Science myths!

Over a decade into the 21st century, science has developed with unfathomable pace and has continued to find answers for things small and large and finally at the doorstep of the reasons behind the start of the universe. However, as much as science has advanced, there have been incessant misunderstandings or misconceptions about the conclusions that the scientists come up with. Here goes a list of some science myths that demands a clarification.

1. Brain cells can't regenerate.

Fact is that brain cells can actually regenerate. This myth is so common that this tale was told even in science communities. It was earlier believed that the growth of the brain would be hampered by new cell growth, but as a matter of fact, the learning and the memory centre of the brain can actually create new brain cells. This is the basis of the cure for diseases like Alzheimer's.

2. Lightening never hits the same place twice.

It can and it is very common. Remember this when you are attempting to dodge a lightening bolt by running to a place where it already hit once. Without a doubt, higher objects are favoured over the others until the lightening moves enough to find a new target.

3. There is no gravity in space.

There is lots of gravity in space. Reason why we see the astronauts flying around in the spaceship is because they are orbiting the Earth. They are falling towards the Earth but moving sufficiently sideways to miss it. Gravity exists almost everywhere. When a shuttle reaches the height of over 350 kilometers, its gravity is reduced by only 10%.

4. We use only 10% of our brain.

If this were true, why a damage in any part of the brains leads to cognitive or sensory impairment? While one  is doing nothing, maybe this is true but in an entire day, humans use their brain pretty much to the fullest.

5. Going out in chilly weather leads to cold.

The cold is caused by viruses of the respiratory system and they do not appear in the body only because one forgot to wear a muffler or a jacket. Most of the times one catches cold by coming in contact with someone who already has cold.

6. Big Bang Theory explains how the universe was created.

Fact is that the Big Bang theory extrapolates from our observations about the present universe that the early universe underwent a massive, rapid expansion that has continued to this day. Some people have interpreted the data to postulate that time, space, matter and energy had a beginning in the finite past, but the central value of the Big Bang theory is the explanation of the early expansion of the universe -- not how the universe came into being.

7. Antibiotics kill viruses.

Firstly antibiotics are to kill bacteria, not viruses and secondly virus cannot be killed since it is not alive to begin with.

8. Bats are blind.

Bats have eyes and can very much see. However they rely on their senses of hearing more than seeing. In fact, they use a hyper-advanced sound-based system called echolocation to fly during the darkest of the nights and hunt for prey.

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What is an Aurora?

Every second, 1 million tonnes of matter is blasted from the surface of the Sun, which travel at the velocity of a stupendous 1 million miles per hour. These matters travel in every direction and also Earth. At such a velocity, this army of matter is on a mission to collide our planet Earth. But this is not something we need to worry about, because this give rise to one of the most beautiful phenomenons of planet Earth- the Northern Lights, also called as the Auroras.

These lights are formed at the Northern and the Southern poles and named as Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis respectively. These are formed when the army of high-energy particles collide with the neutral atoms of the Earth's atmosphere. This collision brings to life a picturesque phenomenon, which mankind has marveled at for centuries.

Let us learn this concept in three phases-

1. Energy emitted from sun

The pressure on the sun is so enormous, that the hydrogen atoms start combining to form Helium atoms. The energy in form of heat thus released in this process is radiated outward in form of huge arrays called the convection cells. These electrical currents of charged cells create magnetic field inside the sun. Sometimes this magnetic field push themselves out of the surface of the sun and they slow down the flow of the hot gas at those points, causing a cool down resulting in dark spots on the surface of the sun.

This electrically charged gas is called as plasma. Plasma drags the magnetic field further outwards. The magnetic field then stretches and bends like a rubber band. The rubber band then breaks and millions of tonnes of plasma is hurled out of the sun. This is called the solar storm. The speed of this solar storm is so magnificent that it takes only 18 hours to reach the Earth.

 2. A hindrance at the Earth's magnetic field

When the solar storm reaches the Earth, an invisible magnetic field deflects the solar storm. The outer surface of the Earth's magnetic field breaks down and are pushed backward to the other side of the Earth where they are coupled together. The high energy gas then goes through the line of the magnetic field and reaches the daylight side of the poles. This magnetic field couple again at the other side of the Earth, couple together and break down like a twisted rubber band. This will bring down the high energy gas along the lines of the magnetic field to the night-time pole of the Earth. These arrivals of high energy gas at the day-time and night-time poles cause Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis respectively.

3. Colour of the Aurora

The sun radiates all visible colors, which is why sunlight appears white. The spectrum of visible light associated with the aurora is much more restricted. The aurora is caused by charged particles in the solar wind colliding with atmospheric atoms and ions. The collisions cause the electrons of the atmospheric atoms to become excited. As the electrons return to their original energy levels, these atoms emit visible light of distinct wavelengths, to create the colors of the display we see.
The color of the aurora depends on the wavelength of the light emitted. This is determined by the specific atmospheric gas and its electrical state, and the energy of the particle that hits the atmospheric gas. The atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, which emit the characteristic colors of their respective line spectra. Atomic oxygen is responsible for the two main colors of green (wavelength of 557.7 nm) and red (630.0 nm). Nitrogen causes blue and deep red hues.

This is the spectrum of colors emitted by the various atoms in earth’s outer atmosphere.

Most of the auroral features are greenish-yellow, but sometimes the tall rays will turn red at their tops and along their lower edges. On rare occasions, sunlight will hit the top part of the auroral rays to create a faint blue color. On very rare occasions (once every 10 years or so) the aurora can be a deep blood red color from top to bottom. Pink hues may also be seen in the lower area of the aurora. In addition to producing light, the energetic auroral collisions transmit heat. The heat is dissipated by infrared radiation, or transported away by strong winds in the upper atmosphere.

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