This is one of the most common myths and it states that it is safe to eat food that has touched the ground as long as it has not been more than 5 seconds since it fell. This is obviously imopssible, because if there are germs on the floor, it does not really matter how much time passed since the food touched the floor. They will still stick to it. However, this does not mean that you can no longer eat it because you will get sick. Sometimes, germs help us fevelop our immune system, so if you are willing to eat food that has touched the floor, it does not really matter when you pick it up.

It has been long believed that Polaris is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere night sky. The truth is that Sirius is actually brighter than Polaris, but the latter marks North and is the only current North Star as pole stars change over time because stars exhibit a slow continuous drift with respect to the Earth’s axis.

This myth states that meteors are heated by friction when entering the atmosphere. In fact, it is the speed compressing the air in front of the object that causes it to heat it up, and not friction. Also, meteorites are not hot when they hit and most of the times they are covered in frost because the entry heat is not sufficient to melt all the ice accumulated from its journey through space.

This myth has been spread thorugh all possible means. You have definitely heard about the fact that there is no gravity in space. The truth is that gravity exists in all areas of space. The reason why astronauts seem to be weightless is because they are in fact orbiting the Earth. Basically, they are falling without landing.

The myth is that brain cell never regenerate and thus, if they were damaged, they can never be replaced. The reason why this myth was believed for a long time is that it was supported by the scientific community for a long time. However, in 1998, it was discovered that brain cells can regenerate and this is how hope for a potential cure for Alzheimer’s was given to people.

There was a time when people used to believe that the Moon has a dark side. The reason why this seemed plausible at some point was because we can only see one side of the Moon. However, the the Moon is always illuminated by the sun on one side or the other.

This may be one of the craziest myths, and it refers to the fact that the human body pops when exposed to the vacuum of space. This myth has been supported especially by SciFi movies which only tried to add more drama to the plot. In fact, a human being can survive about 15-20 minutes in outer space, but it dies not because its body pops, but because he will asphyxiate due to lack of oxygen.

The myth says that a penny dropped from a very high building could kill a pedestrian below. People used to think that the penny could pick up enough speed to kill a person if it lands on them on the ground. However, its aerdonamics are not enough to make it so dangerous and the person would most likely feel only a sting.

There is a myth according to which evolution causes something to go from “lower” to “higher”. It was already proven that natural selection is in charge with getting rid of unnecessary or unhealthy genes. However, there are many imperfect organisms which manged to survive, such as fungi, sharks, crayfish or mosses.

You must have heard the famous story that a lightning never strikes the same place twice. Actually, it is really common for lightnings to strike the same place several times, because they usually hit tall trees or buildings. The Empire State Buliding for instance, is stricken by lightning about 25 times a year.