Are some of the science facts you've been believing actually science fiction?
Let's talk about that.
♪ (theme music) ♪
- Good Mythical Morning! - We live in a world full of
- misinformation. And today we're gonna - Mm, mm.
- clear up a little bit of that. - Hm.
There are these things that you've heard -- you've probably believed at least some of
these -- that are scientific "facts" that actually are not "true."
- Factoids? - True doesn't even need quotes.
- They're just not true. Right. - They're "fasly."
But they're the kind of things you've probably heard somebody say in the
past. Everything that I'm going through today is something that somebody has
believed to be true in the past. But, Link, it's a game. I'm gonna be going
- through 10 of those. - This is a what?
- This is a… - (both in a deep voice) Game!
- (laughing) Whoa, that was… good. - Dramatic.
You have to get 7 out of 10 in order to win a very special tray of science.
♪ ("UFO" sounds) ♪
Which obviously you just took off of the coffee table in our lounge.
Yes, and if you win, you can put it all back.
- I would like to do that. If I lose, what? - Sorry, I just didn't think fast enough,
and that's what I came up with. Okay, if you lose, I'll just put that back on
- the conference table. - (crew offscreen laughing)
Are you ready to play, "Hey, Link. Is That Factoid You've Been Believing
All Your Life Actually Science Fiction?"
Yes, I'm ready to play that. And I do wanna win, 'cause I wanna put the stuff
- back where I wanna put it. - Okay, science fact or science fiction,
Link. House flies only have a lifespan of about 24 hours.
- Hm. - Hahaha. That's one day.
- I've heard this. Which means nothing. - Oh, yeah.
- Just because I've… - You've probably heard all of these.
- Okay, that's kind of the point, right? - Mhm.
So either it is true, or it's false and we just thought it was true.
- (clicking tongue) - I get it.
Yeah, you understand the rules. Thank you for establishing that.
- You know, that just seems… - This is a...
- (both in a deep voice) Game! - Yeah.
Um, this is a short lifespan for a fly. Uh...
I'm gonna say no. That's too limiting for a fly. They deserve more, and I hope
- they have it. Yes. - You're right, Link! It's false!
- (correct ding) - Mature house flys can live for 15 to 25
days, depending on the conditions. And you know how sometimes when a fly gets
trapped in your house, and then it starts getting fatter and slower?
- Oh, yeah! - What is up with that?
And that was more than 24 hours, so I should've know that.
And then it's easy to slap 'em at that point. They just invite you to come up
- and slam 'em against… - I just open my mouth and I'm like,
- (inhales deeply) And I just inhale 'em. - You know what I'm talking about?
The big-- Ooh, don't do that. I get 'em with chopsticks. Mr. Miyagi, thank you.
- (clicking tongue) - Earth's center is composed of liquid
- hot magma. - Uh...
- True. This is true. (laughing) It is? - Yeah.
- No, it's not! (laughing) - (incorrect buzzer)
- You've been believing a lie! - What's in the middle, marbles?
Actually, the center of the earth is -- (laughing) marbles. Yes, marbles.
- Next question. - It's actually a solid ball of iron.
- Really? (laughing) - I've been there. It's real hot.
- How big is the ball? As big as this? - It's as least as big as the microphone.
It's surrounded by magma, but right in the middle is a ball of iron. A marble,
- if you will. - So I was right. Afterward.
Cold weather makes you more susceptible to sickness.
- (laughing) - Okay, um...
It is true that you get more colds in cold weather. That's why the call it
- a cold. But the, uh... Oh, really?
correlation to the temperature is suspect at best.
- Oh. - I think I know this one, and it's false.
- You're wrong, Link. (laughing) - (incorrect buzzer)
- It's true! They thought that for a long - (laughing)
time, that it was just the cold weather brought people inside, which trapped
- with air that was dirtier. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But actually, Yale discovered… Yale
- The whole college. - It's a university.
