Refuted facts. Darwin's theory of evolution is refuted by facts. Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids

From early childhood we hear a lot of facts that are presented as scientific. Sometimes we believe them, we try to double-check some, but some very interesting facts, over time, are refuted for one reason or another. But most often this happens because science takes a step forward and clarifies some of the nuances of past discoveries.

Today we bring to your attention the top scientific facts that have been officially refuted.

Drinking kills brain cells

Not only does drinking kill brain cells, but also not being able to drink alcohol. In some cases, thiamine starvation may occur; this applies to moments when a person receives the majority of calories from alcohol. As a rule, this situation can arise with people who drink heavily.

Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place

Lightning strikes where it wants. And it can hit the same place twice. Lightning simply seeks the easiest and closest path to the ground so that it will strike the object that is higher and that is closest to it.

A person can be killed by a coin falling from a skyscraper

An old legend that appeared after the construction of the Empire State Building. They said then that a penny that fell from the top floor of this building could kill a person or make a real hole in his head. And now for the fact: the speed of a penny thrown from the Empire State Building will be 80 km/h, and this is not enough to kill a person. So, only the lump will remain.

Eyes can leak out in space if a person ends up there without a spacesuit.

No, the eyes will not leak, the person will not explode. He will simply die after losing consciousness from lack of oxygen.

Goldfish memory lasts for 5 seconds

Scientists have proven that goldfish are able to remember the last two months of events.

Chewing gum takes 7 years to digest in the human body.

Chewing gum is digested just like any other product. And it leaves the body in the same way as what you ate during the day.

You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day

You need to drink as much water as you want. But, in principle, a person's water consumption depends on their activity level, temperature and environment, as well as your weight, height and other variables.

If you cut an earthworm in half, it will grow into two worms.

This is not true. If a worm is cut in half, only the front part of the worm will be restored, and the back part will die.

Man has five senses

A person has a much larger number of senses than 5. There are about 20 of them, including the sense of temperature touch, the sense of balance and others.

A metal plate or foil will burn the electrical circuit in the microwave.

Nothing like that. The metal may spark when heated, and then be too hot to remove from the microwave, but the oven itself will not burn and it will not short out electrical circuits.

The "Great Wall of China" visible from the moon

The Great Wall of China is not visible even from Earth orbit, not to mention the Moon. The astronauts on the ISS have never seen such a miracle. Maybe it was just bad weather?

Incredible facts

Over time, even information that has been considered true for a very long period can undergo dramatic changes.

For example, it was previously believed that doctors should not wash their hands before performing surgery. However, science is developing very quickly, and human development does not stand still.

Below are facts that are familiar to you from school. But today this is outdated information that has been refuted.

1. Old fact: Pluto is a planet.

New fact: Pluto is not a planet.

Until some time, people believed that after Uranus there was another, ninth planet - Pluto. This opinion has existed since the end of the 19th century.

In 1906, the famous scientist Percival Lowell, who founded the observatory named after himself, launched a scientific project whose main goal was to discover the mysterious planet.

In 1923, young explorer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Planet X. He was instructed to carefully study all moving objects and compare them with photographs of the starry sky.

As a result, the 23-year-old young man presented his discovery to specialists at the Harvard College Observatory.

The new planet received its name thanks to an 11-year-old girl from England (Pluto is the ancient Roman god of the underworld). Thus, Pluto was included in our Solar System.

However, in 2003, according to NASA representatives, one astronomer managed to discover a much larger object beyond Pluto, which he decided to name Eris.

This event gave rise to a lot of controversial questions, the main one of which was: why can a planet be called a planet? But after analyzing the available information in more detail, scientists came to the conclusion that neither Eris nor Pluto are actually planets.

Refuted facts

2. Old fact: The hardest natural material on earth is diamond.

New fact: The hardest substance in the world is cubic boron nitride.

There are two substances on earth that are harder than diamond. We are talking about boron nitride (18 percent stronger than diamond) and lonsdaleite (58 percent harder than gemstone).

But these substances are quite rarely found in nature. However, to be completely honest, the authors of this study have not yet been able to fully prove their calculations in practice.

Thus, this discovery is true only in theory.

It is worth noting that there is another contender for the title of the hardest substance. The researchers condensed chemical boron nitride particles to create "super-hard cubic boron nitride."

It was quite simple because they just separated them into their component parts. As a result, this led to the fact that women all over the world began to order wedding rings from this material, because such rings will definitely seal the union forever.

Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids

3. Old fact: The Egyptian pyramids were built by Jewish slaves.

New fact: The pyramids in Egypt were built by hired workers.

The famous feature film "The Prince of Egypt" also supports the old theory that slaves built the pyramids. Biblical texts also involuntarily speak about the construction of these stone structures, however, no clear descriptions of the work themselves were found.

This world-famous myth dates back to 1977, when former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin paid a visit to Egypt.

According to Amihai Mazar, a professor at one of the Jerusalem universities, the Jews could not build the pyramids because at that time they simply did not exist as a nation.

In fact, recent archaeological finds have shown that it was the Egyptians who took part in the construction of the pyramids. The workers were wage earners, mostly from poor families living in the southern and northern parts of the country.

Few people respected them; they were buried without honor or observance of any rituals.

4. Old fact: The evolutionary connection of humans with other primates is lost forever.

New fact: "Ida" discovered.

Scientists say that “Ida” is the most important, previously lost link in the chain of evolution from ape to man. In 2003, German paleontologist Jorn Hurum and a team of researchers discovered very well-preserved ancient remains that were at least 47 million years old.

The remains were named Ida. This ancient primate became the transitional missing link in the evolutionary movement of the ape to humans and to lemurs, which are distant relatives of humans.

Scientifically, Ida is called "Darwiniusmasillae", which literally stands for "Darwin's creature from Messel". The skeleton of the individual is similar to that of a lemur; it also has features common to primates, such as a separate thumb, short limbs, and a complete absence of claws.

Thus, Ida helped fill a huge gap that existed in the theory of evolutionary development.

5. Old fact: It is impossible to fold a sheet of paper of any size more than seven times.

New fact: Record – 11 times.

This rumor lived for a very long time in scientific circles, as well as in the field of art. An ordinary schoolgirl from California managed to dispel it. Britney Gallivan and a few other enthusiasts bought a huge roll of toilet paper for $85 and managed to fold it 11 times.

The smart girl realized that those who tried to refute the old fact before her changed the direction of folding the paper. The student even managed to derive an equation based on the thickness and width of a particular paper.

In 2006, Britney gave a presentation at a math teachers' convention and a year later was awarded a degree in environmental science. Now she often appears in the famous Discovery Channel program “MythBusters.”

6. Old fact: The only man-made structure visible from space is the Great Wall of China.

New fact: In fact, many man-made structures are somehow visible from space. But formally such statements were never true. Such rumors have been circulating since the late 30s of the 20th century.

Despite everything, a Chinese astronaut in 2003 still managed to refute this myth. According to NASA, Yang Liwei emphasized that he could not see the Great Wall of China from space.

After this statement, various photographs began to be published online, indicating that under certain conditions it is still possible to see the outline of the wall.

Moreover, it was said that one can also see the main roads of large cities, the lights of megacities, airports, bridges, reservoirs and airports.

Speculation that earthly structures can also be seen from the Moon remains just absurd speculation. According to Apollo 12 crew member astronaut Alan Bean, the only thing visible from the moon is a huge blue ball, immersed in clouds with yellow patches of deserts and green islands of vegetation.

It is likely that those who spoke about the visibility of earthly objects from space had in mind the earth’s orbit, but this is a completely different story, which has nothing to do with outer space.

Biological kingdoms

7. Old fact: There are only five classifications of biological species by kingdom: plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and protozoa.

New fact: Today, all evidence suggests that there are at least eight biological kingdoms.

Every year new species of living beings are discovered. The more there are, the more difficult it is to attribute them to a specific kingdom. In addition to the kingdoms already mentioned, the kingdom “archaea” was identified, which was previously combined with the kingdom of bacteria.

At first glance, it may seem that ancient bacteria (archaea) look exactly the same as other single-celled organisms (eubacteria). But in fact, upon closer examination, everything turns out to be much more complicated.

There are very complex systems that divide eubacteria into two large kingdoms.

With the development of technology and humans, much information that until recently was considered true is giving way to new information with amazing speed. A selection has been made for you from several old facts that have been refuted quite recently.

Old fact: The evolutionary connection between humans and other primates is lost forever.

New fact: "Ida" discovered.

The remains were named Ida. This ancient primate became the transitional missing link in the evolutionary movement of the ape to humans and to lemurs, which are distant relatives of humans.

Thus, Ida helped fill a huge gap that existed in the theory of evolutionary development.

Old fact: Pluto is a planet.

New fact: Pluto is not a planet.

Until some time, people believed that after Uranus there was another, ninth planet - Pluto. This opinion has existed since the end of the 19th century.

