Myth - Debunk It

Are Diamonds really rare and valuable? Diamonds are our most popular gemstone . That hasn’t always been the case. It was only in the last century that diamonds became readily available. Prior to that, rubies and sapphires were the most popular gems, especially for engagement rings. All gem grade materials are rare, composing just a tiny fraction of the earth. However, among gems, diamonds are actually the most common. If you doubt this ask yourself; “How many women do you know that do not own at least one diamond?” Now ask the same question about other gems. And the common belief that diamonds are inherently valuable? It’s just not true . In fact, reselling a diamond for top dollar isn’t all that easy. Once you leave the jewelry shop after buying a diamond, it loses 50% of its value. It’s what economists call a thin market. One diamond cartel, De Beers, has artificially driven up the price of diamonds for decades. A 1920s advertising campaign set a cultural ex...

Can the Great Wall of China really be seen from space? Stretching for some 4,500 miles, the ancient Chinese fortification is the mightiest work of man. Being this long and large, it should be visible from space right?  In 1932, a "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" cartoon called it “the only one that would be visible to the human eye from the moon,” This is not true. The reality is that you can’t easily see the Great Wall with the unaided eye, even from low Earth orbit. And certainly, the Apollo astronauts couldn’t see it from the Moon, even though that urban legend has been widely circulated. First of all, it's not the only object visible (although barely discernible) from Low Earth orbit distance. Human-built structures such as highways, airports, bridges, dams, and components of the Kennedy Space Center are also visible. Now, if we consider space to mean a distance greater than the Earth’s orbit, like from the Moon, the answer for ...

Is the Earth Round? This may seem like an unarguable fact. We all know from school that the earth isn’t flat. Copernicus first said this and Magellan proved it with his first round the world trip, but is it that round in reality? The shape of the earth is not round or spherical. It is much more precise to call the shape of the earth as geoid i.e., something similar to earth. It is because our planet is slightly widened at the equator and flattened at the poles and its surface is constantly changing due to the continuous motion of tectonic plates and erosion. So I have to disappoint you, the shape of the earth is pretty different from that of a football or a basketball as you might have imagined. It’s more like a big potato or an oddly shaped orange depending on your fantasy. Debunked! P.S. - If you have any urban legend or superstition that you are doubtful of, just comment it and I will try to debunk that.