Rumor Flies

We got the sauce

Rumor Flies comically addresses the origins, evolution, and veracity of your favorite rumors, myths, and misconceptions. Tune in for more research, stories, and unsolicited commentary! Participation encouraged.

Filtering by Tag: urban legends podcast

705 - Animals: Insect-anity

Episode Link

Are insects animals?
http://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1995/5/95.05.08.x.html
https://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ythfacts/4h/unit1/intro.htm

Bees die after stinging/venom can keep injecting after stinger separates
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2015/11/16/how-and-why-honey-bees-make-the-ultimate-sacrifice-when-they-sting-you/#710ab64a6346
https://www.terminix.com/blog/science-nature/do-bees-die-after-stinging/
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2001/loveridge/index-page8.html

Ultrasonic Devices and Insects
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_pest_control
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2001/05/ftc-warns-manufacturers-and-retailers-ultrasonic-pest-control

Mosquitos and HIV Transmission
https://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/viruses101/why_cant_mosquitos_transmit_hiv
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/outdoor/mosquito-borne/default.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/if-a-used-needle-can-tran/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10554479
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/aids.htm

Black Widows
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrodectus
https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-05-06/size-matters-black-widow-spider-sexual-cannibalism
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/animals-spiders-black-widows-cannibals/

Grasshoppers turn into Locusts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locust
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/a-brain-chemical-changes-locusts-from-harmless-grasshoppers-to-swarming-pests
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-grasshoppers-go-bibl/

704 - Space: Black Holes Singin'

702 - Food: Honey, I Micro-dosed the Kids

606 - Body: Concussed

604 - Weather: NOAA's Ark

Episode link

"Lightning never strikes twice"
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/empire-state-building-lightning_us_5796c452e4b02d5d5ed2ab59
https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/faq/
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/0107lightning.html
https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/does-lightning-never-strike-same-spot-twice.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_strike

"No two snowflakes are alike"
https://sciencenotes.org/no-two-snowflakes-alike/
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/23/science/who-ever-said-no-two-snowflakes-were-alike.html
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/no-two-snowflakes-alike/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/10/no-two-snowflakes-alike-video_n_4569491.html
https://prezi.com/krnmfvyxdx1i/snowflake-project/

Heat lightning is a phenomenon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_lightning
https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/faq/

“Swamp gas” existence
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2005/08/swamp-gas-mystery-solved
http://www.actforlibraries.org/how-and-why-swamp-gas-is-formed/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkEV1i_stD4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh_gas

Opening your windows during a tornado/green clouds mean a tornado incoming
https://www.wunderground.com/resources/severe/tornado_myths.asp
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/top-five-tornado-myths-debunke/61918
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/watorsaf.htm 
https://news.wisc.edu/curiosities-why-does-the-sky-turn-green-before-a-tornado-2/

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602 - Survival: Nuclear Myths

Episode Link
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Air and water polluted/toxic
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects14.shtml
http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p912.htm
https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/science-behind-atom-bomb
https://www.mirion.com/introduction-to-radiation-safety/types-of-ionizing-radiation/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nuclear-bombs-made-it-possible-to-carbon-date-human-tissue-20074710/

Nuclear Winter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter
https://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-winter2.htm

Alcohol protects from radiation poisoning
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691512007508
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0027510705002848
http://www.ntanet.net/myth-or-fact-will-alcohol-help-protect-against-radiation

Twinkies never spoil
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/forever-twinkies/
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/07/09/200465360/the-science-of-twinkies-how-do-they-last-so-long

Cockroaches & Cher
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/cockroaches-survive-nuclear-explosion/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/49752/could-cockroaches-really-survive-nuclear-war

Mutated animals
https://chernobylguide.com/chernobyl_mutations/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INAlUGn0RYg

Ted Taylor lit a cigarette with a nuclear explosion
http://awesci.com/nuclear-bomb-cigarette-lighter/
https://books.google.com/books?id=xitabHpRPQEC&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&dq=ted+taylor+lit+cigarette+atomic+bomb&source=bl&ots=p0LU5_SGWD&sig=yKeUsAudRl_7vWN89N0cRSBhQZk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiu2pjp4MLbAhUGHqwKHXzuAU4Q6AEIZDAM#v=onepage&q=ted%20taylor%20lit%20cigarette%20atomic%20bomb&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=-1KEClJx4EsC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=ted+taylor+lit+cigarette+atomic+bomb&source=bl&ots=7gjHKUNZDK&sig=Ti84Qj9o16DwfR5WXOn1_VDl1Ss&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiu2pjp4MLbAhUGHqwKHXzuAU4Q6AEIZzAN#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/us/theodore-taylor-a-designer-of-abombs-who-turned-against-them-dies-at-79.html

510 - Remedies: The Old Fashioned Way