The Truth About All

Now didn’t we all not have the experience where dropped this delicious piece for food, let’s say a nice cookie, on the floor and reasoned with ourselves that we picked it up fast enough so that nothing nasty caught on yet?

Well although it easy to believe that if one picks up the food dropped on the floor within a certain time it is still in OK shape tests tell us a different story. Yes tests have been done to prove this one and it has shown that germs will stick to the majority of foods straight on contact.

So next time that cookie hits the floor you want to consider getting a fresh one out of the jar!

And that’s the truth about the five second rule…

I think everyone has heard this story before – but is it true? Can a chicken live without its head for any given period of time?

Well the answer my friends is yes! And not only for a couple of minutes either. Our feathery friend can stagger around without its head because the brain stem, which is often left partially intact after a beheading, actually controls most of the birds reflexes. It is rumored that one real  survivor managed to live for a full 18 months!

And that’s the truth about chickens being able to live without a head…

What’s the truth around the statement that seasons on Earth are being caused by the distance to the sun? Well this is not true. How far away the Earth is from the sun during its yearly elliptical orbit has no noticeable effect on the Earth’s temperature. However the angle of our planet’s tilt, for the Northern Hemisphere towards the sun in the summer months and away during winter time is what actually dictates the climate.

And that’s the truth about seasons being caused by the Earth’s distance to the sun…

I guess we all have had the following experience. I come down with the cold and mother is off to the kitchen to make me that all powerful chicken soup to get me back on my feet as soon as possible. But does this actually work? Is chicken soup the magic bullet in ones fight against the common cold?

Well to say that chicken soup is the cure might be a bit much. However studies did show that the chicken broth actually contains anti-inflammatory properties that help in the reduction of congestion.

So I say let’s take mom’s advice and eat that chicken soup when we suffering from the common cold. As it definitely does not hurt it does do some good!

And that’s the truth about chicken soup being able to cure the common cold…

Is it true that there is no gravity in space? I guess the fact that the term “zero-gravity” is commonly used has contributed to this common misconception.

As a matter of fact gravity is everywhere. Here on earth but also in space. Astronauts and cosmonauts seem to be weightless but this is not true. The fact that they look like they are weightless is caused by them being in a continuous freefall towards the earth staying aloft due to their horizontal motion. The effect of gravity only diminishes with distance but never truly disappears.

Ah and since we are on the subject, another common misconception is that space is a vacuum. This is simply untrue. In fact all kinds of atoms are out there in space be it sometimes far apart.

And that’s the truth about there being no gravity in space…

Here’s a cool clip from NASA explaining how gravity works in space.

Is it true that men think about sex every seven seconds? Well evolutionarily speaking it is true that males are more driven to reproduce. However there is no scientific way to measure the extent of the desire for sex men have during their everyday lives.

What researchers can tell us though is that to their best knowledge a though around sex every seven seconds is a major overstatement. Thank god for that otherwise men would have a hard time keeping focused on a topic other then sex!

And that is the truth about men thinking about sex every seven seconds…

Is there any truth in the story that if one is to eat a poppy seed bagel it will mimic actual opium use? Well better be careful when eating your next poppy seed bagel as there might actually be some truth to this one.

Now tellers of this urban myth are known to refer to a great Seinfeld episode to support their story (this is the episode in season 7 where Elaine’s drug test shows opium use after she eats poppy seed bagels). As it turns out there is actually truth in this. Tests indicate that you only have to ingest 2 poppy seed bagels to show a positive result for opiates on a drug screen.

Since we are on the subject also beware of drinking gin and tonic. This drink can actually get you tested positive for cocaine!

And that’s the truth about eating poppy seed bagels mimicking opium use…

Is it true that yawning is contagious? Empirically this is difficult to deny, you might even yawn while you are reading this post!

The main question is however whether or not there is something physiological going on here. The answer to that question is most likely yes. We know that even chimpanzees are mimicking each other’s yawns.

And that’s the truth about yawning being contagious…

You undoubtedly heard the statement: a cat will always land on its feet. This is actually true in most cases. Studies have shown that when one is to drop a cat from the majority of heights our furry friend will land gracefully on their 4 feet.

Exception is that when dropped upside down from heights of 1 feet or less cats do have trouble to land on their feet. Of course we warn you NOT to test this theory at home!

And that’s the truth about a falling cat always landing on its feet…

Is it true that lightning will never strike in the same place twice? Well I wouldn’t feel too save taking shelter under that tree that just got blasted if I was you. Contrary to common believe truth is that lightning actually favors certain spots. In particular high locations. For example: the Empire State Building in New York is struck by lightning no less then around 25 times a year.

Ben Franklin figured this out a long time ago when he mounted a metal rod on the top of his house and then ran a metal wire to the ground. With this he invented the lighting rod.

And that’s the truth about lighting never striking in the same place twice…

Now I mentioned the Empire State Building as an example earlier on in the post. If you are curious as to what it looks like when that building get struck by lightning watch the video below.