In 1906, the famous scientist Percival Lowell, who founded the observatory named after himself, launched a scientific project whose main goal was to discover the mysterious planet.

In 1923, young explorer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Planet X. He was instructed to carefully study all moving objects and compare them with photographs of the starry sky.

As a result, the 23-year-old young man presented his discovery to specialists at the Harvard College Observatory.

The new planet received its name thanks to an 11-year-old girl from England (Pluto is the ancient Roman god of the underworld). Thus, Pluto was included in our Solar System.

However, in 2003, according to NASA representatives, one astronomer managed to discover a much larger object beyond Pluto, which he decided to name Eris.

Old fact: The hardest natural material on earth is diamond.

New fact: The hardest substance in the world is cubic boron nitride.

There are two substances on earth that are harder than diamond. We are talking about boron nitride (18 percent stronger than diamond) and lonsdaleite (58 percent harder than gemstone).

But these substances are quite rarely found in nature. However, to be completely honest, the authors of this study have not yet been able to fully prove their calculations in practice.

Thus, this discovery is true only in theory.

It is worth noting that there is another contender for the title of the hardest substance. The researchers condensed chemical boron nitride particles to create "super-hard cubic boron nitride."

Old fact: It is impossible to fold a piece of paper of any size more than seven times.

New fact: Record – 11 times.

Old fact: The only man-made structure visible from space is the Great Wall of China.

New fact: In fact, many man-made structures are somehow visible from space. But formally such statements were never true. Such rumors have been circulating since the late 30s of the 20th century.

Despite everything, a Chinese astronaut in 2003 still managed to refute this myth. According to NASA, Yang Liwei emphasized that he could not see the Great Wall of China from space.

After this statement, various photographs began to be published online, indicating that under certain conditions it is still possible to see the outline of the wall. Moreover, it was said that one can also see the main roads of large cities, the lights of megacities, airports, bridges, reservoirs and airports. Speculation that earthly structures can also be seen from the Moon remains just absurd speculation. According to Apollo 12 crew member astronaut Alan Bean, the only thing visible from the moon is a huge blue ball, immersed in clouds with yellow patches of deserts and green islands of vegetation.

Old fact: There are only five kingdom classifications of biological species: plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and protozoa.

New fact: Today, all evidence suggests that there are at least eight biological kingdoms.

There are very complex systems that divide eubacteria into two large kingdoms.

Let's figure out whether it is worth believing in this theory, which for many years has not been subject to any doubt from society.

Why did scientists become interested in disproving the theory?

Darwin's teachings are presented as mere speculation. How did it happen that this hypothesis became a clear definition of the origin of man as a species for many years? It is absolutely possible to say that a person, and especially a scientist who has strong thinking, could not imagine that one species, for example, amphibians, could simply evolve into mammals. Even if nature decreed this, then for the subsequent preservation of a new species, its first representative needs a partner to continue the race, therefore at least two individuals must evolve simultaneously, which is impossible at the genetic level.

This fact alone can completely refute the theory, but there is even more serious evidence. So far, among the numerous fossil animals, no gene chain has been found that would clearly show the transition between the two species.

Those who follow Darwin's teachings cite as evidence the skeleton of an ancient antelope, which, in their opinion, became the ancestor of the modern giraffe. There is no scientific evidence to support this episode of evolution. There are only assumptions and some external and interspecific similarities.
Such hypotheses, which supposedly confirm Darwinism, are obviously absurd. Imagine that your friend had an old car, but after a few years you suddenly see that in his garage there is a new foreign car. In response to your question whether there is evidence of tuning the car, a friend replies that there is only one photograph that was taken somewhere in the middle of the repair. Of course you won't believe him.

How can a fish that lays eggs evolve into a sexually reproducing species, or even lay eggs? And many such examples can be given.

For followers of this movement, everything happens by itself. Previously, education was aimed specifically at the theory of evolution, so many generations did not doubt the correctness of this statement and blindly believed in textbooks.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, 80% of the planet's population are imitators and do not have their own opinions. Let's take as an example the famous legend about Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit. Many will say that it was an apple, confirming their judgment with the Bible, but there is nothing of the kind in the book. Someone once decided that it must be an apple, and everyone else just believed it.

Only 20% can question another person's theory. This is the reason that humanity has been in error for many years.

What scientific facts disprove the theory?

Firstly, Charles Darwin did not present any evidence in his book “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, but was based only on his own guesses and imagination.