Scientists at Yale discovered that cold weather does intact make you more
susceptible to sickness because the cold air actually weakens your nose's ability
to keep germs out. And then the cold lowers your immune system's ability to
deal with the germs once they get in. Double whammy. Cold's bad for Grammy.
- Mm. And that's how I'm gonna remember it. - Yeah.
- You've missed two out of three. - I'm behind.
Bats are blind and rely on echo location to "see."
Well, hold on now. You can't be like… quotation stuff.
- Like, what do you mean by "see?" - I don't know.
Is that what this is? The trick part is in the quotation?
What I mean is that if you're using echo location to see, you're not actually using
your eyes to see. So instead of seeing with their eyes, they use echo location.
That's why "see" is in quotes. It's not to throw you off.
I'm getting nervous now, 'cause I just don't wanna look stupid.
- (laughing) A lot of people believe - On my own show.
- these things though. Yeah, you have. - I've been there before.
And uh… I'd like to move counties.
To like, "Oh, he's a little smarter than I thought….
- …not stupider than I thought." - You wanna move to Johnston county?
- Or Wake County? - I don't know, man.
You're wigging me out with this, but I'm gonna say true.
- Yeah, they don't see with their eyes. - False. (incorrect buzzer)
- False, man! - They don't see with their eyes!
- Bats can actually -- - They can see something, but they...
- …don't fly… - Some large bats can actually see
three times better than humans. They use their echo location for hunting prey.
But they see with their eyes. Echo location is just for a couple of meters
out to zero in on insects and stuff, but they can actually see.
- Wow. - "Blind as a bat" is a euphemism that is
- wrong. Based on wrongness. - Dang, did you know that?
No, I did not know that. I mean, I knew it when I this up, but...
Okay, good. Good. That makes me feel a little better.
I think they get easier.
- Press on. All right. - For your sake, I hope.
Eating too many carrots will turn you orange.
- Ooh, I've heard this. - Science fact, or science fiction.
I've been afraid of this one. I love carrots.
But I don't like to look like I'm spray tanned. Um...
There's no way. True. It's true. It is true.
- You're right, Link! It's true! - (correct ding)
- Because of the beta carotene in them. - Yes. All right.
Actually turns your skin orange. In World War II, the pilots were given carrots so
- they could see better, and they... - And they turned orange.
- …developed an orange tone. - And they didn't have to wear
- jumpsuits anymore. They were naked. - Nekkid orange men.
That last part's not true. Your tastebuds are constantly dying and regenerating.
Is this a science fact or a science fiction?
Um, that is science fact.
- Link, you're on a roll! - Yes. (correct ding)
That's right. Between every ten days and two weeks.
Because your tongue is sluffing skin off like the rest of your body.
The tastebuds change. And that's one of the reasons that your tastebuds change...
- Over time! - …as you age. It's been shown that women
who are going through menopause cannot taste bitterness. I'm sure there's a
bitterness and menopause joke in there somewhere, but I'm not gonna touch it.
- I'm not gonna say anything about that. - I can relate to that.
You can imagine what that joke would be. (inhales)
- Okay. Ugh. - Link, humans have five senses.
Humans have five senses. Is this a science fact or science fiction?
Um...
Well, the sixth sense.
- And they made a whole movie about it. - There's a whole movie.
- Um… - He sees dead people.
At the risk of seeming stupid, I'm gonna go out on a limb here, because I believe
that this is just an oversimplification. It's kinda like… there were only so many
flavors, and they were like, "What about umami?"
- (laughing) Yeah. - I feel like it's the same way with your
senses, and there's something else that I can't articulate.
That's the point. So this is false. There are more senses.
You're right, Link! (correct ding) Can you smell that science tray?
- (crew laughing offscreen) - It might be coming your way.
Yeah, there's all kinds of senses. They've identified between 14 and 20.
Thermoreception: the ability to sense temperature. The sense of hunger and
thirst, the sense of pressure, sense of balance...
