Is Earth actually round? Are bats actually blind? Is deoxygenated blood actually blue? Does a normal human actually use only 10% of his/her brain?
Although many of us consider ourselves pragmatic, our world is actually abounded with false information. People, in general, are gullible. We tend to believe in things solely because everybody else does. Or we believe because we get information from what we think is a reliable source. In general, the existence of popular misconceptions is more than proof that humans, in general, are gullible. I am here today to both clarify and vociferate. And, yes, I too was ensnared by the trap of false information.
Let’s start with what I believe is an ancient popular misconception. Religion during the early times believed that the world was flat. Of course, we can laugh about it now because we’re sure that the world is round but religious leaders were actually pretty serious about the idea. However, those who laugh are those most subject to laughter. Our planet isn’t actually round. Yes, you read right. It isn’t. Our planet takes the shape of an oblate spheroid. The pole areas are pressed while the area of the equator is bulged. I guess everything that goes around comes around. But, in the case of Earth, everything went an-oblate-spheroid (no pun intended).
As for another misconception, many people think bats are blind. Many people consider themselves intellectual individuals and assert the idea of bats being masters of bio sonar who need this echolocation because they can’t see. Well, I have nothing against bats being masters of echolocation however I don’t concur to the belief that bats are blind. Actually, bats have normal eyesight. However, they are intrinsically photosensitive. Bats use their echolocation when their eyesight fails them.
Another misconception is that blood that lack oxygen turn blue. This common misconception most likely originated from human observations that veins appear blue. Well, no, deoxygenated blood isn’t blue in nature. In fact, it’s actually dark red. The hemoglobin found in blood creates this red color. Thanks to scumbag hemoglobin, our previous belief is greatly disproven.
The recent movie Lucy has been greatly popular. The movie features Lucy, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson, who gains the ability to use a greater and accreting percentage of her brain. Of course, the movie made the oh-so-popular belief that “an average person uses only 10% of his/her brain” more popular. However, according to psychology, this is absolutely a myth. We actually use every part of our brain and that our brain is actually active most of the time according to neurologists. Brain researchers who have used imaging technology have shown that most of the brain’s regions are continually active over a 24-hour period. “Evidence would show over a day you use 100 percent of the brain,” says John Henley, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. But hey, Scalett Johansson is hot. Why not watch?
These are just some of the world’s popular misconceptions. A lot of false misconceptions are still lurking out there. I believe it is a good idea to be paranoid every once in a while and confirm the information we obtain through reliable unconventional means.
Special thanks to:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/
– Sigmund Ervin S. Arce
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