What are some scientific misconceptions?

Answer 1

A very famous one, now set right, is the idea that the Earth is at the center of the universe, with all of the other planets, the Sun, and all the stars orbiting it. In a related vein, people used to believe that the Earth was flat, that living beings could be "spontaneously generated," and that almost any medical condition could be treated by bloodletting. (Note that modern medicine has found uses for blooletting and leeches, but they are very different from the Medieval practices.)

Specific individuals hold scientific misconceptions in the present day. For example, some people think that the phases of the Moon are caused by Earth's shadow, when in fact it's due to the illuminated side of the Moon facing away from the Earth; the Earth's shadow causes lunar eclipses, not lunar phases. There are people who think that gravity is generated by the Earth's rotation instead of by its mass or that the spin of a flushing toilet is governed by the hemisphere in which it is located. A particularly ironic misconception is that many people today believe that people in the Middle Ages widely believed the Earth to be Flat; in actuality, that misconception had been eradicated a millenium earlier. However, these types of misconceptions are due to a person's lack of scientific knowledge. They are not caused by misconceptions in the scientific community itself.

It's extremely likely that the modern scientific community holds misconceptions today, but they would necessarily be unknown at this time; such is the nature of misconceptions. For example, most scientists agree that there is no such thing as the Loch Ness Monster. If Nessie's existence is some day proven, then disbelief in her would subsequently be known to have been a misconception.

Answer 2

There are just millions of them, lets face it, almost everything we know our ancestors had wrong at some time. The earth is flat, "gods" affect the weather, but I imagine your talking about modern ones.

A periennial favorite is that water swirls right or left down a sink or toilet depending on which side of the earth your on i.e. top/bottom. How evolution works is commonly misunderstood. What vegetation is made of- ( it's air,water and sunshine, not stuff in the dirt- well maybe a little hehe). How about the egg balancing on equinox crap, that's a good one. One of my all time favorites and I think you would agree is the movie one where something explodes in space and you hear a big- Ka boomy thing- not possible of course.

The planets lining up will cause a earthquake, aka jesus is coming.

If all the chinese jumped up at once the earth would be thrown out of it's orbit.

Here's a odd one- Taking more than the two aspirin the bottle says is going to work better- somehow people think that if they take more they will get better relief-- not true.

Putting oil in your spaghetti water will prevent the noodles from sticking-- no no no- your throwing your oil down the drain- don't do that. !! If your noodles are sticking your a cheapo, buy good pasta and learn to cook!!

Last one for this little rant -- after you have eaten all that pasta, don't go buy a abb-roller or some thing with a wheel, or a ab- rocker- or handle thing that you twist or rock. those are garbage and you are being preyed upon by greedy companies- how about taking a walk around the block or hiking or something--

'course this last one is opinion.

Answer 3

Perhaps you should clarify. Are you talking about misconceptions ABOUT scientists or misconceptions BY scientists.
For instance, one misconception ABOUT scientists is that we're all geeks with no life. As for misconceptions BY scientists, that is a transitory state. You make a hypothesis, you test it, and if it turned out to be wrong, you rethink and restate your hypothesis. So there is a small period of time where it is a misconception, but it is short-lived, because scientists will try to resolve the misconception.

Answer 4

That airplanes fly because the wings have a certain shape, where the top-side is more rounded.
In fact airplanes fly just fine with symmetrical wings, or upside down.

That the atom looks like the solar system, with electrons orbiting the nucleus like planets around a star.

Both these misconceptions are taught in schools and textbooks.

Answer 5

One scientific misconception was that the sun was a planet that orbited the Earth. Another was that the human being was an embryo in the sperm of men that was implanted in women.

Answer 6

That the seasons are caused by the Earth getting closer to the sun.

That weight and mass are exactly the same thing.

That those things that look like giant mosquitoes are "Mosquito Eaters"

That there are Monogamous Animals.

That all of the sudden fish started walking and monkeys started walking on two legs.

That dinosaurs went extinct only ONCE

That daddy long legs are actually the most venomous spider in the world, but their fangs aren't sharp enough.

that hippos are slow.

That trees grow from molecules in the ground

Answer 7

Mmmm , misconceptions , I doubt.

Necessary blooper ,, necessary glitches ,, yes. Paradigms.

( 1.)
The Michealson-Morley's null result ,, which infers that light cannot travel in a straight line ,, and this by necessity. Regardless that the Doppler effect is FACT. The moment you use it to measure time , speed OR time-speed it has to fail by necessity.

( 2.)
There is only one quantum reality and it is in perfect continuum ,, but Humanity must have 2(TWO) quantum theories. The Bohr's which is the one we all study in schools worldwide , but never once observed to be true , and never once proven true ,, but throughly compliant with the Newtonian reality. And the highly improbable Einstein's which is so good , it has been proven to predict the then-unknown , several times over , but is throughly beyond explaination , and belief.

The one quantum reality and the continuum should be of one "quantum fact" , but this must elude us. There is no such thing as a quantum fact.

Answer 8

Since this is Astronomy and Space, two very common relevant ones are:

1. The phases of the moon are caused by the Earth's shadow.
2. The seasons are caused by the Earth being closer or farther from the Sun.

Answer 9

One of the greatest misconceptions of our lifetime is that Pluto is a planet!

Answer 10

There are MANY misconceptions about science, usually from people who do not understand it.

Example:

person1: I don't believe evolution because it says we came from monkeys and that's against god!!

person2: No, you idiot, evolution says we have a common ancestor, not that we came from monkeys.