---
title: "List of common misconceptions about science, technology, and mathematics"
chunk: 10/16
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions_about_science,_technology,_and_mathematics"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:28:18.528573+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

It is not true that more people have died from the COVID-19 vaccine than from COVID-19 itself. Severe adverse reactions from the vaccine are rare, and an "exceedingly small" number of deaths have been caused by the vaccine. Meanwhile, the death toll from the disease itself is in the millions.
Tuberculosis is not purely a disease of the lungs that has symptoms of coughing. It may instead infect a wide range of other organs in the body.
Cancer cannot be treated by restricting food intake and so supposedly "starving" tumors. Rather, the health of people with cancer is best served by maintaining a healthy diet.
The common cold and the common flu are caused by viruses, not exposure to cold temperatures. However, low temperatures may somewhat weaken the immune system, and someone already infected with a cold or influenza virus but showing no symptoms can become symptomatic after they are exposed to low temperatures. Viruses are more likely to spread during the winter for a variety of reasons such as dry air, less air circulation in homes, people spending more time indoors, and lower vitamin D levels in humans.
Antibiotics will not cure a cold; they treat bacterial diseases and are ineffectual against viruses. However, they are sometimes prescribed to prevent or treat secondary infections.
There is little to no evidence that any illnesses are curable through essential oils or aromatherapy, and fish oil has not been shown to cure dementia.
In those with the common cold, the color of the sputum or nasal secretion may vary from colorless to yellow to green and does not indicate the class of agent causing the infection. The color of the sputum is determined by immune cells fighting an infection in the nasal area.
Vitamin C does not prevent or treat the common cold, although it may have a protective effect during intense cold-weather exercise. If taken daily, it may slightly reduce the duration and severity of colds, but it has no effect if taken after the cold starts.
Supplements of the plant echinacea do not prevent or reduce the severity of colds as widely believed. A 2014 review of 24 different randomized controlled trials found echinacea supplements do not prevent colds, with most showing no benefit over placebo.
 Humans cannot catch warts from toads or other animals; the bumps on a toad are not warts. Warts on human skin are caused by human papillomavirus, which is known to affect only humans.
Cracking one's knuckles does not cause osteoarthritis.
In people with eczema, bathing does not dry the skin as long as a moisturizer is applied soon after. If moisturizer is not applied after bathing, then the evaporation of water from the skin can result in dryness.
There have never been any programs in the US that provide access to dialysis machines in exchange for pull tabs on beverage cans. This rumor has existed since at least the 1970s, and usually cites the National Kidney Foundation as the organization offering the program. The Foundation itself has denied the rumor, noting that dialysis machines are primarily funded by Medicare.
Rhinoceros horn in powdered form is not used as an aphrodisiac in traditional Chinese medicine as Cornu Rhinoceri Asiatici (犀角, xījiǎo, "rhinoceros horn"). It is prescribed for fevers and convulsions, a treatment not supported by evidence-based medicine.
Leprosy is not auto-degenerative as commonly supposed, meaning that it will not (on its own) cause body parts to be damaged or fall off. Leprosy causes rashes to form and may degrade cartilage and, if untreated, inflame tissue. In addition, leprosy is only mildly contagious, partly because 95% of those infected with the mycobacteria that cause leprosy do not develop the disease. Tzaraath, a Biblical disease that disfigures the skin, is often identified as leprosy, and may be the source of many myths about the disease.
Rust itself does not cause tetanus infection. The bacterium that causes tetanus thrives in low oxygen environments, including rust where the oxygen has combined with iron, so many people associate rust with tetanus. However, any puncture wound can introduce spores that cause a tetanus infection, not just rusty nails.
Quarantine has never been a standard procedure for those with severe combined immunodeficiency, despite the condition's popular nickname ("bubble boy syndrome") and its portrayal in films. A bone marrow transplant in the earliest months of life is the standard course of treatment. The exceptional case of David Vetter, who lived much of his life encased in a sterile environment because he would not receive a transplant until age 12, was an inspiration for the "bubble boy" trope.
Post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies does not require a painful series of injections into the abdomen with a long needle. Prior to the 1980s, the rabies vaccine did indeed require injection into the abdomen, but modern rabies vaccines are given as intramuscular injections into the deltoid muscle of the upper arm.
Statements in medication package inserts listing the frequency of side effects describe how often the effect occurs after taking a drug, but are not making any assertion that there is a causal connection between taking the drug and the occurrence of the side effect. In other words, what is being reported on is correlation, not necessarily causation.
There is no peer-reviewed scientific evidence that crystal healing has any effect beyond acting as a placebo.
There is a scientific consensus that currently available food derived from genetically modified crops poses no greater risk to human health than conventional food.
Reading in dim light causes eye strain rather than permanent damage to the eye.
Color blindness cannot be significantly alleviated by glasses or lenses. While there are lenses marketed towards the colorblind, their efficacy is doubted by professionals, and they do not enable wearers to see new colors.
A fever from infection does not cause brain damage by itself. The myth has been linked to the association between fevers and typically non-serious febrile seizures.
Tourette's syndrome is not predominantly characterised by the compulsive or frequent use of profanity or taboo words and phrases (coprolalia), as it is commonly misunderstood to be. Only approximately 10% of people with Tourette's exhibit coprolalia at all, and most Tourette's tics (which can be physical or verbal) often go unnoticed by casual observers.
The Hippocratic Oath does not begin, "First do no harm" (Primum non nocere), nor is the word "First" present in the original text. Physicians taking the Hippocratic Oath vow, however, to "abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm".