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Many of us grew up with statements like sunflower seeds cause appendicitis, and if you touch a frog with your hands, you will definitely get covered in warts. But most of these statements actually turn out to be myths that do not have any scientific evidence.
We offer readers of Turkmenportal a selection of the most persistent myths.
“Carrots improve vision!” – we heard in childhood, and now we tell our children. The vegetable is indeed a source of beta-carotene, which in the human body is converted into vitamin A, so important for eye health.
However, if you already have vision problems, vitamin A will not solve them. On the contrary, a large amount of carrots in the diet can be harmful, giving the skin an orange tint.
Another important detail, vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that it is absorbed better in the body if taken with fat-containing foods. It turns out that gnawing carrots is useless for the eyes. To obtain maximum benefits, the vegetable must be consumed in combination with fats. For example, you can add carrots to salads with vegetable oil or sour cream.
“A person only uses 10% of his brain” is not true! This opinion is one of the oldest and most persistent myths.
The human brain is a complex organ consisting of several sections and containing about 86 billion neurons. The parts of the brain closely interact with each other, performing many functions, from ensuring vital processes to the formation of personality and consciousness.
In the middle of the last century, some scientists believed that if a neuron generates an impulse, then it is working, and if it does not generate, then it is inactive. Since checking the activity of each of the 80 billion neurons is not an easy task, the scientists decided to study only a small part of them. Having determined the percentage of “working” neurons, the researchers assumed that this percentage was the same throughout the brain (this assumption is called extrapolation).
Just imagine if all the neurons in your brain switch on at the same time! Sensory neurons will force a person to experience absolutely all possible sensations - hallucinations will begin, motor neurons will launch all the movements that we are capable of. It is difficult to imagine what will happen if all cognitive abilities are activated at the same time - perception, analysis of information about the surrounding reality, attention, memory and speech. The above will lead to chaos in the functioning of the brain.
In fact, the answer to the question of why all neurons in the brain do not turn on at the same time is very simple. If neurons are not needed at the moment, they are inactive: when we are silent, the neurons that control speech “sleep”, when we do not walk, then the neurons that trigger the walking process are inactive, when we do not experience fear, “fear neurons” do not work, etc. d.
“Large amounts of sweets make children hyperactive”. To date, research has not established a link between high sugar intake and hyperactivity, inattention, or other behavior problems in either children or adults.
Studies that only looked at children found that eating certain foods did not affect their behavior. However, studies in which, in addition to children, their parents also participated, have shown that the beliefs and expectations of adults have a great influence on the behavior of children.
“Seeds and pits cause appendicitis” - doctors also refute this popular belief. The website rg.ru presents the results of research by doctors from two hospitals in Izmir (Türkiye). Of the two thousand patients with appendicitis, only eight had undigested remains of food and seeds in the appendix, and only one had fruit pits.
“If you look at welding, you can go blind”. Watching welding is really harmful, which is why welders wear masks to protect their eyes from the radiation of the welding arc. The emitted UV rays can cause microburn on the retina of the eye. But at the same time, a fleeting glance at welding from a safe distance will not deprive a person of his vision - this requires much more time.
“Hair and nails continue to grow after death” is a deep misconception. To understand the absurdity of the statement, school knowledge of human physiology will be enough. Let's refresh them!
For the process of cell division, they need energy and nutrients. Blood circulates throughout the body, supplying it with everything it needs. But when the heart stops and blood clots, cells are deprived of nutrition and oxygen, which leads to the cessation of cell division processes.
“Memory like a fish”. Don't underestimate the intelligence of aquarium fish. They are much smarter than we used to think.
Scientists have conducted many experiments on cichlids, one of the varieties of aquarium fish. During the experiment, the fish were fed in a certain place in the aquarium, after which they were moved to another aquarium for a short time. Gradually increasing the time, the fish spend in another aquarium.
As a result, scientists discovered that the fish’s memory of the feeding place lasts for 12 days, which is 1 036 800 seconds!
“Don’t go without a hat, you’ll get meningitis”. Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord that develops as a result of a bacterial, viral or fungal infection. The infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. Meningococcus can be present in the nasopharynx of a healthy person without causing disease. However, with a decrease in immunity, it can cause meningococcal infection.
It is worth remembering that walking in cold weather without a hat can lead to hypothermia and decreased immunity.
“After shaving, the hair becomes stronger and thicker”. Hair follicles are responsible for hair growth and are not affected by shaving. Shaving your hair can create a short-term illusion of thickness because the regrown hair will be the same length. However, soon the hair will begin to grow unevenly, fall out, and the thickening effect will disappear.
Hair structure and growth are influenced by genetics and hormones.
“Touching frogs causes warts” is not true. Warts are a viral disease that has nothing to do with amphibians. They are only transmitted from person to person, so don't blame the frogs for their appearance.
Resources: tochka-zrenia.ru; elementy.ru; tass.ru; rg.ru; marieclaire.ru; pravda-chto.ru
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