- Oh, wow. - (stammering) …magnetoreception:
I said that wrong, but it's your body's ability to sense the earth's magnetic
fields. I don't do that. I'm not Magneto. I can't do that.
I'm doing it right now. I'm doing it right now.
That's what I do when I do the thing. The common goldfish only has a
three second memory span. Science fact or science fiction?
- Well, they always look confused. - Hm!
I hope that's true. Because I feel bad for 'em in that aquarium.
Every three seconds they're like, "Whoa, this is a beautiful place!"
- (laughing) Yeah. - It's kinda like Dory.
I hope this is true.
So I'm gonna say false.
- You're right, Link! (correct ding) - Yes. See, when I start going
- against everything I actually think... - Yeah! Do the opposite...
- …it'll work. - …of what you think, and life will be
- so much simpler! Goldfish can - Yes.
retain memories for up to five months. Five months of the inside of that
- tank, man. It's like that corner, - That's sad.
that corner, that corner, that corner, that little fake, plastic thing...
- Well, it's a globe. There are no corners. - …food!
Oh, at your house. Okay. Your skin will completely replace itself every
27 days. Science Fact? Science fiction?
Every month my skin completely replaces itself? That sounds...
ridonkulous. The skin is the largest organ on your body.
- That's not the question. - (laughing) I'm trying to seem
smart, and I sounded so stupid when I said something true. If I can't even say
true things and sound smart, what am I gonna do when I get this wrong?
Let me be more specific. Your epidermis will completely replace...
- True. True. - …itself every 27 days.
- it sounds false, but it's true. Yes! - That's right, Link. (correct ding)
- It's just the epidermis, the outer - Wow!
layer of skin. It will regenerate itself over 900 times in your lifetime.
- That's amazing. - That's why when you get a tattoo...
- Have I won? - …it doesn't go away, because the
tattoo is actually in between the dermis and the epidermis. It's under there.
- It's in a nice little tattoo window. - Oh, yeah. I know that.
- So that Nickelback tattoo is safe. - Tell that to my right buttcheek.
And lastly, Link. If you get this right, you get the tray of science.
- It comes down to this. - At any given moment, you're only using
- about 10% of your brain. - Me? Personally?
People in general. Science fact or science fiction?
Mm.
Well, you've gotta give me an individual. I gotta look at 'em.
Eddie.
Okay, Eddie right now… No, that's not fair. I don't wanna insult Eddie...
- …any more today. - (both laughing)
Um...
'Cause the whole, "You only use 10% of your brain,"...
- "Yeah! …Okay." - ...is false. But at any given moment
you're only using 10% of your brain? Is true.
- You're wrong. (laughing) - Oh! (incorrect buzzer)
This was a myth that originated when psychologist William James was completely
misquoted. Modern brain scans show that we use a lot of different parts of our...
- brains all the time. Even when we are... - Constantly. I should've known that.
- ...resting, Link. - But, but, but...
You can't… It's electrical impulses, and you're only using 10% of it.
- I refuse to believe this... - Well.
…for no good reason, except that I wanna place that back where it goes.
- Put it out here. - Okay. Here you go. This is what
- I win. Tray of science! - ♪ (trombone descending chromatic scale) ♪
- You win getting to put that back. - Well, I might play with it a little bit.
- So have to do work. - Look at this!
All right, hopefully you unlearned something along with me today.
Thanks for liking and commenting on this video.
You know what time it is.
I'm [Reagan] from San Antonio, Texas, but right now I'm at
Independence Pass in Colorado. And it's time to spin
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in your life down to two simple steps? Well, we do that on our Twitter.
You should follow us over there so you can simplify your life.
- And get awesome. All right. - @rhettandlink!
Click through to Good Mythical More, where you've got more questions for
me. There's more to unlearn, people. Please click through.
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- People wining stuff all the time, y'all! - It's a fan selfie with...
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(camera shutter sound)
[Captioned by Kevin: GMM Captioning Team]