Secondly, a large number of facts indicate that the Earth is a relatively young planet that was formed 20 - 30 thousand years ago. This fact makes evolution impossible, since there simply would not be enough time for it.

Thirdly, humans have 46 chromosomes, and apes have 48. Darwinists say that during the course of evolution, the ape lost two chromosomes, but how can one evolve in mental development after losing two chromosomes? It has been scientifically proven that the loss of chromosomes leads to degradation and subsequent death. Unfortunately, we can observe this phenomenon in our time. The birth of children with Down syndrome is a clear example.
Also, in the process of evolution, animals develop underdeveloped organs, which cannot in any way contribute to existence on Earth.

“Macroevolution”, namely the transition from one animal to another, has never been observed in nature. All “macroevolution” occurs at the level of thinking, which has no evidence.

The 2nd law of thermodynamics states that all living and nonliving objects in nature are subject to destruction and aging, therefore evolution is impossible at the physical level.

As indirect evidence, one can cite the fact that when developing his theory, Darwin was not a biologist, he only loved nature and had a rich imagination and fantasy.

What theories of human origins exist?

Extraterrestrial origin theory

According to this theory, people appeared on Earth thanks to the intervention of alien civilizations. This hypothesis is criticized by the majority, but it has a chance of existence.

Theory of creation

This theory states that God created humans. The most famous interpretation of this judgment is set out in the Bible. The first people to set foot on Earth were Adam and Eve. Followers of this theory even provide some scientific evidence, but it does not contradict the theory of evolution. Some even believe that man evolved from primates by the will of God, and not by natural selection.

Theory of space anomalies

Promoting this theory, its followers cite anthropogenesis as an element of the development of the humanoid triad. The planetary biosphere develops at the level of information substance. If conditions are favorable, this leads to the emergence of intelligent life.

What to believe?

Social scientists conducted many surveys in connection with the refutation of the hypothesis. Darwin's theory remains the most popular, despite its absurdity. In 2nd place is the theory of creation. The remaining assumptions about the origin of man occupy a small share among all options.
Of course, what to believe is a matter for each person individually. Scientists can only put forward new and new theories, refuting old ones.

As Fox Mulder from The X-Files said, “I want to believe.” Even some outspoken skeptics at heart hope that there is something paranormal in our world that goes beyond the boring routine. It is not surprising that all kinds of scientific hoaxes easily find supporters who are able to drown out the voice of reason in the scientific community. We at Find out.rf present you 11 stories that once again prove how easy it is to convince people of anything.

Behringer's "Lying Stones"

In 1725, students of the natural history department at the University of Würzburg brought their professor Johann Behringer a strange discovery - more than 2,000 stones covered with Hebrew inscriptions, images of astronomical objects, birds, spiders and copulating frogs.

Beringer was sure that these were relics of the antediluvian era and that these stones were the work of God. He dedicated an entire book to his idea, but as soon as it was published, the students brought him the last stone with Behringer's name scratched out. It turned out that his colleagues, tired of his arrogance, decided to take revenge on the scientist in this way.

Perpetual motion machine

The search for an engine capable of operating forever without fuel and mechanical impact has been going on for several centuries and has so far been unsuccessful. At the beginning of the 19th century, a certain Charles Redheffer appeared in the American city of Philadelphia. He settled in a house on the outskirts and invited everyone to look at his invention - a perpetual motion machine. The rumor quickly spread throughout the city, and Redheffer applied for a grant to further improve his apparatus and extorted a lot of money from ordinary citizens.

The expert commission would not have suspected a dirty trick if not for the teenage son of one of its members, Nathan Sellers. He was the first to draw attention to the uneven speed of movement of the mechanism, indicating that the engine was driven by external energy. Eventually the fraudster was exposed. It turned out that an old man was sitting in a locked attic and turning the handle of the device. Redheffer had to flee.

The Big Moon Hoax

This name was given to a series of six journalistic materials published in the British newspaper The Sun in August 1835. It is assumed that their author was the editor of the publication, Richard Adams Locke. The first article reported on the discovery by the great astronomer John Herschel of a super telescope with 42,000x magnification. The invention allowed him to consider the civilization on the Moon and the humanoids inhabiting the Earth's satellite with wings like bats.

The hoax was exposed by competitors from the New York Herald newspaper. The editor demanded from The Sun the originals of Herschel's scientific works, which they, of course, were unable to provide. But The Sun benefited greatly from the scam - about 20 thousand copies of the tabloid were sold every day.

