Scientific discoveries are being made all the time, and things that may once have been thought of as fanciful have now been proven to be real. Although debate still rages about things like whether the Earth is flat or round and whether the moon landings happened, there are some things that science has proven beyond doubt, but some people still won’t believe.
An online community discusses scientific findings that still split public opinion and have those who refuse to accept.
1. Cold Weather Doesn’t Cause a Cold
How often do you hear people advising you not to go outside in the winter because you’ll catch a cold? It’s a long-held belief that cold weather causes colds.
There are many reasons why viruses, such as the common cold, spread more easily in the winter, but the actual temperature isn’t one of them.
2. MSG is Safe
For a long time, the food additive MSG was believed to be harmful. Although excessive consumption—as with many delicious things!—can be bad for overall health, science has proved that the odd bit of flavor here and there is unlikely to harm anyone.
The substance exists naturally in some foods, such as tomatoes and cheese, but some people still avoid MSG as though it’s toxic.
3. Vaccines Don’t Lead to Autism
Despite science proving that there are zero links between childhood vaccines and autism, unfortunately, many people still refuse to vaccinate their kids because of one phony study. Now, thousands of children are exposed to unnecessary harm because one, now thoroughly discredited, greedy guy wanted to profit from his own vaccine.
4. Vaccines Are Beneficial
As one internet user points out, “There are really people who somehow believe that vaccines don’t work despite them being around since ~1796 and completely eradicating diseases … from existence.” Vaccines are a hot topic, even more so since the Covid-19 pandemic.
5. Mental Health Issues Are Real
Although a wide range of mental health conditions exist, many people still prefer the tough love approach of telling sufferers to simply snap out of whatever condition they have. Science has also proved that psychosomatic issues are real, connecting physical and mental well-being, but some people see such problems as fake.
6. Jesus Wasn’t Caucasian
Whether an individual is a devout Christian, follows another religion, or doesn’t have any strong spiritual beliefs, there’s an overwhelming number of people who refuse to accept that Jesus Christ wasn’t White.
If Jesus existed (which is a whole different debate), he was born in the present-day Middle East, which would almost certainly mean he had darker skin.
7. Evolution Is Real
As per one forum commentator on the topic of evolution, “No theory has EVER been proven more correct with so much freaking evidence, but yet here we are.” Many internet users are amazed at how many refuse to accept that humans evolved from apes, which evolved from other creatures.
8. Gender Variance is Natural
An array of factors can cause gender variance in diverse species, including humans. Some species can even change their gender at will! Despite bodies of research and scientific discussions, many people refuse to sway from long-held ideas of men being men and women being women, with no room for divergence.
9. Intersex People Exist
As with gender variance, many people deny the existence of intersex humans, people born with a variety of both male and female traits. Estimates believe that around 5.6 million Americans are intersex, though many don’t know themselves.
10. Homosexuality Is Not a Choice
Science shows that sexuality isn’t typically a choice, and homosexuality is certainly not a disease. On the contrary, sexuality has largely already been determined when a person is born.
As one net user points out regarding the idea that people can choose their sexuality, “You’d think that – in countries where being gay would get you executed or simply killed – the people there would simply choose not to be gay.”
11. Climate Change Is Real
Even when faced with an overwhelming body of evidence to the contrary, many people will still argue black and blue that climate change is all made up.
Furthermore, many who believe it’s a real issue have been conditioned into believing that it is because of individual actions rather than large-scale industry and corporations.
12. Frogs Jump Out of Hot Water
Many still use the myth of a frog staying in hot water until it slowly boils to death as an analogy for people remaining in gradually deteriorating conditions until they are not strong enough to break free.
However, the frog wouldn’t remain in the pot—it would hop out as the water started getting too hot.
13. There’s No Alpha Wolf
The Alpha Wolf Theory is commonly touted as an example of male dominance and survival of the fittest, yet the person who first put forward the theory has invested lots of energy trying to undo their mistake and tell people it’s incorrect. There’s no scientific evidence for this claim, but many people still consider it valid.
14. Birth Control Doesn’t Ruin Fertility
While it can cause unpleasant side effects for some women, hormonal birth control doesn’t damage fertility. Sadly, there are still many people who would rather risk an unwanted pregnancy than use preventative measures.
15. Spanking is Wrong
Many parents believe spanking their children is an effective way of teaching them right from wrong. It’s pretty common to hear adults describing how their parents spanked them in their youth, and it did them no harm, thus advocating for hitting their children.
However, as one internet user clearly explains, “Despite literally every medical association, agency, civil and professional organization all endorsing the body of study, you will still have people passionately argue that spanking is a great way to parent.”
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Andrew Herrig is a finance expert and money nerd and the founder of Wealthy Nickel, where he writes about personal finance, side hustles, and entrepreneurship. As an avid real estate investor and owner of multiple businesses, he has a passion for helping others build wealth and shares his own family’s journey on his blog.
Andrew holds a Masters of Science in Economics from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has worked as a financial analyst and accountant in many aspects of the financial world.
Andrew’s expert financial advice has been featured on CNBC, Entrepreneur, Fox News, GOBankingRates, MSN, and more.