MISCONCEPTIONS

5 Misconceptions About the Arctic

Both the Arctic and Antarctica are cold and icy, but that’s basically where the similarities end.

11 Misconceptions About Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and More

Hearing NFTs explained as “non-fungible tokens” only makes sense if you already know what ‘fungible’ means.

Time to get the facts straight on this fact of life.

9 Misconceptions About Menstruation

Should you be worried about animal attacks when you’re menstruating?

There’s a lot people get wrong about the Central Intelligence Agency.

7 Misconceptions About the CIA

Yes, you can have a Facebook page and still join the CIA.

5 Misconceptions About Antarctica

Misconception No. 4 : It snows a lot.

6 Misconceptions About Cooking

Don’t believe everything your parents taught you about navigating the kitchen.

6 Misconceptions About the Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail had 4 to 10 percent death rate, which is lower than you might assume if you’ve played the computer game.

Leaving a phone to charge all day long? Probably best to avoid it.

You’re Probably Charging Your Phone Wrong

Discover the truth behind some of the biggest smartphone battery myths, like whether charging your phone fully—or overnight—is actually as bad as some tech experts suggest.

Don't believe everything you've been told about lightning.

Wild Misconceptions About Weather

From the color of snow to the shape of rainbows, weather breeds a lot of misconceptions.

Gen Z isn’t as tech-savvy as you might assume.

7 Misconceptions About Gen Z

Think members of Gen Z are lazy slacktivists? Think again.

Our closest evolutionary cousin, the chimpanzee.

7 Misconceptions About Evolution

‘Survival of the fittest’ is Darwin 101. But did you know that Charles Darwin didn’t actually coin that phrase? Let’s explore some common myths and misconceptions about evolution.

Stenciled human hands in a cave near Rio Pinturas, Argentina, dating from the last ice age.

5 Misconceptions About Early Humans

We break down some common myths about our early human ancestors—and what makes our species, ‘Homo sapiens,’ so different from them.

'The Warm Hand' by Jean Francois Bosio, 1817.

Misconceptions About the Regency Era

When exactly was the Regency era, anyway? Find out that and more in this episode of Misconceptions.

6 Misconceptions About Ancient Greece

Those famous white statues weren’t originally white—and that’s just one myth about Ancient Greece we’re covering in the latest episode of Misconceptions.

Misconceptions About Famous Cities

From London to Beijing, you may not know as much as you think about these world-class cities.

Dodos were more agile than most people think.

Dodos May Have Been Fast and Strong, Contradicting Stereotypes

What you think you know about the dodo bird is probably wrong.

A replica of Paleolithic cave drawings of deer, horses, and aurochs, dating to 15,000 BCE, from Lascaux cave in France.

7 Misconceptions About the Stone Age

The Stone Age timeline encompasses a huge chunk of prehistory—and life wasn’t only about hunting and gathering.

8 Misconceptions About Africa

Stereotypes about the diverse continent abound.

One Misconception About 64 Different Animals

Let’s debunk a few dozen popular myths about familiar animals, including squeamish elephants, laugh-loving hyenas, and sweaty pigs.

The Olympics have bred numerous misconceptions over the years.

7 Misconceptions About Olympic Sports

Divers shower after every dive for a surprising reason.

Someone tell this architect that he isn't actually required to draw. / Hinterhaus Productions / Getty

1 Misconception About 50 Professions

Most people only work a handful of different jobs in their lifetime, which means they might get their knowledge of other careers from TV and movies. That opens the door to a lot of misconceptions about a lot of different professions.

Not every woman in the 1950s was a happy housewife.

10 Misconceptions About the 1950s

The ‘50s weren't all nuclear families with white picket fences and questionable Jell-O recipes.

4 Misconceptions About Congress

Do members of Congress get free health insurance? And do they all live in Washington, D.C.? We’re tackling those questions and more in the latest episode of Misconceptions.

7 Common Misconceptions About OCD

Having an intrusive thought doesn’t mean you have OCD. Let’s break down some myths about obsessive compulsive disorder.