MYTH: Chewing gum takes seven years to digest.
FACT: “[Gum] probably passes through slower than most foodstuffs, but eventually the normal housekeeping waves in the digestive tract will sort of push it through,” pediatric gastroenterologist David Milov said in a Scientific American article.
FACT: The surface area of your lungs is almost the size of a tennis court, according to the National Emphysema Foundation.
MYTH: You can’t sneeze with your eyes open.
FACT: According to the MythBusters (one of which is an IU alum!), “the nose and eyes are linked by cranial nerves, so the stimulation from the sneeze travels up one nerve to the brain, then down another nerve to the eyelids, triggering a blink for most people.”
FACT: You are more likely to get a cramp if you swim 30 minutes to an hour after eating, according to How Stuff Works.
MYTH: Cracking your knuckles gives you arthritis.
FACT: An article from Harvard Health Publications wrote that the ‘pop’ heard is “caused by bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid—the fluid that helps lubricate joints.”
