04/05/2025

ON SUNDAY MAY 4, 2025 theSunday Special VIII Half truths, misquotes & other myths we love to repeat I N today’s age of social media and instant in formation, myths and misinformation spread like wildfire, shaping beliefs and influencing decisions. But what if everything you thought you NQHZ ZDV ZURQJ" /HW¶V VHW WKH UHFRUG VWUDLJKW RQ ¿YH widely believed myths. MYTH: Humans evolved from apes or gorillas and then magically became humans and that is not how evolution works. Instead, humans and modern apes (like chimpanzees, gorillas and RUDQJXWDQV DOO EUDQFKHG R̆ IURP D QRZ H[WLQFW common ancestor millions of years ago. Think of it like a family tree. Humans and chimpanzees are like cousins, not parent and child. We both evolved along separate paths from the same “great-great-grandparent species.” ans and mans and QFW of it e like d along dparent

TRUTH: Humans and modern apes share a common ancestor, but did not evolve from the apes The phrase “humans evolved from apes” is misleading. It makes it sound like we used to be chimpanzees MYTH: A chicken can live without its head TRUTH: A headless chicken may survive for a few moments, but not functionally or for long This myth exploded after a famous 1940s case of “Mike the Headless Chicken”, who reportedly lived for 18 months DIWHU KLV KHDG ZDV FXW R̆ +RZHYHU WKH WUXWK LV D VPDOO part of Mike’s brainstem was still intact, allowing basic UHÀH[HV 3HRSOH WRRN WKLV DV SURRI WKDW FKLFNHQV FRXOG “live without thinking” and the story became a strange piece of biological folklore. Evidence: Neuroscience shows that brainstems can control basic reflexes like breathing or balance, but conscious life, decision-making and function require the ZKROH EUDLQ 0LNH ZDV D UDUH ÀXNH QRW WKH QRUP

Evidence: Fossils like Australopithecus afarensis (e.g. Lucy) and DNA comparisons support that humans have been evolving on their own unique path for about 6 to 7 million years. nsis ans have ut 6 to 7

MYTH: Ginger-haired people are going extinct TRUTH: Ginger or red hair is rare, but it is not disappearing, just recessive Red hair is caused by a recessive variant of the gene MC1R, which means you need two copies of it to be a redhead. Red hair alleles are currently found at a much higher concentration in some northern and western European populations. The idea that redheads are going extinct has been circulating for years, fuelled by tabloid headlines and online “science” memes. The myth plays into the drama of the dying breed and uniqueness, which makes it sticky. Red hair is caused by a recessive gene, indicating both parents must carry it for a child to have red hair. Evidence: It is not vanishing, just less likely to appear when the gene is not paired. In multicultural societies like Malaysia, red hair is already rare, but that does not mean it is gone. The gene can “hide” in people’s DNA and reappear generations later.

MYTH: MSG is bad for your health TRUTH: MSG is safe for most people and not inherently harmful Monosodium glutamate (MSG) became controversial in the 1960s after a letter in a medical journal coined the term “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” describing symptoms like headaches or fatigue after eating Chinese food. This sparked decades of suspicion, rooted in xenophobia and food racism. MSG is a common source RI WKH VDYRXU\ µXPDPL¶ ÀDYRXU LQ PDQ\ IRRGV VXFK DV tomatoes, soy sauce and parmesan cheese. It is used as a ÀDYRXU HQKDQFHU E\ WKH IRRG LQGXVWU\ EXW FODLPV DERXW 06*¶V QHJDWLYH KHDOWK H̆ HFWV KDYH EHHQ DURXQG IRU D ZKLOH ZLWK VXSSRVHG LOO H̆ HFWV UDQJLQJ IURP KHDGDFKHV to cancer. Evidence: MSG has been studied extensively in 2007 by a team at the University of Hohenheim that examined all the research on MSG and concluded that unusually high doses are not harmful. It has also been conclusively established that MSG makes things taste more delicious. MYTH: Dropping a penny from the Empire State Building can kill someone TRUTH: A falling penny might sting, but it will not kill or seriously injure anyone This myth lives on in classrooms, cartoons and trivia games. The idea is that a penny dropped from the (PSLUH 6WDWH %XLOGLQJ¶V QG ÀRRU PHWUHV could gather enough speed to become a lethal missile. Some versions claim it could “drill through your

VNXOO ´ %XW LQ UHDOLW\ LW LV SXUH SK\VLFV ¿FWLRQ 3 ennies DUH WRR VPDOO OLJKW DQG ÀDW WR JDLQ GHDGO\ VSHHG $LU UHVLVWDQFH TXLFNO\ VORZV WKHP GRZQ DQG WKH\ ÀXWWHU like leaves, not bullets. Evidence: 3 hysicists and MythBusters tested it with a penny, reaching terminal velocity (top falling speed) of about 40 to 50 mph. It might bruise you or get lost in someone’s hair, but it will not kill.