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Discovery is a fundamental aspect of scientific progression, but each new finding must also
rain hell on a teacher’s lesson plan.
Think about it, every change to what we once knew to be correct alters what children learn
in school.
It’s these changes in the curriculum that give us the content for this Archive of the
top ten science facts no longer taught in schools.
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10.
Paper Can Only Be Folded Seven Times It may not have taken a large chunk out of
the daily curriculum to discuss, but there is a very good chance that, at some point
during science, the topic of folding paper popped up.
It was once believed that paper could only be folded seven times before the energy needed
to complete a crease became impossible to exert.
With a standard piece of 8 1/2” x 11” (20x27 cm) paper, the surface area for the
fold becomes too small to continue folding, but with larger samples, more than seven folds
are possible – but also incredibly difficult.
As MythBusters proved, it requires a little mechanical help to fold a football-field sized
sheet of paper 11 times, but, it can be done.
9.
The Bohr Model Mapping the atom has been a lengthy process
and, through it, misconceptions have been made.
Consider the universal symbol of the atom, where the electrons orbit the nucleus in a
circular manner much like the Solar System model.
While the model introduced by Niels Bohr seemed accurate, it was later determined that electrons
move in a random fashion over a 3D plane.
Bohr’s model, which was first conceived in 1913, is a simplistic form of a very complex
process and fails to depict the proper motion of electrons and the energy levels in atoms
with multiple electrons.
8.
Diamond is the Hardest Substance Used in industrial drilling, the diamond was
once considered the hardest substance, making it ideal for those difficult jobs.
Though man-made nanomaterials have since robbed it of its title, the real upset came with
simulations that showed wurtzite boron nitride as being 18% harder than diamond and the mineral
lonsdaleite at 58% harder.
Determining the accuracy of this claim stems strictly from simulations as both materials
are extremely rare in nature and difficult to produce in a controlled setting, but looking
at the bond flexibility in the atomic makeup of wurtzite boron nitride has lent credence
to the belief.
7.
The Three Phases of Matter Looking at a glass of water, we know that
it is in its liquid form, whereas when it is ice, it’s a solid, and when it’s steam,
it’s a gas; but recent research into how matter would react at extremely high temperatures
and pressures has revealed a fourth phase – plasma.
When placed under temperatures and pressures like those that occur on the Sun, electrons
no longer move around the nucleus, leaving behind a positively charged ion.
The atomic breakdown, loose electrons, and remaining ion result in a fluid-like substance,
or plasma, capable of generating electromagnetic forces.
6.
There Are Only Five Senses Believe it or not, ESP is not the sixth sense.
According to a study delving into the human physiology, taste, hearing, sight, smell,
and touch are the basic senses, but an awareness of balance, pain, temperature, and pressure
have since been included.
It doesn’t even stop there, either, as researchers have expanded the human senses to include
“non-traditional senses” like proprioception, which tells your body where your body parts
are in relation to one another, tension sensors, stretch receptors, chemoreceptors, thirst,
hunger, magnetoception - or the ability to detect magnetic fields - time, and itching.
5.
The Tastebud Map At one point in time, it was popular to think
that the tongue had four specific receptors responsible for tasting food categorized as
bitter, sweet, sour, and salty.
It was believed that only the tips of our tongue could taste sweet food while the taste
buds in the back were reserved specifically for bitterness, but that couldn’t be any
further from the truth.
In fact, the roadmap to the tongue is far more complex and detailed with clusters of
receptive cells located all over the tongue’s surface, each one capable of distinguishing
different tastes.
4.
The State of the Solar System Much of what we believed about the Solar System
has changed over the years, making it difficult for lesson plans to keep up.
Among the multitude of discoveries is the possibility of water on Mars, a planet once
thought to be dry and arid.
In May of 2017, it was found that the space between Saturn and its rings is not filled
with dust and debris as originally thought, but is in fact empty.
Additionally, along with being downgraded to a Dwarf Planet, Pluto was also found to
have signs of a subsurface ocean.
3.
Brain Cells Don’t Regrow While interactions with certain people may
have you believe differently, the concept that the human brain doesn’t grow new cells
is an antiquated belief.
A Cornell University study observed the regeneration of cells in a laboratory dish while additional
research using adult mice saw the unexpected growth of dendrites or the branch-like projections
on neurons, some doubling their length in two weeks.
The process of new brain cell growth, or neurogenesis, is believed to be linked to improved moods
and better memory and can combat some effects of aging.
2.
The Oceans of the World If you happen to have a map nearby, take a
look at it.
Does it just show the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans?
If so, it may be time to toss that sucker out as there is now a fifth ocean – the
Southern Ocean.
In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization drew the boundaries for the latest ocean,
categorizing it as any water located below 60° south.
Though the IHO is a United Nations-recognized body with a membership of over 80 countries,
its drawing of the Southern Ocean boundaries has been refuted by several nations who continue
to only recognize the four original charted waters.
1.
Only Nine Planets Nowadays, we’ve learned that space is a
proverbial playground of extraterrestrial planets, to the point where it seems like
a new one is discovered every week.
Thinking back to schooling before the early 90’s, though, all that was ever talked about
were the celestial bodies revolving around the Sun.
Astronomers believed other planets existed beyond our nine neighbors, but it wasn’t
until 1992 that the first exoplanet was physically discovered.
The planet, 51 Pegasi b, got the ball rolling as, in the 15 years that have passed, over
3,000 exoplanets have been confirmed, with over 100 billion unconfirmed bodies believed
to be within the Milky Way alone.