After quizzing Buzz about commonly held beliefs that are false I wondered how many other El Paso, Texans might not know about these common misconceptions.

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Misconceptions: False Facts, or Fake News 

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We often hear certain statements from friends, family, or even ill-informed radio hosts, and accept them as true without question.

However, many of the common sayings your mama told you are actually false. 

Here are fifteen things you may have believed to be true because that's what abuelita says, but are actually not true because she didn't have Google:


1. Gum stays in your stomach for seven years.

Joseph Costa on Unsplash
Joseph Costa on Unsplash
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In reality, gum typically passes through the digestive system in a few days.


2. Spinach has lots of iron.

Louis Hansel on Unsplash
Louis Hansel on Unsplash
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While spinach is a healthy vegetable, it doesn't actually contain as much iron as was once believed.


3. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.

Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
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While Bell was instrumental in the development of the telephone, there were other inventors working on similar devices at the time.


4. Masturbation will make you go blind.

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Alex Guillaume on Unsplash
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This claim has no scientific basis and is entirely false.


5. Wait to swim after you eat.

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Swimply
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There is no evidence to support the idea that eating after swimming is harmful.


6. Eyes will stay crossed.

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While crossing your eyes for extended periods of time can cause temporary discomfort, it won't cause your eyes to become permanently crossed.


7. If you sit too close to the TV, you'll go blind.

Fábio Magalhães on Unsplash
Fábio Magalhães on Unsplash
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While sitting too close to the TV can cause eye strain, it won't damage your eyes permanently.


8. We lose most of our body heat through our heads.

Guy listening to headphones + Metallica's James Hetfield
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This myth likely originated from a flawed study and has been debunked. We actually lose heat from all parts of our body.


9. Different parts of the tongue detect different tastes.

Alex Guillaume on Unsplash
Alex Guillaume on Unsplash
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While it was once thought that the tongue had different "taste zones," this idea has been debunked.


10. Deoxygenated blood is blue.

Max Kleinen on Unsplash
Max Kleinen on Unsplash
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Blood that is low in oxygen is actually a darker shade of red, not blue.


11. We only have five senses.

Braydon Anderson on Unsplash
Braydon Anderson on Unsplash
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While we commonly think of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell as our five senses, we actually have many more senses, including balance, temperature, and pain.


12. Baby birds are abandoned by mothers if they're touched.

Ray Hennessy on Unsplash
Ray Hennessy
on Unsplash
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This is a myth. Most birds have a poor sense of smell and won't abandon their young if they've been touched by humans.


13. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth.

Michael Clarke on Unsplash
Michael Clarke on Unsplash
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While Mount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is actually the tallest mountain when measured from its base.


14. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.

Dan Burton on Unsplash
Dan Burton on Unsplash
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This myth has been debunked. Cracking your knuckles is simply the sound of gas bubbles popping in the fluid surrounding your joints.


15. Nails and hair continue to grow after we die.

Braydon Anderson on Unsplash
Braydon Anderson on Unsplash
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This is a myth. After we die, our skin and hair may appear to continue growing due to dehydration and the shrinking of tissues around them.

It's important to question what we hear and not accept everything at face value, according to Buzz Adams at least. 

By taking the time to investigate claims and facts, everyone can gain a better understanding of the world, and the fake news radio DJs all around us.

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