Common Myths That Have Been Debunked By Science

Dropping a Penny Off of The Empire State Building Will Not Kill Anyone

A penny weighs roughly 1/11th of one ounce. This means that the terminal velocity of a penny caps out around 50 MPH. If you factor in any wind conditions on the day, that number shrinks. Getting hit by a penny traveling 50 MPH will not kill you, but it might sting a bit. 

Light Speed Isn't The Fastest Speed an Object Can Travel 

Light speed travels unbelievably fast through the vacuum of space, but when it strikes an object like water, it will slow down significantly. Scientists have been able to speed neutrons and electrons up faster than the speed of light within nuclear reactors and particle accelerators. Scientists also theorize that the universe's expansion moved faster than the speed of light when the big bang happened. 

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The More You Know

  • The hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe.
  • Scorpions are incredibly resilient: scientists have frozen scorpions overnight, left them in the sun the following day, and when thawed, the arthropod walked away unscathed.
  • The shortest scientific –ology word is "oology."
  • Sesame Street is now a real place.
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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.