Fact or Fiction 2: 50 (More) Popular Myths Explained

The editors of Scientific American’s best-selling eBook, "Fact or Fiction: Science Tackles 58 Popular Myths," return with "Fact or Fiction 2: 50 (More) Popular Myths Explained." In it, we cast an analytical eye on another collection of urban lore and cultural myths that persist so long in our collective consciousness they acquire a ring of truth. Who hasn’t heard the “5-second rule,” which insists that food dropped on the floor is safe to eat if it’s picked up within 5 seconds? How many of us have been told by well-meaning relatives or friends to “feed a cold, starve a fever?” Each article explores whether science can back up these and 48 other long-standing claims on a variety of topics including mind and brain, health and body, food, sustainability and more. In some cases, such as whether a “base tan” protects against sunburn or people swallow eight spiders a year while they sleep, the explanation is relatively brief. Others, including whether diets work or if divorce is bad for children, require a little more digging. Either way, the science behind our mythology is surprising, fascinating and – in the case of nocturnal spider-eating – reassuring.