11 Myths We Need to Stop Believing

Since childhood, we’ve been reading and hearing a lot of "facts," the truthfulness of which we never doubted. However, many of them are artifice.

Bright Side recalled and destroyed 11 common misconceptions. Each revelation is supported by a source, so you can learn more about it.

1. Soap kills bacteria.
   

Actually: Soap only washes bacteria off without killing it. So why does soap work? Washing your hands with soap rids them of grease, which is the breeding ground for bacteria.

1. If you swallow a piece of gum, it will stay in your stomach for 7 years.
   

Actually: Although the viscous base of chewing gum is not susceptible to gastric juice and does not dissolve in it, it is excreted from the body naturally through muscular contractions of the stomach.

1. Shaving hair makes it thicker.
   

Actually: After we cut the outer part of a hair, what remains is a blunt, non-conical end, which is what feels hard.

1. Touching toads gives you warts.
   

Actually: Warts are benign growths caused by the human papillomavirus. You can pick it up in public places or through contact with a sick person.

1. Hair and nails grow after death.
   

Actually: After a person dies, their skin becomes dehydrated and contracts, which creates the illusion of the growth of nails and hair.

1. The Great Wall of China is visible from space.
   

Actually: Although the length of the Great Wall of China is more than 4,300 miles (7,000 k), it is difficult to see from space, as its color merges with nature. You can see the wall only under certain light and weather conditions, and even then only from a low orbit. Highways, on the other hand, are distinguishable more often.

1. Bats are blind.
   

Actually: Although bats use echolocation to orient in space, they also use night vision under certain light.

1. Water conducts electricity.
   

Actually: What conducts electricity are minerals with positively and negatively charged particles, which water molecules themselves don’t have. Therefore, distilled water, because of the lack of impurities in it, does not conduct electricity.

1. Antibiotics kill viruses.
   

Actually: Antibiotics only deal with bacteria, killing them or stopping their reproduction.

1. Sitting close to the TV worsens your eyesight.
   

Actually: There is no evidence for this. However, sitting close to and watching too much TV can cause eyestrain.

1. Coke dissolves teeth.
   

Actually: The myth that a tooth placed in a glass of Coke will dissolve overnight has been perpetuated for years. This is supposedly due to the presence of three acids — phosphoric, citric, and carbonic — in the drink. However, these can be found in many beverages.