The library
Myths, checked.
Each one has the short answer up top, the whole explainer below it, and every claim listed with its source — including the claims we could not confirm.
Bats Can See Fine
Every one of the fourteen hundred species of bat can see. A flying fox finds a fruiting tree at dusk by looking at it, and it carries no sonar at all.…
Read the check →
Did Humans Evolve From Monkeys?
We did not evolve from the chimps you see today. They are our cousins, not our ancestors. This creature lived in Africa's forests around six to eight …
Read the check →
Do Bulls Hate the Color Red?
Bulls are dichromats with two kinds of color-seeing cells, not three like humans, and can't see the color red. The real reason a bull charges the cape…
Read the check →
Do Ostriches Bury Their Heads in the Sand?
An ostrich's real first instinct when threatened is to run, not hide. Ostriches dig large, shallow pits in the earth to serve as communal nests.…
Read the check →
Do Wolves Howl at the Moon?
A wolf's howl isn't aimed at the moon, it's aimed up because tilting the head high projects the sound further. A howl can travel for miles on a clear …
Read the check →
Does Cracking Your Knuckles Cause Arthritis?
There was no arthritis in either hand; his cracked hand was just as healthy as the one he'd left alone. Decades of other studies agree: there is no li…
Read the check →
Goldfish Have a Three-Second Memory
When tested again after a full month of no training, the fish still remembers the sound. Some studies show they recall it five months later. their mem…
Read the check →
The Great Lemming Suicide Myth
Lemmings are strong swimmers. Every few years, conditions are perfect, causing lemming population booms.…
Read the check →
Why Chameleons Change Color (It's Not for Camouflage)
The way a chameleon changes color isn't with pigment, like paint. It's structural color, a trick of physics. Beneath their transparent outer skin are …
Read the check →