We've rounded up some of the most often repeated science myths and misconceptions to set the record straight and put you in the know
15 Common Science Myths and Misconceptions—Busted
Updated on Apr. 16, 2025
Myth: Storing batteries in the fridge or freezer will make them last longer
Putting batteries in a refrigerator or freezer to prolong their life and keep them fresh is a widely shared myth that’s been debunked by scientists and battery makers alike.
The truth is, keeping batteries in very cold (or hot) temperatures actually reduces their performance. In fact, storing them in the fridge or freezer exposes batteries to a lot of moisture in the form of condensation that can damage them after you take them out. Experts say the best environment for storing batteries is in a dry place at room temperature.
Myth: Humans and dinosaurs co-existed on Earth
People and dinosaurs may have lived side-by-side on the classic TV show The Flintstones, but in real life, dinosaurs became extinct about 66 million years before humans started roaming the planet. But some descendants of dinosaurs do still live among us, namely birds. According to Discover magazine, birds belong to the theropod dinosaur group, the same one that includes species such as T. rex and Velociraptor.
Myth: Bats are blind
You’ve no doubt heard the idiom “blind as a bat,” but this is another often repeated science myth. The phrase has been attributed in part to bats’ often flying in random or erratic flight patterns, and very close to objects, giving off the poor-vision vibes.
However, bats can actually see quite well, and these flying mammals may actually even have sharper eyesight than humans. According to the National Park Service, some of the larger fruit-eating bats can see three times better than people. Since bats are nocturnal, they have highly sensitive vision, allowing them to hunt their prey in the pitch black night sky. Their eyes simply need less light than humans do in order to see clearly.
Myth: The air on commercial planes is full of germs and pollutants
If you get sick a few days after airplane travel, chances are it’s not because of germ-laden air in the cabin. That’s because most commercial airplanes use High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in the recirculated airflow, which remove 99.97% of particulate material. The air in the plane is a combination of 50% HEPA filtered air and 50% fresh air from outside the aircraft, and it’s refreshed frequently.
“Cabin air is turned over once every two to three minutes and is recirculated dramatically better than in a home or an office building,” says David Beuther, MD, PhD, a pulmonologist, chief medical information officer and a professor of medicine at National Jewish Health, a hospital affiliated with the University of Colorado in Denver. “You’re more likely to catch something by touching one of the dirtiest spots on a plane, things like a tray table or a seat belt buckle, since viruses can live a fairly good time on surfaces.”
Dr. Beuther adds that many times people get sick after a trip because they contracted something two or three days before, and it doesn’t hit you until you’re home. You may have also run yourself ragged and your immune system isn’t up to snuff, rather than being a case of bad-quality cabin air.
Another factor that helps keep the air freer of dust, viruses and bacteria is the top-to-bottom direction of the airflow, explains Dr. Beuther. “It’s the same concept we have in hospitals—the air travels vertically instead of horizontally, which prevents the air from mixing too much.” What’s more, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the risk of transmission of germs is lowered by the fact that passenger seats all face the same direction, and their seat backs act as barriers.
Myth: Eating turkey makes you sleepy
The misconception that turkey makes you sleepy originates from the fact that the meat contains tryptophan, an amino acid that increases levels of serotonin and melatonin, two chemicals in the brain associated with mood regulation and sleep. But turkey doesn’t have enough tryptophan to single-handedly bring on slumber and doesn’t contain significantly more of the component than chicken, beef, cheese or nuts.
If you feel especially drowsy after your Thanksgiving dinner, it’s more likely you want to nap because you ate a big meal with foods higher in carbohydrates and sugar, and may have consumed more alcohol.
Myth: Bulls get angry when they see red
If you’ve ever seen a bullfight, you know how angry a bull gets when he sees a matador waving a red cape. But contrary to common belief, a bull doesn’t go into attack mode because he hates the color red. Instead, he’s triggered by both the movement of the cape and the presence of the bullfighter invading his personal space.
