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Mount Everest is the "tallest" mountain in the world -

While Mount Everest is deemed the tallest mountain in the world, experts claim that, in technical terms, this isn't true. The summit of Mount Everest is officially higher above sea level than the summit of any other mountain. However, Mauna Kea is the tallest when measured from base to summit.

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You lose your body heat the fastest through your head -

While this is widely believed to be true, some experts say it's just a myth, and that humans would be just as cold if they went without a hat as if they went without pants.

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One human year is equivalent to seven dog years -

While it may be true for some dogs, it's not a rule of thumb. It all depends on the size and breed of the dog.

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The Earth revolves around the Sun -

Technically, the Sun, Earth, and all the other planets are orbiting around the center of the solar system.

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Sushi means "raw fish" -

Although one of the common ingredients may be raw fish, sushi actually translates from Japanese to "sour tasting."

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Vikings wore horned helmets -

While this may well be true, historians say there's actually no evidence to suggest that Vikings ever wore horned helmets.

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Vitamin C is an effective treatment for a cold -

Flu sufferers are often encouraged to increase their vitamin C dosage, but most experts have stated that there's little to no evidence that the vitamin can help with treatment of a cold. Instead, it's believed to help build up the immune system to ward off potential flu viruses.

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People use just 10% of their brain -

Neurologists say this is entirely untrue. Humans use nearly every part of their brain, and most of the brain is active all the time.

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Coffee is made from beans -

While many assume that coffee comes from coffee beans, experts say they're actually made from seeds called a bean.

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Fortune cookies are a Chinese tradition -

Fortune cookies were originally a Japanese-American invention before being widely adopted by Chinese culture.

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Different parts of your tongue detect different tastes -

This was scientifically disproven, as researchers found that all taste sensations come from all regions of the tongue. However, different parts are more sensitive to certain tastes, which may be where this popular belief comes from.

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Handling a baby bird will make its mother reject it -

Most birds have a very poor sense of smell, so in most cases they are unable to even notice human scent on a baby bird.

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Chameleons change color to match their surroundings -

The truth is chameleons actually change color as a response to mood, temperature, communication, and light, instead of the object they're touching.

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There's a dark side of the Moon -

As the Moon is constantly rotating on its own axis, there's no area of the satellite that's in permanent darkness.

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Blood is blue before it's oxygenated -

While many believe that deoxygenated blood is blue, it's actually a myth because human blood is always red. However, the level of redness differs depending on how oxygenated it is.

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Waking sleepwalkers harms them -

Waking a sleepwalker won't cause them any physical harm, but it could leave them startled or disoriented.

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Penguins mate for life -

Penguins are mostly monogamous, but there are some species, such as the emperor penguin, which are only serially monogamous. They'll mate with one penguin for a season, then move onto another penguin the following season.

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Shaving your leg hair will make it grow back quicker -

Many believe shaving body hair makes it grow back quicker, but shaving hair doesn't change its thickness, color, or rate of growth. It might just feel coarse for a period of time as it grows out.

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The Great Wall of China can be seen from space -

The Apollo astronauts confirmed that you can't see the Great Wall of China from the Moon. In fact, all you can see from the Moon is the white and blue marble of Earth.

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Caffeine dehydrates you -

While caffeinated drinks do have a mild diuretic effect, experts say they don't appear to increase the risk of dehydration.

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Bulls are enraged by the color red -

It's a proven fact that bulls only see blue and yellow. They only react to the red cape during bullfights because of the movements.

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Fingernails continue to grow after you die -

The dehydration of the body after death can cause retraction of the skin around hair and nails, giving the illusion that they've grown. However, all tissues require energy to sustain their functions, which isn't possible when dead.

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Peanuts are a type of nut -

Actually, peanuts, along with beans and peas, belong to the single plant family leguminosae.

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A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds -

This isn't true, as goldfish have very good memories for fish. They can be trained to respond in various ways to certain colors of light and different kinds of music.

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Eating lots of chocolate will give you spots -

There's no concrete evidence that suggests eating more chocolate can cause spots.

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Microwave radiation can cause cancer -

Most experts believe that microwave ovens don't give off enough energy to damage the genetic material in cells, so they can't cause cancer.

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Eating cheese before bed will give you nightmares -

Cheese is believed to give you more emotionally charged dreams, but not necessarily nightmares.

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Ostriches bury their head in the sand when they're scared -

Ostriches swallow sand and pebbles to help grind up food in their stomachs. This means they have to bend down and briefly stick their heads in the earth to collect the pebbles. It has nothing to do with them being scared.

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Alcohol keeps you warm -

Alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate, moving warm blood closer to the surface of the skin. This can make you feel warmer temporarily. However, those same veins pumping blood closer to the skin's surface also cause you to lose core body heat.

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Houseflies only live for around 24 hours -

The adult housefly can actually live up to one month in the wild.

Sources: (Daily Mail)

See also: Popular misconceptions about each American president

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