Myth: Sushi is raw fish.
Fact: Technically, sushi isn’t fish at all. The Name of this Japanese dish refers to the vinegared rice, which often is topped with raw seafood. But many other foods can top the sushi, too–vegetables, eggs, or cooked meat of any variety–and it will still be called sushi.
Myth: As the saying goes: "Beer before liquor never sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear."
Fact: There is no scientific basis to this aphorism. Besides, it’s not the order in which you drink the alcoholic beverages that makes you sick; it’s the amount you drink.
Myth: Every human is connected to every other human by "six degrees of separation."
Fact: The concept is based on a 1967 study by Yale psychologist, Stanly Milgram. His subjects, found via newspaper ads in the Midwest, were asked to locate complete strangers by sending letters to their own friends, asking if they knew the stranger. If they didn’t, the friends were asked to send the letters along to their friends, and so on, until one of the initial letters reached the stranger. It took an average of six steps, or "six degrees," leading to the pop culture phrase.
It turns out the research was flawed. A 2002 follow-up study by psychologist Judith Kleinfeld of the University of Alaska found that Milgram’s original subjects were "particularly sociable" and, in truth, only about 30% of the strangers were found. Not only that, the average degrees of separation was nine, not six. Kleinfeld’s conclusion: We don’t live in a "small world," as Milgram suggested–it’s more like a "Lumpy oatmeal" world, in which a very few people are well connected, but most are not.
Myth: Urinating on a Jellyfish sting will ease the pain.
Fact: While experts agree that running saltwater over a sting is better than freshwater (which will actually make it hurt more), just because urine contains salt doesn’t mean it helps. Why not? The concentration isn’t nearly high enough. The best cure: Time. The pain from the sting will subside in about 24 hours.