The other reason? Bulls can’t actually see red because they’re partially color blind and are only able to make out yellowish-green and bluish-purple shades. Here are some other fun facts about animals you probably didn’t know.
Myth: Toilets flush in opposite directions depending on which side of the equator you’re on
The idea of toilet water swirling in the opposite direction if you’re in the southern hemisphere “sort of feels right, so it’s easy to believe,” says Philip Plait, PhD, an astronomer, science writer and author of Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing “Hoax.”
People may have come to believe this was possible because of something called the Coriolis effect, which is the curving of the path of objects or fluids due to the rotation of the Earth. The Coriolis effect is real, explains Plait, though it only works over very large distances or very long times. “For example, cyclones and hurricanes do spin in opposite directions in opposite hemispheres, but the direction a toilet flushes (clockwise or counterclockwise) has nothing to do with the Earth’s spin,” he says.
For most toilets, there are little channels at the top of the bowl that direct water in, and they’re slanted to give the water a spin to increase its ability to clean out the bowl surface, says Plait. “I’ve been to Australia, and a common toilet construction there actually forces the water straight down into the bowl. It doesn’t spin at all!”
Myth: You’ll catch a cold if you go out with wet hair
False! If you come down with a cold, it’s not because you went outside with damp or sopping wet hair.
“Colds are caused by viruses, and viruses don’t care about your wet hair,” says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease doctor and a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. “While wet hair can make you uncomfortable in the wintertime, it’s not going to predispose you to your viral infection. It’s the other people you’re going to encounter when you’re out and about who may be carrying the virus and may be giving it to you, that’s the way we get colds.”
Myth: Frequent trims make your hair grow faster
Regular haircuts are great for getting rid of split ends, maintaining your hairstyle or even giving you a whole new look, but the myth that a trim stimulates and accelerates hair growth is total fiction.
Your hair grows via the hair follicles on your scalp, not from the ends, so while routine cuts can keep hair looking great, they don’t influence hair growth.
Myth: Left-handed folks are more creative
There are several myths about left-handed people, including that lefties are more creative than righties. This misconception seems to stem from the idea that left-handed people are more dominant in using the right side of their brain, the hemisphere associated with artistry and creativity. However, there’s no definitive evidence this is true.
In fact, a recent Polish study challenged and debunked the notion that lefties are more likely to show more creativity, or become artists, than righties. The researchers looked at more than 200 people who were either right- or left-handed, 42% of whom were professional artists. After giving participants creativity and hand-skill asymmetry tests, they found that though the artists displayed overall higher levels of creativity and more dexterity, it didn’t matter whether they were a leftie or a righty.
Myth: There’s a “dark side” of the moon
Is there really a “dark side” of the moon? Not exactly. “It’s more a case of people commonly confusing the dark side with the far side of the moon,” says Plait.
It works like this: The moon rotates once for every time it goes around Earth, and because of that we only see one side of the moon: the near side. The far side is the other side, the one we can never see, Plait explains. “However, any spot on the moon experiences sunrise, daytime, sunset and night, just like on Earth. So where it’s nighttime on the moon is the dark side, but the far side isn’t always dark!”
Myth: Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis
You may have heard somewhere along the way that you’ll get arthritis from giving your knuckles a crack, but it’s simply not true, says Julius Birnbaum, MD, MHS, a rheumatologist, clinical associate professor of rheumatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the author of Living Well with Autoimmune Diseases: A Rheumatologist’s Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health.
First, the two main classifications of arthritis are “inflammatory” and “non-inflammatory,” and they stem from different causes. “In inflammatory arthritis, there is active inflammation of the joints, and the most common causes of this type of arthritis are autoimmune diseases,” says Dr. Birnbaum. “Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of non-inflammatory arthritis, and this is something that happens over the decades.” Regardless, neither kind of arthritis is going to be precipitated by cracking your joints, he adds.
