However, the concept of being strictly "left-brained" or "right-brained" is an oversimplification.
The brain has two hemispheres. They control how you move and think. They even determine your talents.
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Carbon dioxide is dangerous in every way
Carbon dioxide is essential for plant photosynthesis and is naturally present in the atmosphere. While excessive levels can be harmful to health or contribute to climate change, normal concentrations are not inherently dangerous. It also plays a role in regulating blood pH in humans.
I've seen children shiver at the very mention of the name of the chemical. It has got a bad reputation because of global warming, but without it, we wouldn't have sparkling drinks.
CO2 is also used for cryogenics, respiration stimulants in medicine, and oil extraction.
If we did not have carbon dioxide, then we would freeze.
Trees and plants need it to live, and humans need trees to breathe.
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Cannabis is a gateway drug
Cannabis is not proven to act as a gateway drug. Research shows that most people who use cannabis do not go on to use harder substances. Patterns of drug use are influenced more by social and environmental factors than by cannabis itself.
If you mow a huge lawn with a normal-sized mower every day, chances are you are going to want to move up to a larger lawn mower eventually. This larger lawn mower was a gateway from the first lawn mower. This "gateway theory" can be explained with almost anything. The fact that alcohol has been found to be a bigger gateway drug than cannabis has shut this theory down the drain.
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You can see the Great Wall of China from space
The Great Wall of China is generally not visible to the naked eye from space without assistance. Its materials blend into the surrounding landscape, making it difficult to distinguish. Astronauts have confirmed that other human-made features, such as cities, are more easily visible.
It is possible, but not with the naked eye. The Great Wall of China is too narrow, and its color blends in with its surroundings.
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Pluto is a planet
Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. It does not meet all the criteria to be considered a full planet, specifically failing to clear its orbit of other debris. Despite this, it remains an important celestial body in the study of the solar system.
When I was at Disney World years ago, I watched the news in my hotel room, and they said that Pluto is no longer a planet, something that school had taught me for YEARS. I was surprised. Fast forward to a few weeks later, school has just started, and I was in my 9th grade science class learning about astronomy. I told the teacher that Pluto is no longer a planet anymore, and all my classmates were like, "WHAT!" The teacher told them that I was right. They were all really confused.
Poor Pluto, excluded from the group. Also, it isn't a planet.
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There is no gravity in space
Gravity exists everywhere in space, though its strength decreases with distance from a mass. Astronauts experience microgravity in orbit because they are in continuous free fall around Earth. This creates the sensation of weightlessness rather than the absence of gravity.
I think this is brought on more by pop culture. Movies where astronauts glide through "zero gravity" environments, or where the ship engineer flips an "anti-gravity" switch and gravity "disappears."
If anything, this myth is dispelled once you learn what gravity is in school.
That's very false. Gravity is a universal fundamental interaction with infinite range. Gravity is responsible for all attractions between objects, and without it, there would be no solar systems or galaxies.
But dark energy is what keeps them apart.
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Atoms cannot be split
Atoms can be split through nuclear fission, a process in which the nucleus divides into smaller parts. This is the principle behind nuclear power plants and atomic weapons. Splitting atoms releases large amounts of energy due to changes in nuclear binding forces.
Here's a research topic... Hiroshima.
I was pretty confused in school about it, but when I did research on nuclear decay, I got it all.
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Only 1% of Earth's water is fresh drinking water
About 2.5 to 3% of Earth's water is fresh, but most of it is locked in glaciers or underground aquifers. Less than 1% of the total water supply is easily accessible for human use in lakes, rivers, and surface reservoirs. The common statement oversimplifies by equating "freshwater" with "drinkable and available."
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Atoms are the smallest things in the world
Atoms are made up of smaller subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons themselves are composed of even smaller particles called quarks. This makes atoms divisible into more fundamental components.
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Visible steam is a gas
The visible "steam" rising from boiling water is actually condensed liquid water droplets. True water vapor is invisible to the naked eye. What people see is a mist formed as water vapor cools and condenses in the air.
It is actually water droplets that are so hot they become less dense, and not a gas, because you can see it.