Things That Simply Aren't True, But Maybe Believable

So many things get said and end up being believed. As children, we are extremely vulnerable. If we hear something enough times, we start to think, well, it must be true.

One of the things I remember is the old saying that if you swallow chewing gum, it wraps around your heart and kills you. Of course, this is naturally impossible. Yet many children grew up believing it was true.

Here are six things you might believe but that have no true foundation. See how you go.

1. The Great Wall of China is visible from space

The truth: No, it cannot be seen

You’ve probably heard this since grade school, but it’s false. It was probably invented by the Chinese because they are so proud of their wall.

The Great Wall stretches 21,196.18 km (13,170.70 miles). This includes all its historical branches, trenches, and overlapping parts built by various dynasties. It is recognised as one of the seven wonders of the world, but is not visible from space. In fact, no single human structure is visible from orbit, but you can see cities lit up at night.

By contrast, another of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef, is visible. Astronauts and satellites can spot it easily. The bright, iridescent blue of the shallow lagoons stands out against the deep ocean's dark blue. (One for the Aussies 😁😁)

2. We have only five senses

The truth: We have way more than five senses. Some scientists say there are 21, but others believe there could be more. These include balance, pain, and temperature.

A big issue with saying we have five senses is that it's hard to agree on what makes a sense different from another. No matter how you define a sense, it’s clear we have more than five.

The ‘non-traditional’ senses include nociception (the sense of pain), thermoception (the sense of temperature), and equilibrioception (the sense of balance).

3. Bulls get angry and hate red

The truth: Bulls are red-green colourblind, so they cannot see red. Therefore, they don't hate it. They perceive the bullfighter’s cloth as a threat.

If you’ve ever seen a bullfight, you know how angry a bull gets when he sees a matador waving a red cape. Contrary to common belief, a bull doesn’t go into attack mode because he hates the colour red. He’s triggered by the cape’s movement and the bullfighter invading his space.

Bulls charge at capes or flags in any colour, like blue, white, or yellow. They show the same fierce energy. The small red cloth, known as the muleta, is red out of tradition. It also hides the blood.

4. We share half our DNA with bananas

Truth: We share 50% of genetic material, but not our DNA, with bananas.

All life on Earth shares the same basic code: DNA. Scientists say all living things on Earth share a common ancestor if you go back far enough. The DNA code in different organisms is much more similar than you might expect.

But as similar as our DNA is, it’s not that similar. The only organisms you share 50% of your DNA with are your parents and your children. When you were conceived, half of your father’s DNA joined with half of your mother’s DNA to make your DNA.

So where does this banana statistic come from? We do, in fact, share about 50% of our genes with plants – including bananas.

Sharing 50% of our DNA with something is different from sharing 50% of our genes that code for proteins. Sharing 50% of our genes with bananas means we only actually share 1% of our DNA with them—not 50.

5. Mice love cheese

Truth: Mice aren’t really that fussy. It is just another food source for them.

All those cartoons of a mouse sitting down and getting fat on cheese aren't exactly true. Sorry to disillusion you.

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have confirmed past research. Wild-caught mice don’t seem to like cheese. Instead, they likely prefer seeds and grains. Crunchy peanut butter is another common mouse bait, but they didn't like it much. (Maybe they prefer smooth! 😉😉)

Adult mammals often have low lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose. So, cheese likely isn’t healthy for mice, either. Plus, feeding cheese to a mouse is a criminal waste of cheese!

Cooked bacon, chocolate, or even peanut butter is probably much better mouse bait. We’ve grown used to cheese from cartoons. In the past, cheese wasn’t protected like grain or cured meat. When people saw gnaw marks on the cheese, they assumed mice loved it.

6. There’s a chemical that turns purple when someone pees in a swimming pool

Truth: Although this might serve a noble purpose, no ‘urine indicator’ can be put in pools.

You could create a clear chemical that changes colour in the presence of urine. The challenge of avoiding false positives likely isn't worth the investment. Creating this dye is challenging. Also, any pool that uses it would probably always have a purple tint.

Studies show that 20% to 53% of adults admit to peeing in pools. However, researchers think the real number is higher because many won’t confess.

Enjoy your swim!

Till next time,

Calvin