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Leaps in scientific progress are made practically every day. We’re constantly learning things about the way the world works, refining what we already know, debunking myths, and making new inventions. However, it takes some time before this new information reaches the general public. And even then, some people still won’t accept it, even if it’s been confirmed.
Trying to get to grips with this very question, user u/Ordinary_Piece_4374 asked their fellow redditors about the things that have been scientifically (dis)proven but are still denied or disliked by some people. Scroll down to see what facts the internet thinks everyone should definitely be up to date with.
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about the best way to present scientific information to the public and how to tackle people's concerns about how science 'always keeps changing,' so we reached out to Steven Wooding. He is a member of the Institute of Physics in the UK, part of the Omni Calculator project team, and the creator of the Weird Units Converter.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
That the earth is round. If it was flat, cats would have knocked everything off of it by now.
Doctor Strange 1 year ago
Fun fact, ancient cultures were able to prove the Earth was round with two sticks and the sun. In fact, no one thought Christopher Columbus would sail over the edge. They didn't want to fund his voyage because they thought he had grossly UNDER estimated the circumference.
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#2
Cats can understand an average of 50 words, and they don’t give a s**t about 49 of them
#3
Jesus wasn't a Caucasian fellow
According to Wooding, from the Omni Calculator team, one of the main things to consider when communicating anything—whether science-related or not—is tailoring the message to the audience receiving it.
"The primary consideration is their scientific knowledge, but also their interests and concerns. So, refrain from using jargon or technical terms they might not understand. Try to explain concepts in a way that's easy to follow—creating a story around the research is a great idea," Wooding shared with Bored Panda.
"You also want to tell them what it might mean for them and why they should care about what could be relatively dry scientific facts. Images and infographics are also good tools for communicating complex information clearly and concisely."
#4
Yelling at your kids can have long-term effect on the child's mental health. Abuse isn't just physical, and just cuz it's not physical doesn't mean it cant scar someone for life.
Donna Peluda 1 year ago
Especially when, you don´t know why you are being yelled at or know you are right and till get a slap. It´s taken me 40+ years
#5
Evolution. No theory has EVER been proven more correct with so much freaking evidence but yet here we are
#6
That Andrew Wakefield falsely linked the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to autism in young children.
Meanwhile, Bored Panda wanted to get Wooding's thoughts on how researchers might tackle people who are always skeptical of any scientific developments because the facts seem to always be changing.
"One way is to explain the differences between scientific facts and theories; what might be reported as facts are actually theories," the Omni Calculator team member explained.
"A scientific fact has well-substantiated evidence and is widely accepted by the scientific community (e.g., the Earth is round). On the other hand, a scientific theory is an explanation of a phenomenon that includes facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses. A scientific theory can change as new facts are discovered and experiments are carried out," he said.
#7
We found out that the cholesterol in egg yolk is indeed very healthy and useful yet some people still demonize it
#9
Dominance theory in dog training.
Your dog is not trying to take over the world. They know that you're in charge because you control what they eat, when they eat, where they eat, when they get to toilet, when they go out, where they go, and every other facet of their lives. You do not need to pin them to the ground or use collars that cause pain. You just need to reward the behaviour you want to see more of. Trainers who use aversive methods just don't have the skills to actually train dogs properly.
Don't tell me that your malinois or amstaff need you to be tougher because alligators and crocodiles can be trained to sit for blood draws without force or coercion. Your dog is not harder to train than one of the closest things we have to dinosaurs.
"A good example is gravity. First, we had Newton's theory of gravity, which tried to incorporate the observations scientists could carry out at the time. As experiments improved, inaccuracies became apparent, which were then resolved by Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity," Wooding told us.
"We can still use Newton's approach most of the time, but we use Einstein's where extreme accuracy is required."
Refusing to accept new information doesn’t just have to do with an individual’s stubbornness or narrowmindedness. Broadly speaking, people tend to cling to information that supports whatever worldview they have at the moment. Having to monumentally shift your understanding of how life and society function on Planet Earth is a huge task. As The New Yorker put it, impressions are very perseverent once they're formed.
#10
Science is evolving, what's proven one day can be shown to be a mistake the next.
That's disliked by many people, because the brain structure that makes religion useful is also used by people who want science to go only one (their) way usually.
#11
The carbon footprint was invented by BP. You know, they guys that inundated the Gulf of Mexico with crude oil a couple times.
It's among the first and best disinformation campaigns to this day. It pushed the responsibility of carbon emissions cleanly from corporations to the people.
