myths

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Eggshell, Burnt Sienna and Prison Pink?

While you might be able to find the soothing Pepto-Bismol shade at your local paint shop, chances are that after this Monday, you won't see the color lining any Kansas City prison walls anymore. That's because local police have deemed the think pink color test a total failure. Back in the early 90's the KCPD was quick to jump on the interior decoration bandwagon, after studies showed that prisoners were more likely to be calmer and better behaved in rooms doused in pink. After 15 years of trying it out,... READ ON

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Vampires Are Mathematically Impossible

Costas Efthimiou, a researcher at the University of Central Florida, has the very cool job of debunking pseudoscientific myths. His latest calculations showed the mathematicalÂ impossibility of vampires, in case you were concerned that they might be real (and apparently there are a frightening number of people who do believe in them). According to a LiveScience article: Efthimiou's debunking logic: On Jan 1, 1600, the human population was 536,870,911. If the first vampire came into existence that... READ ON

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Do Red Cars Get Ticketed More?

This is a long standing belief and a question where I would've guessed "yes" but it turns out another myth has been busted by the folks at Snopes. When asked why red cars would be ticketed more frequently than other colors, here are some common explanations people give: 1) Red cars are brighter and more noticeable, so they draw attention. 2) Red creates an illusion that the car is traveling faster than it really is. 3) Red is a common color for a sports car and someone driving a sports car is more... READ ON

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How the carrot/vision myth got started

A couple weeks ago I posted a story about a man who accidentally blinded his wife by throwing a carrot at her. After getting plenty of jokes from readers about carrots supposedly helping vision, one of our brilliant readers, David K, sent in a link to an interesting article on Snopes. There's a really interesting explanation as to how the carrot lore got its start. In World War II, Britain's air ministry spread the word that a diet of these vegetables helped pilots see Nazi bombers attacking at night.... READ ON