Myths
Is it True That Twins Skip a Generation?
It’s common for people to claim that twins skip a generation, especially if there are already twins in the family. For years, the belief that twins skip a generation has been floating around. While some instances prove this is the case, some also prove that twins do not skip a generation. Sometimes twins skip a generation and sometimes they don’t. This had led some to say that twins are not genetic and some still believe that they are. The ways genes are passed down could explain why people have seen twins skip a generation in their own families. It also explains why a family with twins, won’t always see another set. The truth lies somewhere in between genetics and happenstance. Twins don’t always run in families and sometimes never occur again during a whole l...
Is it True That First Love Never Dies?
Many people say that a first love never dies. Truthfully, most people can recall their first love and do so fondly. Does that mean that first love never dies? Is it because it’s true love? According to movies, that could be the case. Is it really true though? Movies like The Notebook are filled with first love never dies sentiments. The mother in that movie even took her daughter (from another man) to see the man she called her first true love. She talks in that scene about how first love never dies as she cries over the man she could have married. Given this happens a lot, it seems common for women (and men) to pine after their first love or any love lost. Are people supposed to stay with their first love? Are they supposed to go the extra mile to make that first love work?...
Is it True That Margarine is Almost Plastic?
Ever heard that Margarine is almost plastic? Many people have heard these rumors. Coming originally from one of those chain letter emails passed around, the awful “facts” about margarine were spread as fast as a viral Facebook post. One those warned people that margarine is almost plastic. Margarine itself has been thru the fire since it’s invention in the mid-1800s. It’s been claimed that it’s bad for you, that it was once originally a feed for livestock, and even that margarine has NO nutritional value at all. None of the rumors about margarine are true, not even the one about it being worse for a cardiovascular system than butter. Some of these rumors may be easily believed, but none was more widely believed than the assertions that claimed to be back...
Is it True That Airline Tickets Are Cheaper on Tuesday?
Everyone has heard that buying airline tickets is cheaper on Tuesday. While that used to be true, more recent statistics suggest that when you plan to fly is actually more important than when you buy airline tickets. That isn’t to say that buying an airline ticket on Tuesday won’t save you money – but it’s not the tried and true method it once was. Why are airline tickets cheaper on Tuesday? Years ago, buying airline tickets was cheaper on Tuesday than any other day. According to people that know the airfare industry well, sales on tickets used to go public on Tuesday. This meant that in order to get the airline tickets on sale, a person had to check on Tuesday before they were all gone. Back in those days, managers were manually updating prices and inputting d...
Is it True That All Calico Cats Are Female?
To find out if all calico cats are female it’s best to consult with someone who knows about cat genetics. Simply put, there are some male calico cats, but most often calico cats are female. Why it’s this way is purely about numbers and how cat genes get passed down. Are all calico cats female? No. There are male calico cats but they are unusual. According to the founder of the Calico Cat Registry International, 1 out of every 3,000 calico kittens are male. So why do people believe that all calico cats are female? According to veterinarians, it’s likely because male calico cats technically aren’t possible without a genetic mutation, so to speak. In fact, because of the way genetics work in cats – male calico cats usually have an extra pair of chromosomes....
Is it True That Dogs Are Colorblind?
People have believed that dogs are colorblind for years but is it really true? Some researchers have been exploring exactly what dogs and other animals can see. Does that mean that dogs are colorblind? No, but it turns out they do see the world very different than humans do. Why do people think that dogs are colorblind? The first time it was recorded that dogs are colorblind was in the late 1930s. Will Judy, a writer and dog enthusiast, wrote a book called “Training the Dog.” Inside it he wrote,”It’s likely that all the external world appears to them as varying highlights of black and gray.” The them being dogs in this context. It went mostly unquestioned for the next 30 years and seemed to be confirmed in the ’60s when scientists said that only humans a...
Is it True That Elephants Are Afraid of Mice?
Why do people believe elephants are afraid of mice? Some say it’s because the image is a common sight in cartoons and other media. Often what viewers see is a large and mighty elephant cowering in the corner as a mouse scurries by. It’s a funny picture, an animal weighing thousands of pounds terrified of a teeny-tiny mouse – but is it likely? Some elephant experts have weighed in on this myth and it seems that elephants could actually be afraid of mice. Where did the myth about elephants being afraid of mice come from? Sources have traced this myth all the way back to about 77 AD and ancient Greek folklore. According to the local fable, a mouse once climbed up inside an elephant’s trunk and “drove him crazy.” Upon first thought, it would seem that m...
Is it True That Dogs Have the Cleanest Mouths?
We’ve all heard a dog lover tell us that dogs have the cleanest mouths. It probably does make them feel better after getting slobbery kisses or sharing their cereal bowl with their furry friend – but it may not be true. Scientists have been on the case discovering and mapping the microbes in the mouths of humans, dogs and cats. The findings of their research has proven that this old belief may not be exactly right. Do dogs have the cleanest mouths? According to researchers it may be impossible to tell if dog’s mouths are cleaner than humans. This is because the microbes found in the saliva of dogs is more than 80% different than what has been found in a human mouth. According to Floyd Dewhirst, a bacterial geneticist and professor at Harvard, only 15% of the bacteria f...
Is it True That Everyone Has a Twin?
While obviously not everyone has an identical twin, according to experts, it could be true that everyone has a twin that at least looks just like them. We’ve all seen someone we have mistaken for someone else, and many of us have even been mistaken for another person. The theory that everyone has a doppelganger somewhere in the world has been around for a while, but it wasn’t until we started to understand more about human genes and genetics that we learned it could be true. Does everyone have a twin? No one can say it for certain but the notion that everyone out there looks very similar to at least one other person is a definite possibility. Since most of us have the same genetic makeup, it’s highly likely that our face and the rest of our looks could be nearly identic...
Is it True that Cats Have Nine Lives?
As the old wives tale goes, cats have nine lives. Is it really true that cats have 9 lives or is it just a myth passed down from generation to generation? The truth is – cats do not have nine lives. Sadly, they are just as mortal as the rest of us and only have one life, that will inevitably end. While it isn’t necessarily true, the saying about cats having more than one life spans across cultures. Admittedly, in some cultures the myth claims that cats have 6 or 7 lives. In spite of this differentiation, most people will still answer 9 when asked how many lives a cat has. Do cats have nine lives? Some people do believe that cats live more than one life because they are reincarnations. Cats have been portrayed in movies and on the television to have more than one life as we...