Phoebe Bean 1 year ago
First thing that came to mind after reading "BP" was that Bored Panda invented carbon footprint...
#12
That homosexuality is not a disease and you born with it
Flying Panda 1 year ago
The anecdotal and experiential evidence points to a strong genetic link. And yet, for many different people and cultures worldwide, sexual orientation is a spectrum rather an either/or over their lifetimes. Is there a genetic predisposition to Bi-Pan-A sexualities as well?
However, that’s why striving to be open-minded is such an important thing. No matter how much we think we know, there’s always something new to learn as technology advances and new research is conducted.
One study, published in 2023, found that attempts to debunk science-relevant misinformation were, on average, not successful. However, there is a silver lining. When misinformation has to do with negative topics other than health, and the corrections to the information are detailed, then people are more likely to change their beliefs.
What also helps make these corrections is when the misinformed have familiarized themselves with both sides of the issue and when the topic in question isn’t politically polarized.
#13
Electric cars are not as green as Elon says. They still create pollution from mining & creating the electricity to charge unless from green sources
#14
That your diet can indeed affect your hormones and mood.
#15
MSG is a delicious and perfectly healthy addition to a number of dishes
As ‘Discover’ magazine points out, facts alone aren’t always enough to correct misinformation. Nor are they enough to change people’s minds. People’s understanding of the world is closely related to their sense of personal identity. Meanwhile, human beings as a whole aren’t the most rational even at the best of times.
Our biology, as remarkable as it is, isn’t all that helpful when it comes to changing people’s minds, too. Psychology professor Lisa Fazio, from Vanderbilt University, notes that our minds tend to create new memories alongside ones that already exist, instead of ‘overwriting’ information that’s not correct. So when you try to recall information that you’ve recently learned has changed, you might come up with ideas that are a collage of these competing facts.
On top of that, repetition tends to encode information into our minds, even if those facts are false. The more often we hear something, the more likely it is to get stuck in our minds. This phenomenon is known as the illusory truth effect.
#16
Sugar is way worse than fat
#17
That our current rapidly changing climate is caused by human activity and mainly from a few corporations.
You still get people who deny it
Then you get people who accept it but refuse to go after the main causes.
#18
earth is a tiny insignificant sphere in space
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 1 year ago
No. Earth is a tiny, insignificant disc in space.
“There's an infinite universe of false things and a more narrow universe of true things, so most of the stuff that we hear multiple times is true,” Fazio told ‘Discover’ magazine. However, this can be particularly troublesome if someone is deliberately trying to spread false information.
Meanwhile, new and correct facts have to be presented in a way that’s approachable and palatable. If important discoveries are only ever publicized in ways that only other researchers would understand their significance, the general population might not understand why the new info matters so much.
On the flip side, it’s also essential not to dumb the information down too much or to over-exaggerate its significance. Otherwise, you might make people less willing to trust articles about scientific discoveries.
#19
LGBTQIA+ people. Other animals engage in same gender behaviour and some can change theirs. There's a whole female only lizard species that can reproduce. Homophobia etc is the unnatural thing, not being gay, bi or trans etc.
Aiden Brough 1 year ago
Sex IS NOT THE SAME HAS Gender... One is biological (no, you are male or female, and no op will change this fact - males are bioloigically different from females) and the other a social context (you can CALL yourself whatever you want - man, woman, butterfly, a TV screen, whatever, but you're still either male or female)... Sorry to spoil your party.
Dodo (they/them) 1 year ago
The fact that you think this spoils anyone's party shows you're only listening to fearmongering. Trans people know biology. They know chromosomes aren't changeable. They also know gender has a social context - that's why most binary people choose to follow one or the other in specific ways. But I'd still have to ask you what makes a body physically male or female that an operation can't change...
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Rebelliousslug 1 year ago
I recently read 1500 animal species have been proven to participate in homosexuality
Luke Branwen 1 year ago
And homophobia is only in one of them. Which one is "unnatural", then?
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Mitchell 1 year ago
I think homophobia is about as natural as homosexuality et al. It’s all human behavior, like it or not.
John Harrison 1 year ago
The label of "unnatural" certainly has its uses. And people just LOVE to say that certain things done specifically by humans are "unnatural". But when you get right down to it, every single thing that exists in the universe is natural.
Load More Replies... Peter Parker 1 year ago
Female lizards can only reproduce without males, because in reptiles and birds, the females have two different chromosomes. So a single female has all the chromosomes it needs to make both male and female offspring.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
Sorry, nuance isn't acceptable round these parts. Unless you toe the party line expect to be attacked as a transphobe.