The urge to crack may be more about wanting to relieve joint pain in your hands, increase mobility and make them feel more lubricated, says Dr. Birnbaum. It can also simply be a nervous habit and a way to release tension. All in all, while the action may be annoying to some, it’s not harmful, and there’s no scientific evidence that knuckle cracking causes arthritis.
Myth: You can dry a wet cell phone in rice
Submerging a water-damaged cell phone in a bag of rice has been the quick go-to rescue remedy for years, but now tech experts warn against it as a way to salvage a wet phone.
Originally, it was thought that sticking a wet cell phone into uncooked rice would absorb all the phone’s moisture. But it turns out the small particles of rice are incapable of sucking out the water and can introduce dust and other particles into the phone, causing internal damage. In addition, mushy and sticky pieces of rice can get stuck inside certain essential parts of the phone, such as its speaker cavities and ports, according to Wired magazine.
If you’ve dropped your phone into a puddle, pool or the toilet (it happens!), here’s how you can act fast to save a wet cell phone.
Myth: If you drop food on the floor and pick it up within five seconds, it’s okay to eat
Otherwise known as “the five-second rule,” this nonsensical myth contends that if food falls on the floor and you scoop it up within five seconds, it’s safe to eat because it’s not enough time for germs to transfer. Not surprisingly, this theory has been proven to be a complete falsehood.
One Rutgers University study looked at how quickly bacteria stuck to different types of food on a variety of surfaces. What they found was that bacteria transferred to the food immediately, no matter how fast it was picked up.
Perhaps instead of the five-second rule, the new school of thought should be: When in doubt, throw it out.
Myth: The sun is responsible for global warming
There’s a lot of misinformation about climate change out there, including the myth that the sun is the reason our planet is getting warmer. Here’s the reality: While the sun helps keep the Earth warm enough for survival, it’s not responsible for the temperature increases we’ve experienced over recent decades.
According to NASA, though we know that subtle changes in the planet’s orbit around the sun account for the ebb and flow of the ice ages, the Earth’s warming is too rapid and too substantial to be caused by the sun’s activity. When it comes down to global warming, the true culprit is the increase in the human-driven emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, into the atmosphere.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on science myths, Marcy Lovitch tapped her experience as a longtime writer and research editor who has worked at Glamour, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, Family Circle and more. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Snopes: Will Refrigerating Batteries Improve Their Performance?
- Smithsonian Magazine: “How a Mass Extinction Driven by Ancient Volcanoes Led to the Age of Dinosaurs”
- American Museum of Natural History: Dinosaur Facts
- National Park Service: Bats
- U.S. Geological Survey: Are bats blind?
- David Beuther, MD, PhD, pulmonologist, chief medical information officer and a professor of medicine at National Jewish Health Hospital in Denver, and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado; email interview, March 2025
- Federal Aviation Administration: Cabin Air Quality
- International Air Transport Association (IATA): Cabin Air & Low Risk of On Board Transmission
- Oklahoma State University: Does Turkey Make You Drowsy?
- University of North Carolina Charlotte: The Truth About Tryptophan and Thanksgiving Turkey Tiredness
- Snopes: Does the Color Red Trigger Bulls to Attack?
- Philip Plait, PhD, aka “The Bad Astronomer,” astronomer, science writer, blogger and author of the books Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing “Hoax,” Death From the Skies! and Under Alien Skies; email interview, March 2025
- William Schaffner, MD, professor of preventive medicine with a primary appointment in the department of health policy and professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville; email interview, March 2025
- Laterality: New insights on handedness and creativity among artists: Data from New Guinea
- Julius Birnbaum, MD, MHS, rheumatologist, clinical associate professor of rheumatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and division chief of rheumatology at UPMC Mercy Hospital; interview, March 2025
- Associated Press: “One Tech Tip: Don’t use rice for your device. Here’s how to dry out your smartphone”
- Rutgers University: Rutgers Researchers Debunk “Five-Second Rule”: Eating Food Off the Floor Isn’t Safe
- NASA: Is the Sun causing global warming?
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Climate change: Annual greenhouse gas index
