LONDON (Web Desk) – From childhood we have been told that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain, we can’t have sweets because they will make us hyperactive and we should wear a hat if it is cold.
Now experts have dispelled these commonly held assumptions and revealed a list of modern life’s top misconceptions, or “faux facts”, as Ripley’s Believe It or Not! termed them.
The museum of curiosities in London’s Piccadilly Circus commissioned the study and compiled the list of myths.
Other misconceptions are that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space and sushi means “raw fish”.
A spokesman for Ripley’s said: “If you’re told something enough times, you’re sure to start believing it.
“The misconceptions in this list are all pretty plausible, so it’s understandable that many Brits will have read it and been certain it’s true, with many of us being told these from an early age.
“Unbelievably, all of these commonly believed facts are in fact misconceptions.
“We’ve found this research really interesting as the whole Ripley’s attraction is filled with exhibits that have the ‘Believe It or Not!’ factor. As our founder Robert Ripley used to say, it is often the strangest things that are true.”
Here is list of these top 20 misconceptions:
1. Coffee
Most people believe coffee is made from beans, but experts say they are actually made from seeds called a bean.
2. Chameleons
It is commonly assumed that chameleons change colour to fit in with their surroundings. However, they actually change colour depending on their mood, temperature and their exposure to light.
3. Mount Everest
Mount Everest is often named as the tallest mountain on earth. But while the summit of Mount Everest is higher above sea level than the summit of any other mountain, but Mauna Kea is the tallest when measured from base to summit.
4. Great Wall of China
People say you can see the Great Wall of China from space. But Apollo astronauts confirmed that you can’t see the Great Wall of China from the Moon. In fact, all you can see from the Moon is the white and blue marble of our home planet.
5.Dog years
One human year is equivalent to seven dog years it is thought. Actually it depends on the size and breed of the dog.
6. Heat loss
It’s often said that you lose your body heat fastest through your head. This is a myth, experts say humans would be just as cold if they went without a hat as if they went without trousers.
7. Earth
We were all taught the Earth revolves around the Sun. Technically, what is going on is that the Earth, Sun and all the planets are orbiting around the centre of mass of the solar system.
8.Taste sensations
Different parts of your tongue detects different tastes, right? Wrong. This was scientifically disproved by later research; all taste sensations come from all regions of the tongue, although different parts are more sensitive to certain tastes.
9. Peanuts
Peanuts are thought to be a type of nut, many think the clue’s in the name. But actually peanuts, along with beans and peas, belong to the single plant family, Leguminosae.
10. Children and sweets
Parents often claim giving children sugar makes them hyper. However, this is not the case, most research has concluded that sugar does not cause hyperactivity.