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Shane Hussel 1 year ago
People say its not natural. -Points out how common it is in nature. Well people aren't animals! -yes they are
PeepPeep the duck 1 year ago
Shout out to anyone else to has had a lgbt+ pet. I had a gay cockatiel as a teenager (his name was lil burd), I tried to get him a female for breeding and companionship, he hated her. but he also already had this thing going with my upstairs roommates budgie (his name was testicle 😂). And when te$tickle left, he met another male budgie and stayed with him lovingly until he passed. I gave the female to my uncle as she just wasn’t welcome in the boys club at all and she deserved to be happy too.
John Harrison 1 year ago
Not sure that this is indicative of homosexuality. You can't just put a random female in with a male, and if they don't mate it means he's homosexual.
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Chris Sprucefield 1 year ago
People being what people are - and let them be as long as they are not a risk to others. Just have equal rights, obligations and protections for all, and stop any special rights serving only a few. Also stop imposing your way on others or demanding special rights - a little more "mind your own business" and "let others be just like i want to be left alone" may be in place, and acceptance and tolerance would be much more widespread.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
I've owned rats my entire adult life, and when you've seen just how often the females engage in blatantly lesbian behaviour with each other you'll know just how stupid the claims of "there is no gay in nature" are.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago
Don't use one species to explain gender and sexuality of another. Every one evolved differently so it should be compared to itself. Genghis Kahn raped thousands of women but we shouldn't use the fact that some weasels use rape to justify it. We should use our intelligence to see it's a bad thing. Alternatively, we shouldn't use other species homosexuality as a crutch to accept homosexuality because no lesbian squirrel ever got married and raised 4 happy kids.
Oly-babe 8 months ago
Yes say it louder for the idiots in the back! People always condemned my choice to have a c section with my high risk pregnancy cuz it’s not “natural childbirth” natural isn’t always better! People dying from infections & treatable diseases is natural but we help them with modern medicine cuz it’s better than death! Off topic sorry but I also agree that there’s nothing wrong with being gay, bi, trans, gender neutral, etc. if you don’t like someone for the way they identify or who they love, you are the one with the problem! Not them!
Sara Wilson 1 year ago
I'm fine with whatever people want to identify with or whatever their sexuality is. But I believe there r only 2 genders and don't shove ur beliefs in my face, whether they r about religion, diet, sexuality, whatever.
Krod Mandoon 1 year ago
Being trans and being bi/gay are not the least bit related. Sexual preference is a non-issue, like whoever you want to like. On the other hand, denying your birth gender is delusional and a mental health issue that should be treated, not celebrated.
Deppressedboo (gender fluid) 1 year ago
Thank you I think the world needs this but tbh there are probably some ppl out there who will say but it's not natural for humans and I have one thing to say to that you are f*****g wrong
Kelley Eidem 1 year ago
A trans man is not a woman. If he were a woman, he wouldn't require pharmaceutical drugs. Moreover, his pelvis will be that of a man's. There is a word for men who think they are women: men.
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
There's also a town - Las Salinas in the Dominican Republic - where a lot of girls become boys when they hit puberty (Guevedoce - which means testes at twelve). - We are a whole spectrum on so many things.
Michael Braisher 1 year ago (edited)
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ThatGayBeans 1 year ago
Huge f****n difference between pushing an agenda and asking to be treated like equals
Load More Replies... #20
Going out in the cold doesn't give you a cold. Cracking your knuckles does not cause arthritis.
Power puff scientist 1 year ago
but going out in the cold can lower your immune system making you more likely to get sick.
#21
Myers Briggs Test (INTJ, IFNJ) is flawed and not reliable as any decent personality assessment.
Superb Owl 1 year ago
Myers Briggs is horoscopes for those who think they are too smart for horoscopes. That said, I always get the same result when I take a Myers Briggs :D
#22
Large vehicles increase pedestrian fatalities. Any criticism of the prevalence of huge trucks and SUV's in my city these days brings the truck bros out of the woodwork like "why do you care what I do?! It doesn't affect you!!" Yes it does, and it might kill somebody.
UpQuarkDownQuark (he/hey you) 1 year ago
Don’t get between a man baby and his beloved giant twuck. Vroom vroom.
#23
That exercise actually helps you overcome a lot of s**t including mental health issues.
