8 ‘Wrong’ Facts in our school textbooks

Our school textbooks and many GK magazines have been telling us things for decades that aren’t really true. But, it seems no one has the time to update these physical texts, despite knowing that the future of students depends so heavily on the information provided to them via books. Hence, we have taken up the responsibility to make you aware of certain facts that are “not facts” at all. Below you will see the correct version of the facts in question:

Humans don’t use just 10% of their brains

We know that the human brain never sits idle. Even while sleeping or meditating, the brain keeps on ‘thinking’ whether consciously or subconsciously. It takes around 20% of the oxygen we breathe to keep our brain cells alive. All regions of the brain our active while performing even a menial task like picking and holding a glass of water. And yet we have the audacity to say that we use only 10% of our brains?

Dogs don’t sweat via salivating

Whenever a dog ‘feels the heat’, it open its mouth and breathes heavily. This is a phenomenon known as evaporative cooling and not sweating. Dogs sweat through their paws…..and this is why they are usually damp (when they are not licking them, of course)

Sugar doesn’t bestow you with instant energy

This should rather be written as- Carbohydrates, and not sugar, provide you with instant energy. If you just gulp down a spoon of sugar (or consume a sugar cube) that we mix with tea and coffee, you may feel energized, but such sudden increase of sugar in your blood stream will only lead to hormonal problems in the body.

Bats aren’t blind

The misconception that bats are blind probably emerges from the fact that they use echoes to hunt their prey in the dark. Interestingly, fruit bats are renowned for their sharp vision as they can see ultraviolet light.

We don’t have only 5 senses

Our senses are not just restricted to seeing, touching, hearing, tasting and smelling. As per neuroscientists, each of us has 22-33 different senses. For instance, the sense of balance – Equilibrioception – helps us keep upright. Then there is Thermoception that allows us to be aware of the degree of hotness and coldness of our surroundings, and the list goes on……

The Great Wall of China can’t be seen from Space

NASA has confirmed this in a report which states that “no single human structure is visible from orbit”. Chinese astronaut, Yang Liwei, confirms the claim made by NASA.

Bulls don’t have a hatred for Red color

How can bulls hate red color when they can’t even see it in the first place? They only respond to the movement. Thus, it’s not the color but the sound that affects their minds and make them go berserk.

Einstein didn’t fail math

Google gets around half a million queries (each year) seeking answer to the question- “Did Einstein fail math”? The answer is a big NO. How can a genius like him fail at petty school exams and that too in just the 4th grade. Next time you see someone saying this piece of misinformation, correct them there and then!