Tag: debunk
-
Pet Ownership
Having a pet might not be the 100% positive thing you’ve been led to believe → https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/06/is-having-a-pet-good-for-you-the-fuzzy-science-of-pet-ownership/ In the end, I don’t think there’s strong/much evidence that owning a pet isn’t good for you. Rather, I liked this “debunking” article because it got into the details of how studies are funded & done, and that…
-
Ouija Boards
A good explanation of what’s really going on with Ouija boards → https://www.vox.com/2016/10/29/13301590/how-ouija-boards-work-debunked-ideomotor-effect Folks don’t seem to talk about Ouija boards like they did back in the day (maybe kids still do?), but I couldn’t resist posting this debunking. I especially like it because it goes deep into what’s really going, even proposing that there…
-
Tongue Taste
Your tongue is not divided into taste zones → https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/science/taste-buds-tongue-map.html I have anosmia, so this taste thing is now mostly foreign to me most of the time (I love Prednisone!), but I’m always looking for & interested in debunking beliefs lots of us have always had.
-
Carrot Myth
WWII propaganda is what led us to believe that eating carrots helps you see better in the dark → https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-wwii-propaganda-campaign-popularized-the-myth-that-carrots-help-you-see-in-the-dark-28812484/ I love starting off the week with a good historical debunking. That said, do kids today still believe this? I feel like I haven’t heard anybody say this in years & years.
-
Unneeded Stretching
Stretching science shows that stretching has almost no measurable benefits → https://www.painscience.com/articles/stretching.php Well, this is surprising, no? Almost as surprising is that the author himself still stretches. This is a supremely comprehensive article, so I’m inclined to believe the premise, even though is seems almost too contrary. One of the cool things about running a…
-
Drop Bears
Australians invented an unique, indigenous animal just for tourists → https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/drop-bear/ I’m a seasoned traveler, right? So, no way I’d fall for this, right? But I did, back in 2009, when I was taking a tour of the areas around Uluru. The guides really played it up, and it wasn’t until we “found” one in…
-
Detox Detoxing
Detoxes are unneeded & don’t do anything your body doesn’t already do naturally → https://slate.com/technology/2023/12/holiday-detox-you-dont-need-to-heres-why.html One of my great joys continues to be finding articles that de-bunk commonly-held “beliefs”. And this detox myth is one of the things that always bugs me most at the start of each new year. That said, I’ve learned it’s…
-
Viking Helmets
Viking helmets never had horns → https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_helmet#Popular_association_with_Vikings Yep, that means the Minnesota Viking helmets & mascot are totally wrong. The article doesn’t explain it, but the reason that some folks thought the Viking helmets did have horns is that they found Viking drinking horns (which they used for…drinking) next to the helmets, and just assumed…
-
Unpoisoned Candy
There was never any poisoned candy → https://nowiknow.com/where-did-the-fear-of-poisoned-halloween-candy-come-from/ Debunkings nourish my soul, but it probably won’t matter, and most folks will continue to believe what they’re fed. Oh well — Now I Know would still be a great newsletter for them to subscribe to for more good explainers/debunkers like this.
eyeintim 