1. Humans only use 10% of their brain.

Debunking – This is a widespread myth that suggests most of the human brain is unused. In reality, modern neuroscience has shown that different areas of the brain are active at different times depending on the task being performed. Neuroimaging studies demonstrate that nearly all parts of the brain are active at some point during the day, and damage to even a small part of the brain can have significant effects on cognition and behaviour.

2. A person’s blood is blue inside their body until it is exposed to oxygen.

Debunking – Blood is always red, whether it’s inside or outside the body. The myth that deoxygenated blood is blue likely stems from the appearance of veins under the skin, which can appear bluish due to the way light interacts with tissues. Blood that lacks oxygen is darker red and not blue.

3. The belief that humans evolved from chimpanzees.

Debunking – Humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor from several million years ago, but humans did not evolve directly from chimpanzees. Instead, both species evolved along separate evolutionary paths from this common ancestor. Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing approximately 98% of our DNA, but they are not our direct ancestors

4. The belief that hair & fingernails continue to grow after death

Debunking – After death, the skin begins to dry and shrink, which can create the appearance of hair and fingernail growth. In reality, there is no biological process that continues to stimulate hair and nail growth after a person has died. The perception of growth is an illusion caused by changes in the surrounding tissues.

5. The idea that people can sweat out toxins from their bodies during exercise.

Debunking – Sweating is primarily a mechanism for regulating body temperature by dissipating heat through evaporation. While sweating can eliminate small amounts of metabolic waste products like urea and lactate, it does not effectively remove toxins that have accumulated in the body. The liver and kidneys play essential roles in detoxification by processing and eliminating toxins through urine and feces

Also read- Introducing biology: scope and branches