2000s
39 entries
Things people believed and taught during the 2000s
The decade that got us terrified of microwaves, mobile-phone brain tumours, and gluten despite not having a coeliac diagnosis. Atkins won, then carbs won back. The Pluto demotion happened in 2006. We learned the food pyramid had been industry-influenced. We learned five-second rule physics didn't survive contact with a microbiologist. Online life expanded into every gap. Forwards from your aunt were the misinformation engine of the era. They mostly went unchallenged because nobody had time to correct them.
Putting a Wet Phone in Rice Fixes Water Damage
Rice is ineffective and can leave starch dust inside, worsening damage; proper drying is critical
The 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by the U.S. government
Multiple investigations confirm terrorist attack; controlled demolition lacks evidence
The Flu Vaccine Gives You the Flu
The vaccine contains inactivated virus and cannot cause influenza infection
Theranos' Proprietary Blood Tests Were Not as Revolutionary as Claimed
The company and CEO Elizabeth Holmes perpetuated fraudulent claims about technology capabilities
The Great Barrier Reef Is Completely Dead
The reef is severely damaged but remains very much alive with active coral ecosystems
Incognito/Private Browsing Makes You Anonymous Online
Private modes only hide browsing history from local devices; ISPs, websites, and networks still track you
The Internet Is a Series of Tubes
Senator Ted Stevens' 2006 gaffe was technically garbled but captured packet-routing's spatial distribution reality
Marilyn Monroe Was a Size 16 (Modern Equivalent)
Monroe was around a size 8-10, not a modern size 12-14
Most people are sensitive to gluten or have gluten intolerance
Only about 1% have celiac disease; non-celiac gluten sensitivity is rare and debated
Red wine is heart-healthy due to resveratrol
Resveratrol amounts in wine are tiny; any benefit is offset by alcohol risks
Mentos in stomach causes violent explosion
Mentos effect requires specific beverage and scale; harmless in stomach
Pluto was unfairly demoted from planet status
Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet based on updated astronomical criteria
Too Many Vaccines Overwhelm a Child's Immune System
The immune system handles thousands of antigens daily; vaccines use a tiny fraction
Natural Immunity Is Always Better Than Vaccine Immunity
Natural immunity requires infection (with disease risk); vaccine immunity is safer and often comparable or superior
Vaccines Cause the Disease They're Meant to Prevent
Inactivated and mRNA vaccines cannot cause disease; live vaccines can cause rare reactions, but serious disease is vanishingly rare
HPV Vaccine Promotes Promiscuity
Large studies show no behaviour change; vaccine prevents cervical cancer in multiple populations
Herd Immunity Can Be Achieved Without Vaccination
Natural herd immunity requires massive disease burden and mortality; vaccination achieves immunity with negligible risk
Vaccines Contain Fetal Tissue From Aborted Babies
Vaccines use cell lines derived decades ago; no aborted tissue in final product
Unvaccinated Children Are Healthier
Vaccinated children have fewer infections and hospitalizations; unvaccinated face preventable disease burden
More Megapixels = Better Photos
Sensor size, lens quality, and computational photography matter more than raw pixel count
Closing Background Apps Saves Phone Battery
Force-closing apps forces the OS to relaunch them from scratch, consuming more power than suspension
Leaving Your Laptop Plugged In Ruins the Battery
Modern laptops have battery management that stops charging at 100%; continuous trickle-charging doesn't degrade batteries
Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer
WHO classifies RF as 'possibly carcinogenic,' but decades of epidemiology show no causal link
Charging Your Phone Overnight Permanently Damages the Battery
Modern phones halt charging at 100%; continuous trickle-charging produces minimal degradation
Bitcoin Is Completely Anonymous
Bitcoin is pseudonymous with a public ledger; all transactions are traceable and linkable to identities
Wifi Is Slowly Cooking Your Brain
Wifi is non-ionising radio at about a thousandth of the power of the sun on your face
Penguins have knees and can walk on land
True fact often circulated as a surprising discovery
WiFi routers emit dangerous radiation causing illness
WiFi uses non-ionizing radiation at safe levels
Video games shrink your brain
Some studies show structural changes; causation and harm unclear
Aluminum in Vaccines Is Toxic
Vaccine aluminum levels are tiny and quickly excreted; dietary aluminum exposure is 100x higher
Airport X-Rays Damage Digital Photos and Files
X-rays don't affect solid-state memory; SSDs and memory cards are immune to ionizing radiation at airport levels
You Should Defragment Your SSD Regularly
Defragmentation harms SSDs by causing unnecessary write cycles; modern file systems and TRIM handle optimization
Clearing Cookies Makes Your Computer Faster
Cookies are tiny text files; clearing them frees negligible storage and doesn't affect performance
WiFi Causes Cancer and Health Problems
WiFi operates at 2.4 GHz non-ionizing frequency; no epidemiological evidence supports health claims
Humans are 75% water instead of 60%
Body water percentage varies by age, fat content, and individual
Hot chocolate and blood type compatibility is real
Blood type affects transfusions, not beverage tolerance
Blind people develop superhuman echolocation abilities
Some blind people develop modest echolocation; it's skill, not superhuman power
Hwang Woo-suk's Human Embryonic Stem Cell Breakthrough Was Fraudulent
The 2004-2005 fraud involved fabricated cloning data and image manipulation
Jan Hendrik Schön's Bell Labs Physics Discoveries Were Fabricated
16 papers retracted; spectacular claims of superconductivity and organic semiconductors were fraudulent