Cardiff giant

The three-metre tall fossilized human figure was found in the city of Cardiff by workers digging a well in 1896. The enterprising owner of the site immediately began charging a fee to view the wonder, and local Christians began to zealously defend its authenticity.

Of course, the giant turned out to be a skillful fake. So the local popularizer of atheism, George Hull, decided to play a joke on a very pious city official who believed that our planet was once inhabited by giants, as the Bible says.

Piltdown Man

In 1912, lawyer Charles Dawson, who was keen on archeology, presented to the British Museum the “missing link” between man and ape, which he allegedly discovered in a sand pit in the city of Piltdown - a fossil skull. Some anthropologists noticed inconsistencies in the structure of the skull, but on the whole the scientific community accepted the find with joy.

Only in 1949 did scientists analyze the bone material and establish that the skull was artificially aged. Moreover, the upper part of the skull belonged to an anatomically modern person, and Dawson borrowed the jaw from an orangutan.

Fairies from Cottingley

This is the story of how two cousins fooled Britain using their imagination and a camera. In the spring of 1917, 17-year-old Elsie and 10-year-old Frances, both raised on British folklore, told their parents that they spent their days playing with fairies across the village stream. Of course, they didn’t believe them. The youngest of the sisters begged her father for a camera, and an hour later they returned with “evidence.” On one of the developed films, Elsie was captured next to a fairy-like creature.

Unfortunately, Elsie’s mother was fond of spiritualism and had no doubt about the veracity of the photographs. From her, through third parties, Arthur Conan Doyle, author of books about Sherlock Holmes and a supporter of spiritualism, learned about the mysterious photographs. He asked the girls to take three more photographs with fairies and sent them for examination, which confirmed that there were no signs of third-party intervention in the photo, the fairies were real.

It was only in 1978 that the illusionist James Randi noticed that the fairy figures were cut-out illustrations from the children’s book “Princess Marie’s Book of Gifts,” enlarged the photographs and saw the strings tied to the figures.

Crystal Skull

In 1927, during an expedition in South America, archaeologist Frederick Albert Mitchell-Hedger discovered a human skull skillfully carved from a single piece of crystal. Already in the 21st century, anthropologist of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Jane McLaren Walsh proved that Hedger's finds were made at the end of the 19th century by German jewelers.

Loch Ness monster

This famous photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was taken in 1933 by London physician R. Kenneth Wilson. The frame caused a stir among cryptozoologists and made Loch Ness a place of pilgrimage for mystery lovers from all over the world. However, 60 years later, two friends of the author of the photo admitted to the hoax. However, there is still a widespread theory that the lake is home to a plesiosaur, a reptile species that became extinct more than 65 million years ago, hidden in a sinkhole.

War of the Worlds

On October 30, 1938, the CBS radio station, together with the artists of the Mercury Theater, decided to stage H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds. The performance began without warning: interrupting the orchestra's performance, the announcer announced the news of the Martian attack on Earth, describing in detail the Martian spaceships.

About 6 million people listened to the production, and about 20% forgot about the upcoming Halloween and mistook the actors' performances for real news reports. The residents of the city of Concrete had it worst of all - at the climax, the local power plant went offline, and everyone was sure that this was the work of aliens. American confidence in radio was so damaged that when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, many considered the tragic news to be just another hoax.

Alien Autopsy (1947)

In 1995, Briton Ray Santilli reported that he had received from a former colonel a secret military video recording of the autopsy of an alien who landed at the Roswell base in 1947.

The veracity of the film was instantly disputed by the scientific community. However, Santelli did not admit to deception until 2006, and to all accusations of a hoax (in particular, that his film was modern) he replied that the original film was badly damaged, so he played it on a projector and recorded it on another video camera.

Tasaday tribe

The largest ethnographic scandal in history occurred in 1971. Then a series of publications spread across the largest scientific journals in the world about the discovery of a relict Tasaday tribe on the Philippine island of Minado, consisting of 26 people and completely cut off from the civilized world. Members of the community, it was reported in the materials, live in caves according to the laws of primitive communism, survive by gathering, wear loincloths and do not know what aggression is.

The line of researchers wanting to see the prehistoric tribe with their own eyes was huge, but the President of the Philippines, under penalty of death, forbade scientists from entering Tasaday territory without his knowledge. But when the government was overthrown in the country in 1986, a group of scientists from Switzerland decided to break the ban. Imagine their surprise when, instead of savages in skins, they saw completely modern Filipinos in jeans and T-shirts.

By the way, on the website you can test yourself for a predisposition to believe in unverified facts and myths.
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