29
votes
3answers
1k views
Can acts of IP piracy be more beneficial than harmful?
There are several claims that piracy of Intellectual Property (IP) can help sales more than it hurts them.
For example, Edmund McMillan of Team Meat states in an interview at IGN:
McMillen ...
29
votes
6answers
12k views
Can the human eye distinguish frame rates above 60 Hz?
I know that frame-rates above 60fps all look the same to the human eye. Is that true? Why? If so, why do graphics cards boast anything higher than that?
29
votes
2answers
1k views
Do involuntary “microexpressions” betray liars?
I believe that it is Paul Ekman who is primarily responsible for suggesting that when people lie, their faces exhibit fleeting "microexpressions" that reveal their underlying beliefs. It would be a ...
29
votes
1answer
1k views
Is learning more difficult for older people?
My parents always say to me that they can't learn as well as me because it's more difficult and they forget things faster etc..
Maybe it seems logical, but for me it would be much more logical that, ...
29
votes
1answer
3k views
Can people read much faster than 400 words per minute?
While investigating the topic of speed reading for a school project, I came across this Slate article. The general idea ( which I encountered in most articles I read which discussed this topic ) would ...
29
votes
0answers
2k views
Are light-on-dark colour schemes for computer screens better for programmers?
There is somewhat general scientific agreement that in general case for reading, dark text on light background is more readable than light on dark.
In case of computer screens however, the studies ...
29
votes
1answer
11k views
Do certain kinds of alcoholic beverages get one more drunk? [closed]
For example, tequila is widely considered to get one drunk quickly (versus, say, whiskey or vodka). Yet, the percent of alcohol -- proof -- is almost the same (or greater for some whiskeys and ...
29
votes
1answer
2k views
What's the origin of kissing?
From COSMOS Magazine - Science of Smooching (2007):
Mystery still surrounds the motive for that very first kiss.
As anthropologist Helen Fisher, of Rutgers University in New Jersey, notes, ...
28
votes
4answers
5k views
Do men think about sex every 7 seconds?
I'm sure most of us have heard at least a variation of this myth. Unfortunately I failed to find the original source. Was there actually a study that claimed this?
A lot of the sites debunking this ...
28
votes
3answers
973 views
Can up to 70% of scientific studies not be reproduced?
I read and heard a lot about the Reproducibility Initiative recently, claiming that the data of many scientific studies cannot/was not/is not be reproduced.
“In the last year, problems in ...
28
votes
2answers
2k views
Did Bill Gates say 640k ought to be enough for everyone?
This is a quite famous quote:
640k ought to be enough for anybody.
Did Bill Gates say this?
28
votes
4answers
4k views
Do Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian kids?
My Arabian friend showed me this (NSFW) video of a child getting shot. He also gave me some links after a quick search:
The Independent: I watched an Israeli soldier shoot dead my two little girls
...
28
votes
3answers
5k views
Do 3 billion devices run Java?
I was installing Java today and this was shown in the installation. Is there anything that supports this claim?
28
votes
2answers
8k views
Can people feel somebody is watching them?
I think most of us is familiar with this feeling. You can tell someone (who stands behind your back) is staring at you without any physical evidence.
Is it possible or is it just a matter of ...
28
votes
1answer
44k views
Do pigs have 30 minute orgasms?
A widely circulated internet meme (see e.g. the oatmeal) states that pig orgasms can last up to 30 minutes.
I've been trying to find any source or reference to back up (or refute) this claim, but ...
28
votes
2answers
1k views
Are atheists barred from holding public office in Texas?
I saw the following claim in B3ta newsletter #574 (possibly NSFW), under "US Postal Service hates Atheists".
Awful, but then Atheists are not allowed to hold
public office in six US states, ...
28
votes
1answer
4k views
Does aloe vera help cure sunburn?
