Recently, u/UpperAtom0725 asked "what’s a common misconception about a topic you’re knowledgeable about that you’d like to debunk?" and we decided to round up some of the best answers:
1. "All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads."
2. "Bats are not blind. Their eyesight is just fine, but since they’re primarily nocturnal, they may rely more on other senses (echolocation for instance) for getting around."
3. "People didn't usually die in their 40s in the Middle Ages. That was the average lifespan, and it was that low because of the number of kids who died before their third birthday. If you could make it to four back then, you had a decent chance of living into your 60s, at least."
4. "ADHD isn’t a personality trait. The brain chemicals do not interact correctly. Abnormalities in the structure and functional connectivity that are consistently linked to ADHD can be seen on brain scans. Yes, it is hereditary."
5. "Urine isn't sterile. (But it is a million times safer to consume than poop. Do not ever eat poop.)"
6. "Plutonium is not the most dangerous substance in the world. It isn't even the most dangerous radionuclide. Radium is far more deadly."
7. "Knitting and crochet are NOT the same thing, neither are the terms interchangeable."
8. "Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, shock therapy) is not used as a punishment for misbehaving patients. ECT is only done under anaesthesia and is used to treat major depression that is resistant to other types of treatment."
9. "Your brain is always 100% on and working. The myth that you only use 10% of your brain is commonly a marketing tactic, and may be just a misunderstanding of the idea that most of our brain is guiding functions passively."
10. "You can’t smell or taste the active chlorine in your tap water, only the by-products when the chlorine reacts with other organic stuff. If you can smell it, your water needs more chlorine, not less."
11. "Nuclear energy is the safest and cleanest energy actually. There’s so many rules and backups, to backups, to backups to make sure nothing bad happens."
12. "Let's debunk the grand illusion that 'organic' always means pesticide-free. I see you, health-conscious folks thinking you're dodging chemicals. Truth bomb: organic farming can still use approved pesticides; they're just the 'natural' kind. So, next time you're biting into that organic apple, just remember, nature's pest control is playing a part too."
13. "It's NOT OXYGEN in tanks used for scuba diving, that will kill you underwater. The tanks are filled with regular (filtered) air!"
14. "I’m still surprised how many grown adults truly believe ponies are just baby horses."
15. "CPR isn't like in movies when the person wakes up after getting a few gentle compressions and shocked then goes about their day. Real CPR is a brutal, rib shattering ordeal which inevitably leads to a lengthy stay in intensive care."
16. "The Egyptians didn't worship cats. Cats were sacred to their religion as a symbol of the gods, with the belief that cats were a link between the earthly plain and the godly plain."
17. "Poison dart frogs are only toxic when given a certain diet! In the wild, they eat fire ants and such where they convert the bugs poison into their own by ingesting it! Feed them crickets and they are perfectly safe to handle."
H/T to u/UpperAtom0725 and AskReddit for having this discussion!
Note: All submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Do you have anything else to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Additional thumbnail credits: DreamWorks Pictures