Urban legends debunked-Food

Like I said in a previous post, most people I know get a kick out of reading urban legends. These are essentially rumors that are generally harmless but seem to get passed back and forth over and over again despite efforts to disprove them. Sometimes they make sense-like the one about finding things in Halloween candy-, but others are just plain silly. Here are a few of the more believable urban legends I've found and the truth behind them.



UL-Coke used to contain cocaine.
This is true to a point. The drink we now call "Coca-Cola" did have trace amounts of cocaine, but that was because it was marketed at a time when many medicines (which was Coke's initial purpose) contained cocaine. This was in 1885, long before any harmful effects of the drug were discovered. The company changed the syrup's formula several times before they were able to completely remove the cocaine, but even the trace amounts that were in there before weren't strong enough to do any harm.


UL-Apple seeds are harmful because they contain cyanide.
Again, this is true to a point. There is a small amount of a cyanide compound in the pits of some kinds of fruit, but it doesn't pose any danger. Not only would you have to break through the extremely-hard shells of the seeds to get to the poison, you would have to eat a *lot* of them to have any harmful effects. It's similar to the sugar-in-the-gas-tank rumor-it's *possible* to cause harm, but you'd have to use completely unrealistic amounts for anything to happen.
Peach pits, on the other hand, do contain a potentially-harmful amount of poison, but it's highly unlikely anyone is going to accidentally swallow one.



UL-When it comes to dietary supplements and weight loss products, “natural” and "herbal" mean "safe".
Not necessarily. Perhaps they might not be as bad about this as "artificial" pills, they can still interact negatively with other medicines you're taking. For example, my husband can't have anything with grapefruit because of the interaction with his heart medicine. Grapefruit is natural. Also, some people are sensitive to caffeine, which is something a lot of supplements have. You would need to read the back of the bottle and do your homework for an herbal medicine just as you would an “artificial” one.
Plus, herbal supplements aren't evaluated by the FDA for safety *or* effectiveness. That alone should give you pause.



UL-Coke is so acidic it can eat corrosion off of a car battery,
I've had to do this several times, albeit only on a small amount of corrosion. Soda can be effective in *loosening* corrosion so you can knock it off piece by piece, but it does not "eat through it".  The loosening happens because of the *carbonation*, not the acidic content. Perrier or any other “sparkling” beverage will do the same thing,

What sorts of “urban legends” have you heard? Are they scary, funny or just plain odd?

Urban Legends Debunked-Animals

The popularity of sites like Snopes and shows like Mythbusters can both attest to the fact that people like to hear about urban legends. These "facts" are usually harmless stories that go around and are fun to hear, even if they're proven false. In this series, I'm going to go over a category of urban legends I've heard and the truth behind them. This particular installment involves our four- or more-legged friends.


UL-Bulls are angered by the color red.
Fact-Bulls, like many other animals, are colorblind. Yes, bulls do get upset when the matador in a bullfight waves a red cape but it's the waving motion that bothers them, not the color.


UL-Turkeys are so stupid that they watch the rain for so long that they drown.
Fact-Not true. Sure, they might be as dumb as bricks, but they don't look up at the rain until they drown. Believe it or not, they actually *can't* look up like that because they don't have what is called "binocular vision"-that is, they can't focus both eyes on the same thing because their eyes are on the sides of their heads rather than the front. Even if they could focus, they really could care less if it rains. They'll just run from it, not watch it.


UL-A dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's.
Fact-There's no scientific proof for this, so it's up to you whether or not you want Fido to lick your kids. I didn't like having my roommate's dog lick me, but that's because he would eat out of the cat box.


UL-Milk and cream are really good for cats.
Fact- Cats are lactose-intolerant. They may love the taste of your yogurt and perhaps the occasional nip is fine, but dairy products are generally not good for cats.


UL-Female praying mantises always decapitate the males they mate with.
Fact: As much fun as it is to watch men wince when they hear this, it's not entirely true. They do sometimes eat the male for extra protein (?), but not always. Feel free to keep teasing your boyfriend, though; it helps keep them in line!

UL-Birds don't like the smell of humans and will reject eggs or baby birds who have it.

Fact- This isn't true. If you see a small bird on the ground, it's probably there because it is trying to learn to fly. She's won't starve because her parents are watching and feeding her. It's best to avoid handling birds unless you find one that is hurt or sick.

If a bird were to abandon her nest for a few days after human contact, it would be because she sees that the eggs have been moved and is afraid of an intruder, not because of the smell.

If you want to read more urban legends and “de-bunking”, visit http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/wild.asp.