I'm on vacation and got sunburnt, so someone said I should go get Aloa Vera since that apparently helps. There seems to be a plethora of made-for-adsense-sites that claim the same.
...
28
votes
2answers
1k views
Is there a gold stockpile at “Fort Knox”?
I heard an interesting conspiracy theory recently with the basic idea that there isn't a gold stockpile at "Fort Knox" (anymore or ever). With the level of security so great there and reportedly few ...
28
votes
2answers
3k views
Is the increasing availability of high speed internet pornography reducing sex crime rates?
Some early studies show that the availability of pornography does not increase the rate of sex crimes.
Research on pornography has generally been of various types (Tovar, Elias, & Chang, ...
28
votes
2answers
12k views
Can you recharge non-rechargeable alkaline batteries?
There are conflicting reports of whether it is possible to safely recharge alkaline batteries (not lithium) that are not sold as rechargable. The packaging for batteries regularly has cautions ...
28
votes
1answer
3k views
Are certain days “better” than others to terminate employees?
As we all learned from Office Space, "studies have statistically shown that there's less chance of an incident if you do it at the end of the week."
I have also heard that Mondays are better, ...
28
votes
3answers
771 views
Were our ancestors segmented sleepers?
Historian A. Roger Ekirch contends that in ancient times, people naturally had two sleeping periods at night- the first starts shortly after sundown and ends in an short break, where people were ...
28
votes
1answer
2k views
Is mental exhaustion something real?
I can go from working hard on algorithmic programming a whole day, and feeling totally mentally exhausted, to playing chess. As far as I can understand, these two types of thinking should be strongly ...
28
votes
2answers
8k views
Are humans the only species to have homophobes?
Here's a quote that's being passed around:
Homosexuality is found in over 450 species. Homophobia is only found in one. Which one seems unnatural now?
With all the good intentions behind what's ...
28
votes
1answer
4k views
Did Christopher Columbus believe America was India?
Many of us might recall learning in school that when Christopher Columbus reached the New World, he believed that he had reached India. For that reason, Native Americans are often called Indians.
...
28
votes
2answers
1k views
Is stretching beneficial after exercise?
A quick internet search on stretching reveals that, if physiologists were a bit more belligerent, the question of whether or not to stretch after exercise is something actual wars could be fought ...
28
votes
1answer
861 views
Do murderers tend to return to the scene of the crime?
It is commonly heard that murderers (or other criminals) "always return to the scene of the crime".
Well, that's certainly false for all murderers. However, it is suggested that murderers do have a ...
27
votes
5answers
4k views
What is going to happen in 2012?
The Mayan calendar completes its 5,125 year cycle, on 21 December 2012. Is there any evidence they foresaw the end-of-the-world?
27
votes
9answers
3k views
Is race a discredited scientific concept in biology?
I've heard lots of people say things like "race doesn't exist" and "race has no biological meaning." On the other hand, I've heard lots of disagreements too, from scientific popularizers like Steven ...
27
votes
2answers
5k views
Does UNICEF use less than 14% of the donated money for the advertised causes?
I have heard claims from several people in relation to the occasional donation my wife or I make: that some charities have so much waste in their organization, or use so much money to market their ...
27
votes
3answers
2k views
Has India invaded any country in the last 10,000 years?
There is a common claim that India hasn't invaded any other country in the past 10,000 years.
It has been repeated in chain mails and various web-sites: Example, Example.
India never invaded any ...
27
votes
3answers
753 views
How dangerous is thiomersal (thimerosal)?
Some people blame the preservative thiomersal in vaccines for all kinds of illnesses, but mainly for autism. As thiomersal is a mercury compound, there is some plausibility in suspecting it may cause ...
27
votes
4answers
3k views
Is there any scientific support for psychoanalysis?
I listened to episode 140 of the The Psych Files podcast where the host, Michael Britt, tried to psychoanalyze Jack Lalanne and was left wondering whether there's any validity to it.
I am under the ...
