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33 Common ‘Facts’ That Push the Limits of Plausibility

January 07, 2024

Today we right the wrongs of the misinformed, the ill-informed and the straight-up liars who have all been spouting what seems like the truth. They got away with falsehood spreadry for too long! Secret’s out, everybody — diamonds are not made from smushed coal! Man, that felt good.

33

CRACKED Metabolism speed is set, and it matters for weight loss. Your metabolism is partly determined by your genes, but the main factor in whether you gain or lose weight is the balance of calories you take in and burn off. — Source

32

CRACKED Lactic acid makes your muscles-sore after a workout. Lactic acid build-up is actually a natural defense mechanism. The soreness is caused by damage to the muscle cells and an increase in the release of different metabolites into the tissue around the muscle cells. — Source

31

CRACKED Milk is good for your bones. It's a myth that drinking milk can stop you from getting bone fractures or osteoporosis. In fact, if you drink a lot of dairy products when you're a teenager, you might be more likely to get bone fractures when you're older. — Source

30

CRACKED Shaved hair grows back thicker. Shaving doesn't change the color, thickness, or how fast the hair grows. It might feel a bit coarser or stubbly when it starts to grow back, which can make it seem darker or thicker, but it's not actually changing. — Source

29

Sugar

CRACKED Sugar makes you-hyper. It's been a long-held belief that eating too much sugar can make kids hyperactive, but science has found no clear proof of this. That said, it's possible sugar can still affect behavior in other ways, like changing how certain brain chemicals are made.

28

Taste receptors are neatly grouped. We often think that the taste receptors for salty, sweet, bitter and sour are only located in certain parts of the tongue, but that's not true. Actually, these receptors are spread out all over the tongue. CRACKED — Source

27

Urine is sterile. It's a myth that pee is totally clean. In reality, even healthy people have some bacteria in their urine. CRACKED — Source

26

Diamonds From Coal CRACKED.COM If you compress coal for a very long time under high pressure, eventually, you will waste an incredible amount of time. Diamonds form from a separate process that has nothing to do with coal, much deeper below ground. — Source

25

Being Cold Causes Colds GRACKED.COM Your parents would have you think a puffer jacket is your last line of defense against the common cold. The common cold is a virus, and a lack of mittens has nothing to do with getting infected. Licking frozen telephone poles? Still not recommended. — Source

24

MYTH Hyenas are only scavengers who rely on lions to kill for them. TRUTH Hyenas are great hunters who are more likely to have their hunt stolen from them by a lion. CRACKED.COM — Source

23

DON'T SUCK VENOM OUT OF A BITE Sucking out poison can contaminate the wound and damage nerves or blood vessels. You may also harm yourself. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

YOU WOULD USE CPR, NOT PADDLES, IF SOMEONE FLATLINED Defibrillation is used when someone is experiencing rapid heart contractions. CRACKED.COM — Source

21

Camels' Humps Store Water CRACKED.COM Unfortunately, no, camels aren't built like some sort of weird living Super Soaker. Their humps are filled with regular old fat. It's their unique blood cells that let them store more water than other animals. Also, Joe Camel isn't real, and they HATE cigarettes. — Source

20

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Human traffickers are almost always men. REALITY: Female traffickers make up a large part of all human traffickers. 37% of traffickers are female, which is a pretty large share when compared to other crimes. Female traffickers mostly target women and children, because there's more trust there. Females are also often used to recruit other female traffickers. — Source

19

Fingerprint Science

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Found fingerprints at the crime scene? Bingo! REALITY: There are no true consensus as to how and if fingerprint forensics really work. The precision and methodologies of fingerprint forensics have been questioned and opposed by a lot of experts (even entire countries). The claim that no two fingerprints are identical has still not been proven, but the error rate has. Point is that it's not an exact science, and shouldn't be believed to be. — Source

18

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Chloroform can knock you out in seconds. REALITY: Nope, try five minutes. While chloroform has been used in murder cases, it doesn't have an immediate effect on a damp cloth over one's face. It will take around five minutes to kick in, and there will be a lot of kicking from the victim. In real murder cases, victims were usually tricked into taking the anaesthetic, or giving drugs prior to getting chloroformed. — Source

17

Alaska

CRACKED.COM MYTH: State with the most serial killers? Must be Florida, or California. REALITY: It's Alaska. Proportional to its population, Alaska wins this one with around 15.65 serial killings per one million inhabitants. It's followed by Nevada, then Florida. Criminologists speculate that it might be due to the cover of darkness during those long Alaskan winter nights. The isolation of the state's remote locations might also play a part. — Source

16

Food Myths

MYTH: FRESH PRODUCE IS HEALTHIER THAN CANNED OR FROZEN. FACT: PRESERVED FOODS HAVE moRe NUTRIENTS. Unless you're harvesting your fruit and vegetables from your own garden, that fresh produce has likely traveled over a distance before landing on your table. During that time, it has lost vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Freezing and canning stops that loss, because it locks the nutrients in. CRACKED.COM http://abcnews.go.com/Health/reasons-buy-frozen-fruits-veggies/story?id=20683879#1 — Source

