Scientists share the most important facts they want you to know

Thanks to the internet, we now have access to much more information than we have ever had before, which means if we’re suddenly curious about how certain sea creatures live or what’s going on in space, we can turn to the web. But while reading articles on a site is great, what’s most special about the internet is our access to actual experts who are hands-on the field.

Inspired by this connectedness, Twitter user Dalton Ludwick posed a question on Twitter to help spread some knowledge straight from the sources. He asked, “If you could have the entire world know just one thing about your field of study, then what would it be?” From this, the hashtag #MyOneScienceTweet was born, and a number of scientists shared their favorite facts they wanted the world to know.

Here are some of our favorite facts:

1. Octopus Don’t Have Any Tentacles

They actually have arms, unlike squid and cuttlefish, which have two tentacles in addition to their eight arms.

2. Polar Bears Don’t Live In Antarctica

They actually live in the Arctic around the North Pole, while penguins reside in the Antarctic around the South Pole.

3. Humans Didn’t Evolve From Any Living Monkeys

We actually just share a common ancestor with modern apes, but that species diverged into two separate lineages. One ultimately evolved into gorillas and chimps, and the other evolved into early human ancestors called hominids.

4. Birds Can Have Regional Accents

Just like humans, birds from the town and the country can sound different from one another. Scientists say bird song in the city is at a higher pitch.

5. Being Cold Doesn’t Make You Sick

It’s an old wives tale that being cold makes you sick. The misconception occurs because people tend to get sicker in the winter due to increased exposure to viruses during this time.

You can see more fun scientific facts by viewing the #MyOneScienceTweet hashtag on Twitter!