27
votes
5answers
925 views
Is playing sport at your 'home ground' a benefit?
As Wikipedia puts it...
In team sports, the term home
advantage (also called home
field/court/diamond/ice advantage)
describes the advantage–usually a
psychological advantage–that the home
...
27
votes
2answers
2k views
Can cockroaches survive a nuclear war?
I am sure most people will have heard this claim in some form or another:
Cockroaches are so resilient that they will survive the nuclear holocaust.
source
Is this true?
27
votes
3answers
2k views
Has any cure come from embryonic stem cells?
The claim is made here that none have.
Of the 80 treatments and cures which have come about from stem cells,
all have come from adult stem cells – not embryonic ones.
27
votes
2answers
2k views
Shroud of Turin — is it absolutely and definitively debunked?
A little context on this famous myth:
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with ...
27
votes
2answers
4k views
Is the Daddy Long Legs spider the world's most venomous?
The claim is the Daddy Long Legs (Pholcus phalangioides) spider is the most venomous spider in the world, but that its fangs are too small to be able to penetrate human skin.
The wikipedia article ...
27
votes
2answers
6k views
Test for microwave leaks by putting a cell phone inside and calling it?
I heard as long ago as 2003 that trying to call a cell phone while it's inside a microwave (with the microwave off, of course) was a way to test if the shielding of the microwave was intact. I recall ...
27
votes
1answer
7k views
Does swatting/killing a bee cause the hive to attack?
I used to hear this all the time when I was growing up. Just ignore bees, don't swat at or try to kill them, because if they die, they'll send a "signal" to the hive that will attract dozens more. ...
27
votes
2answers
1k views
Has a programmer ever embezzled money by shaving fractions of a cent from many bank transactions?
There's a popular story that describes a programmer having altered a program at a bank so it diverted fractions of a cent from every transaction to another account (or some variation like multiple ...
27
votes
3answers
3k views
Does the brain use more energy during mental work?
There is the idea that mental work is tiring.
Does the brain as a whole need to consume more glucose and oxygen when we are "mentally active"?
27
votes
1answer
1k views
Spontaneous human combustion, is it possible?
An article from Ireland dated January, 2011 shows that spontaneous human combustion (SHC)remains a hot topic among paranormalists...
Spontaneous human combustion has been defined as:
Spontaneous ...
27
votes
1answer
1k views
Is it dangerous to throw a coin off a building?
A long time ago I had this discussion with some people if throwing a coin of a building is dangerous (potentially deadly) if it hits someone. The height of the building should be skyscraper-like so ...
27
votes
3answers
2k views
Does legalizing prostitution lead to an increase in human trafficking?
This is a common argument against the legalization of prostitution, and I'm curious if there's any truth to the claim that human trafficking actually increase when prostitution is made legal.
27
votes
2answers
1k views
Did the CIA sell drugs in the US?
According to Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Gary Webb in his controversial article series The Dark Alliance
For the better part of a decade, a San
Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons
of ...
27
votes
1answer
3k views
How does deja vu work?
If you've ever had that fleeting,
mysterious sense that something new --
a city or person you’re seeing for the
first time -- is somehow familiar,
that you’ve been there or known them
...
27
votes
1answer
2k views
Pornography and the male libido
Does watching pornography reduce or otherwise affect the desire of men to have actual sex?
This claim has been made by numerous people, including Naomi Wolf in The Porn Myth.
The broader claim is ...
27
votes
1answer
7k views
You have the right to one phone call when arrested - A Hollywood myth?
(Image Source)
According to Cracked.com the "one phone call" rule is a Hollywood invention. They base this on the information this attorney gives:
The one phone call is another one of
the ...
27
votes
1answer
8k views
Is watching television in the dark harmful to your eyes?
This is obviously related to a few answered questions already here, namely:
Does watching television damage the eyes?
Is it harmful to your eyes to read in dim light?
But the following question is ...