15

MYTH: A LITTLe OIL in YOUR BOILING WATER WILL keep PASTA FROM STICKING. FACT: IT won'T. IT WILL JUST BLOCK THE SAUCE. When you add oil to pasta water, it just floats on the top, which does nothing to keep your noodles from sticking together. Then when you drain them, the oil will transfer to your pasta and make it too slippery to absorb your sauce. CRACKED.COM http://www.chow.com/food-news/54661/should-you-put-oil-in-pasta-water/ — Source

14

MYTH: DIETING? YOU SHOULD eAT CALORIE- BURNING FOODS. 80 Pd 100 FACT: THERE'S no SUCH THING. So-called negative calorie foods tend to be some sort of fruit or vegetable that supposedly contains fewer calories than it takes to digest it. But the calories your body burns in fueling the digestive cycle are minuscule compared with the calories in the food itself. Even chewing, and even celery. CRACKED.COM content ime.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804 1896439_1896359_1896346,00.html — Source

13

MYTH: LOBSTERS SCREAM WHen YOU BOIL THem! FACT: WHAT YOU HEAR IS eSCAPING STeAM. When you toss a lobster into a pot of boiling water, steam builds up in the recesses of its shell and has nowhere to go but out - like a tea kettle. Not only is it not screaming, your lobster isn't even all that pissed at you. Because its nervous system isn't very complex, it's feeling little to no pain. CRACKED.COM http://abcnews.go.com/Health/PainManagement/story?id=722163&page=1#. Tw3VLPIVTKc — Source

12

Turkey Meat

MYTH: TURKEY MAKES YOU SLEEPY. FACT: IT'S THE BIG meAL THAT Does IT. Science-y types will claim that turkey makes you sleepy because it contains tryptophan, which eventually becomes seratonin and melatonin, the sleep neurochemicals. But turkey doesn't contain enough to affect your tiredness level. The reason you're sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner is because your very full body needs to focus on digestion. https://www.washingtonpost.com t.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/11/ CRACKED.COM 24/no-turkey-doesnt-make-you-sleepy-the-science-of-thanksgiving-feasts/ — Source

11

Menstruating Women do NOT Provoke Bear Attacks On August 13, 1967 two women were killed in grizzly bear attacks. With zero evidence, some speculated that it was because they were menstruating, and the myth stuck. A National Park Service study, however, states that there is no evidence that grizzly and black bears are overly attracted to menstrual odors. GRACKED.COM — Source

10

You cannot see The Great Wall of China from the moon. You can barely see it from Earth's orbit, and conditions have to be perfect, You can blame Ripley's Believe It or Not! for that myth. CRACKED.COM — Source

9

CRACKED.COM Everybody knows that Jamaica is a stoner country, right? Nope! Jamaica strictly banned all forms of marijuana use until 2015. Even now, they allow only 2 ounces per person. In comparison, Colorado legalized marijuana sooner than Jamaica! — Source

8

MYTH Siberia is a frozen wasteland. REALITY Parts of Siberia have beautiful summers. Novosibirsk reached 87.8°F (31°C) last June. CRACKED.COM — Source

7

ANTARCTICA Is not completely covered with ice and snow. Pictured: Wright Valley, one of several that make up the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Also visible is Lake Vanda. — Source

6

Myth: Madagascar is all jungle and primitive tribes. Reality: It has a thriving economy with its own airlines, 5 star hotels, - MAGAGASCAR and shopping malls. The capital city of Antananarivo has a population of 1.4 million. ... GRACKED GON — Source

5

CRACKED.COM When you think of women in the Muslim world, you probably imagine all the women sequestered in harems and draped in veils in public. The truth is, many of those countries are more progressive than you think; after all, many women have been chosen to lead their largely Islamic countries! Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh Sibel Siber, Northern Cyprus Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Tansu Çiller, Turkey Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan — Source

4

GRACKED.COM WHEN YOU HEAR THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES, YOU IMAGINE POOR COUNTRIES. IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY INDICATE A COUNTRY'S FINANCIAL PROWESS AT ALL. SUCH INDICATION LABELS THE COUNTRIES' POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES DURING THE COLD WAR: CAPITALISM FOR FIRST WORLD AND COMMUNISM FOR SECOND WORLD. THIRD WORLD MEANS COUNTRIES THAT ARE NOT AFFILIATED TO ANY OF THESE IDEOLOGIES. — Source

3

Everyone pictures Kenya as a wild or impoverished land But in reality Kenya is a modern state with bustling cities and a capital home to over three million people. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

Myth: Somalia has the highest rate of piracy in the world. Reality: The piracy rate in Somalia has dropped significantly since 2013. Now most pirate attacks take place near Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. CRACKED COM — Source

1

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Mental illness and gun violence go hand in hand. REALITY: Incorrect. It's estimated that only 4% of all violent gun crimes involve mental illness. Yet the majority of Americans believe otherwise. Alcohol abuse and stress from getting a divorce or losing a job are way more likely to induce gun violence. Mental illness, however, is a great risk factor for gun suicides, and makes up the majority of gun-related deaths in the US. — Source

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