We’ve all grown up believing in certain facts that over the years have become common knowledge — veggies are best eaten fresh, bread with the slightest hint of brown is packed with nutrients and that nails and hair continue to grow well after we’re dead. But how true are these facts?

1. Alcohol warms you up

Drinking alcohol may make your skin feel warm, but this apparent heat is deceptive. Alcohol actually lowers your body temperature by dilating blood vessels and making the veins pump warm blood closer to the skin. But this process causes the body to lose its core heat. Therefore, sipping a brandy may make you feel warm immediately, but it won’t last long!

2. Cover head, stay warm

Parents usually fuss over their children going out in the cold without a hat on, believing that most of the body heat is lost through the head. But scientists consider this a myth. A 2008 British Medical Journal report states that a person loses only 7 to 10 percent of body heat through the head. In fact, our body loses a disproportionate amount of heat through any part that is exposed, including hands and toes.

3. We use only 10 percent of our brain

On those days when you can't recall a name or phone number, it's tempting to wish for more brain power. Only we're using all that we have, just not all at once, says Dr. Marie Pasinski, staff neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, faculty member at Harvard Medical School and author of “Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You” (Hyperion, 2010). "Think of your brain as a computer with special programs and software to allow it to perform an amazing array of tasks," says Pasinski. At any given time, not every single application is in use. When we are focused on a specific task, the parts of the brain needed for that task become more active.

4. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain

When measured from the base to summit (and not from the sea level to summit), Mauna Kea (33,500 feet or 10,210 meters in height) located in Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world. Most of it is submerged under water.

5. If you swallow your gum, it'll take 7 years to digest

Swallowing your chewing gum on that amusement park ride last summer does not subject you to a gummy digestive tract for seven years, says Dr. Richard Desi, a gastroenterologist with the Institute for Digestive Health and Liver Disease at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, U.S.. "This is certainly a myth. A portion of gum is indigestible, and like any indigestible substance that is consumed, it will simply pass through the gastrointestinal tract and be evacuated." The digestible ingredients in gum do not take any longer than other foods to digest. And the indigestible portion does not "stick" around one's intestines for years, says Desi.

6. Bulls get angry when they see red

This has nothing to do with the color red. Bulls are colorblind and it's the waving movement of the cape that annoys them.

7. Bats are blind

Although bats have tiny eyes and nocturnal hunting habits, they are not blind. “Bigger bats can see three times better than humans," says Rob Mies, executive director of the Michigan-based Organization for Bat Conservation. Paul Faure, of McMaster University’s Bat Lab located in Canada, elaborates further: “All bats can see and all bats are sensitive to changing light levels because this is the main cue that they use to sense when it is (night time) and time to become active.”

8. Don’t wake sleepwalkers

Did you know that up to 40 percent of children sleepwalk at night, but most grow out of it as they age? One piece of advice which many have heard is never to wake a sleepwalker as it might send them into shock upon their sudden awakening. This is simply not true. It’ll only lead to a confused state for the sleepwalker at that moment and perhaps an awkward encounter for you!

9. Dogs sweat by salivating

Most of the sweat glands in dogs are located in the paws or footpads and none on the tongue. Panting and salivating is a way of regulating their body temperature as it causes evaporation from the moist lining of their lungs.

[b]10. Toilet doors/handles are a hotbed for germs

[/b]According to a test carried out at the University of Arizona, a toilet door is the least infected surface in the room. Most bacteria need a warm and moist environment to survive and cannot live on hard, dry surfaces for long.

We’ve all grown up believing in certain facts that over the years have become common knowledge — veggies are best eaten fresh, bread with the slightest hint of brown is packed with nutrients and that nails and hair continue to grow well after we’re dead. But how true are these facts?

1. Alcohol warms you up

Drinking alcohol may make your skin feel warm, but this apparent heat is deceptive. Alcohol actually lowers your body temperature by dilating blood vessels and making the veins pump warm blood closer to the skin. But this process causes the body to lose its core heat. Therefore, sipping a brandy may make you feel warm immediately, but it won’t last long!

2. Cover head, stay warm

Parents usually fuss over their children going out in the cold without a hat on, believing that most of the body heat is lost through the head. But scientists consider this a myth. A 2008 British Medical Journal report states that a person loses only 7 to 10 percent of body heat through the head. In fact, our body loses a disproportionate amount of heat through any part that is exposed, including hands and toes.

3. We use only 10 percent of our brain

On those days when you can't recall a name or phone number, it's tempting to wish for more brain power. Only we're using all that we have, just not all at once, says Dr. Marie Pasinski, staff neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, faculty member at Harvard Medical School and author of “Beautiful Brain, Beautiful You” (Hyperion, 2010). "Think of your brain as a computer with special programs and software to allow it to perform an amazing array of tasks," says Pasinski. At any given time, not every single application is in use. When we are focused on a specific task, the parts of the brain needed for that task become more active.

4. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain

When measured from the base to summit (and not from the sea level to summit), Mauna Kea (33,500 feet or 10,210 meters in height) located in Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world. Most of it is submerged under water.

5. If you swallow your gum, it'll take 7 years to digest

Swallowing your chewing gum on that amusement park ride last summer does not subject you to a gummy digestive tract for seven years, says Dr. Richard Desi, a gastroenterologist with the Institute for Digestive Health and Liver Disease at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, U.S.. "This is certainly a myth. A portion of gum is indigestible, and like any indigestible substance that is consumed, it will simply pass through the gastrointestinal tract and be evacuated." The digestible ingredients in gum do not take any longer than other foods to digest. And the indigestible portion does not "stick" around one's intestines for years, says Desi.

6. Bulls get angry when they see red

This has nothing to do with the color red. Bulls are colorblind and it's the waving movement of the cape that annoys them.

7. Bats are blind

Although bats have tiny eyes and nocturnal hunting habits, they are not blind. “Bigger bats can see three times better than humans," says Rob Mies, executive director of the Michigan-based Organization for Bat Conservation. Paul Faure, of McMaster University’s Bat Lab located in Canada, elaborates further: “All bats can see and all bats are sensitive to changing light levels because this is the main cue that they use to sense when it is (night time) and time to become active.”

8. Don’t wake sleepwalkers

Did you know that up to 40 percent of children sleepwalk at night, but most grow out of it as they age? One piece of advice which many have heard is never to wake a sleepwalker as it might send them into shock upon their sudden awakening. This is simply not true. It’ll only lead to a confused state for the sleepwalker at that moment and perhaps an awkward encounter for you!

9. Dogs sweat by salivating

Most of the sweat glands in dogs are located in the paws or footpads and none on the tongue. Panting and salivating is a way of regulating their body temperature as it causes evaporation from the moist lining of their lungs.

10. Toilet doors/handles are a hotbed for germs

According to a test carried out at the University of Arizona, a toilet door is the least infected surface in the room. Most bacteria need a warm and moist environment to survive and cannot live on hard, dry surfaces for long.

ok

wow, good to know.

learnt something new

cool