SC 200 is deigned to make us non-majors better consumers of science so that we gain an appreciation for the scientific process and are able to intelligently consider the many scientific claims that will be made in our lifetimes. Essentially, we are here to learn to not blindly believe what anybody tell us! In the spirit of being better informed science consumers, I felt it would be an interesting idea to discuss and debunk three common and prevailing scientific misconceptions so that we can call stop believing them!

Seasons are caused by distance to the sun

The idea that it is hotter in the summer because that is when the Earth is nearest the sun is completely false. In fact, we are actually further from the sun in the summer than we are in the winter. The correct explanation for the seasonal weather changes that we experience annually is related to the 23 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis. In the northern hemisphere, we are more directly hit by the sun’s rays that we are during the winter when were are tilted slightly away from the. The southern hemisphere experience this in opposite fashion. Source

One human year equals seven dog years. 

There is no question that humans tend to outlive their 4 legged best friends by quite a good many years, but to simplify the lifespan to the common 1:7 ratio is misleading and incorrect. There are two main reasons for this. First of all, dogs develop at different (faster) rates than humans do. The first year of a dogs life can more closely be defined as 15 human years. While the last few years of a dog’s life are about 4 in terms of aging. The second reason to drop this myth from your mind is because of the rather larger variance in the lifespan’s of different size dog breeds. For example, living longer than 15 years is much more of a feat for large dogs (labs, etc.) than it is for small ones that weigh less than 20 pounds. Source

There is no gravity in space

Just because one does not necessarily “fall” in space as they would on Earth does not mean that there is no gravity. In fact, there is gravity everywhere in space and the force can act upon objects insanely far away. Gravity binds the Earth to the Sun and even keeps every star in the galaxy revolving around the supermassive black hole in the center of it. Gravity is a relatively weak force when compared to the likes of electromagnetism and nuclear energy, but it is everywhere. This article sums it up nicely.

There are many more misconceptions to be discussed, but most are a bit more outrageous or obvious that these. I wanted to pick a few that many college-aged people such ourselves tend to  actually believe in hopes that they we can let go of them. These three are a good start!