10 Scientific Beliefs That Are Now Officially Declared To Be False

Which among the two do you think has more of a probability of killing us-getting crushed by an asteroid or getting roasted by lightning? It would be surprising to know that we have a more probability of dying by getting crushed by an asteroid double the times compared to getting struck by lightning. According to the “book of general ignorance” written John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, the earth is struck by lightning bolts approximately 17million times a day, which on an average becomes 200 strikes a second. The probability of a fatal electrocution is 1 in10 million, which is the same probability of being bitten by a venomous snake. Ignorance isn’t the bliss that it has been made out to be so here nine scientific so called truths that are actually false.

1Did you know that chameleons don’t change their color?

Till now everyone was of the opinion that depending on their surroundings a chameleon changed their color. But!! Here’s the truth. Chameleons can’t protect themselves against stronger predators that would eat them. They never had that caliber of fighting and protecting themselves. The truth is that the chameleon changes its color based on its emotional state. It is very coincidental that the color of the chameleon is same as the color of its surrounding.

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Chameleon means “Earthen lion” translated from Greek

When someone picks up a chameleon or when it is scared or when it just had a duel with another chameleon, it changes its color. Chameleons have two layers superimposed on each other, one changes its color and the other regulates body temperature. The presence of a female, the wavelength of light falling on its skin and temperature also changes the color. Chameleons skin is made up of special cells known as chromatophores which are divided into different layers and each reflects a different color. When there is a change in the ratio of a skin layer, there is a change in the color.

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2The blue whale is not the planet’s biggest creature

We believed that the blue whale was the biggest creature on Earth but we were wrong! Mr. Big whale is surely the biggest mammal but the biggest creature is, in fact, a mushroom. The honey mushroom whose scientific name is Armillaria Ostoyaeor is also called Humongous fungus.

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It grows in the Forests of Oregon

The honey mushroom growing in Malheur National Forest, Oregon, USA is a record breaker of sorts. Its estimated age is between 2,000-8,000 years (Its accurate age cannot be figured out). It covers 880 hectares (around 2,200 acres). Its Inner layers remain hidden from our naked eye. It even grows underground in the shape of huge white mycelium. The mycelium grows over plants and trees root and absorbs their nutrition and minerals and starts sucking the life energy out of the trees. Occasionally, it grows on surfaces disguised as a small beautiful golden mushroom while hiding the giant in it and under the surface.

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3Cockroaches cannot survive a nuclear war

People for a long time have believed the cockroaches cannot be harmed and killed by natural causes unless of course you stomp them or spray them. They have been on Earth longer than humans (Almost 280 million years) and are extremely difficult to get rid of. If they have invaded a household, it becomes a nightmare. In fact, they have tendencies of living headless for quite a bit of time. In 1959 experiments were conducted to show that during a nuclear holocaust cockroaches would be the first insects to die.

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A human being stands more chances of survival than cockroaches but guess who can stand the most

Wharton and Wharton conducted a scientific test in which species of different insects were exposed to different levels of radiations. A conclusion was made that a human being can be exposed to 1000 RAD, while a cockroach can be exposed to 20,000 RAD. A flying yellow was can be exposed to 180,000 RAD. But the real king that can be exposed to 1.5 million RAD is a tiny bacteria called Deionococcus durans, which endures double the exposure value if the bacteria is frozen in state.

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