Fact or Fiction?

Today's offering is something I thought was neat! Most kids are told myths as they are growing up either to alter an undesirable behavior or maybe the adult quoting the myth didn't know they were incorrect. One that I heard thousands of times when people popped their knuckles was they would pay for that when they got older. That myth was the subject of multiple studies and no link was found to arthritis,however it may reduce your grip strength. Next is the one about fish (goldfish in particular) having extremely short memories (I think I heard 3 seconds),in truth not only can fish be trained,they can retain what they learn up to 5 months. Then there was the one about swallowing chewing gum and that it would never leave your body. In reality it won't be with you for more than a week. Nails and hair continue to grow after death,false again,they decay just like the rest of the body,but the skin recedes making them appear to be longer. In cold weather you will lose 40-45% of your body heat through your head if you aren't wearing a hat,the fact is the percentage of heat lost is only about 10%. The good old 5 second rule (10 seconds in some homes) for food dropped on the floor still being safe to eat,nope once it hits the floor consider it history. I saved my favorite myth for last...a duck's quack doesn't echo,it actually does but not very well,since they aren't found in echoy areas.