Jan Rosier 1 year ago
I envy the poeple who can bike, swim, walk, run their minds clean. I personally find exercising so mindnumbingly boring that instead, my mind starts treadmilling each and every problem of the past day, week or even something that happened 20 years ago.
#24
Autism is hereditary
Leolynn Cauthron 1 year ago
It CAN BE hereditary. It is not hereditary in ever instance. There are more than one ‘causes’ or catalysts to autism.
#25
GMO food is indistinguishable to your body from non-GMO food
Judes 1 year ago
But many GMO foods are designed to be more resistant to herbicides, which means more herbicides are used in farming GMO crops. Our bodies may not be able to distinguish the GMO food from non-GMO food, but can it detect the extra herbicides? And how well do other animals (such as 'good' insects like bees and ladybirds) deal with these herbicides?
#27
Climate change, unfortunately.
Mint Sauce 1 year ago
“All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people, and harder – and ultimately impossible – to solve with ever more people.” Sir David Attenborough
#28
Weed is addictive and you can get withdrawals from it
Literally just had an argument with a friend over this
Michel De Ruyck 1 year ago
That’s because people assume that all addictions are physical, ignoring potential and very real psychological addictions. But that doesn’t change the fact that “weed” has spectacular medicinal advantages, but as with everything needs to be used responsibly and with respect.
#29
The Portuguese Man-O-War, despite being called a jellyfish by many aquariums and people, is actually a siphonophore. I'm guessing this mix up comes from the Man-O-War's jellyfish-like appearance and the fact that siphonophores and jellyfish are both Hydrozoans, and the fact that siphonophores as a whole are usually lumped in with jellyfish.
What do you think ?
LinkTheHylian 1 year ago
Just because your uncle touched you when you were a kid doesn't mean you get to say whether my uncle Gertrude is my uncle or not.
Load More Replies... John Harrison 1 year ago
BP's "Too many downvotes and you're cut off" system snuffs out any serious debate. Wish they would change it. If you express an opinion that others don't like, and you happen to be in the wrong, there is zero opportunity for your mind to be changed, because others can't share information with you.
David A Paterson 1 year ago
Agree with 1 to 7, 10, 11, 8 to 9 seems likely. I disagree with 12 because the religion you follow is not hereditary. Etc. Oh dear, I forgot that the numbers change, so cancel that.
DB 1 year ago
Wow, so no one mentioned the 2020 US Presidential election., or did it just get censored? Anyway, was the election stolen from Trump? No. Anyone who believes that is an idiot. Did the Democrats commit widespread voter fraud? Yup. They would have won without it anyway, but they were really just testing the waters for 2024.
cugel. 1 year ago
That fact that calories in, calories out governs your weight is particularly disliked by Pandas.
Christel Nellemann 1 year ago
There is much more to it. Hormones like insulin, the storage hormon is important. If you eat in a way , that avoids big bloodglucose spikes , you can litterally eat more calories and keep weight. The biochemist Jessie inshaup, or “glucosegoddess” in instagram, or many podcasts, talks about this in layman-terms, and has all the science to explain why. Check it and learn something, that blew my mind, honestly.
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LinkTheHylian 1 year ago
Just because your uncle touched you when you were a kid doesn't mean you get to say whether my uncle Gertrude is my uncle or not.
Load More Replies... John Harrison 1 year ago
BP's "Too many downvotes and you're cut off" system snuffs out any serious debate. Wish they would change it. If you express an opinion that others don't like, and you happen to be in the wrong, there is zero opportunity for your mind to be changed, because others can't share information with you.
David A Paterson 1 year ago
Agree with 1 to 7, 10, 11, 8 to 9 seems likely. I disagree with 12 because the religion you follow is not hereditary. Etc. Oh dear, I forgot that the numbers change, so cancel that.
DB 1 year ago
Wow, so no one mentioned the 2020 US Presidential election., or did it just get censored? Anyway, was the election stolen from Trump? No. Anyone who believes that is an idiot. Did the Democrats commit widespread voter fraud? Yup. They would have won without it anyway, but they were really just testing the waters for 2024.
cugel. 1 year ago
That fact that calories in, calories out governs your weight is particularly disliked by Pandas.
Christel Nellemann 1 year ago
There is much more to it. Hormones like insulin, the storage hormon is important. If you eat in a way , that avoids big bloodglucose spikes , you can litterally eat more calories and keep weight. The biochemist Jessie inshaup, or “glucosegoddess” in instagram, or many podcasts, talks about this in layman-terms, and has all the science to explain why. Check it and learn something, that blew my mind, honestly.
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