8 Scientific Beliefs We Officially Declared False

What do you think is the probability of being killed by lightning or a falling asteroid? You may be surprised, but the probability of death caused by an asteroid is almost twice as high. Lightning strikes the earth 17 million times every day, which is 200 times per second. However, the risk of "electrical" death per year is between one and ten million.

We do not believe that ignorance is bliss and we want our readers to be aware of the latest facts and truths.

8 PHOTOS

1. Chameleons do not change their color depending on their environment.

This may have been useful on many occasions given that chameleons are not properly armed against anyone who would like to eat them, but no. They have never been and never will change their color depending on the environment. In truth, the color of a chameleon depends entirely on its emotional state. And if its color is similar to the place where it is now, then this is completely accidental.

2. The blue whale is not the largest living creature on earth.

It's huge, no doubt about it, but it's not the biggest. The trick here is in an important nuance - the largest living creature on Earth is, in fact, a mushroom. And his name is Armillaria Ostoyae, or, as you know, Humongous Fungus. In the Maleur National Forest, Oregon, USA, the record mushroom has been growing for approximately 2,000-8,000 years (the exact age of this giant creature cannot be estimated). It occupies 880 hectares, and its largest part is hidden from human eyes.

3. Cockroaches will not survive a nuclear war.

Many people tend to think that cockroaches are indestructible. Yes, they live on Earth much longer than humans (about 280 million years), and it is very difficult to get rid of them. In addition, they can live without a head for some time. But a scientific experiment conducted in 1959 showed that cockroaches would be among the first insects to die in the event of a nuclear disaster.

4. Eating a lot of carrots will not improve your eyesight.

Carrots are a good source of vitamin A, a lack of which leads to night blindness. The easiest way to improve this condition is to increase your intake of vitamin A, which is most commonly found in carotene. Sure, carrots have carotene, but apricots, blueberries, spinach, and other dark-leaved vegetables have even more carotene. But eating a lot of carrots will only give you an orange tone to your skin and won't help you see better in the dark.

5. The recommended amount of sleep is less than 8 hours.

In 2004, Professor Daniel Kripke published an article stating that adults who sleep for 8 hours die younger than those who sleep 6 or 7 hours during the night. His research took 6 years and included 1.1 million test subjects. More people who slept less than 8 hours but at least 4 remained alive by the end of the study.

6. Water is not transparent - it has a color.

People used to think that water is clear and transparent, and the reason why the seas and oceans appear blue is due to the reflection of the sky. But the water is really blue. You can see that it's a very light shade of blue if you're looking at a deep hole in the snow.

7. Oxygen is not the most common substance in the world.

If you are wondering what is special about this ordinary stone, you are not alone. It is a calcium titanium oxide mineral that is composed of calcium titanate and is called perovskite. It makes up almost half of the total mass of our planet. Scientists believe that the Earth's mantle is composed of perovskite, but this hypothesis has not yet been proven.

8. Colds are not that common.

Depression is one of the most common illnesses in the world - far more common than the common cold, according to statistics.