You sink in quicksand
A 2005 study published in the journal Nature found that people can’t totally sink in quicksand. We actually float in it, because we’re not dense enough to sink in the mixture of sand, clay and salt water. Even if someone struggles and wiggles like we’re told not to do, the most a person will sink is probably waist deep. At that point, if they just wait patiently for the quicksand to settle, they should be able to start floating out.
Pulling out a knife is better than leaving it inside you
If you get impaled by any object — we sincerely hope you don’t — you should leave it in and call for help. Emergency medicine physician from the University of Chicago Medical Centre, Dr David Beiser has said, “It may be plugging a hole in an artery or vein and as soon as you take it out, you could bleed to death.”
If you run out of water in the desert, you can drink from a cactus
People may tell you that if you’re stranded and dehydrated in the desert, you should try to open a cactus for water. First of all, that is not water, okay, it’s more juicy cactus pulp. Second, that juicy cactus pulp contains a lot of toxic alkaloids which can make a person vomit or have diarrhoea, which will only make people more dehydrated.
An umbrella will slow a big fall
It will not. In fact, in 2013, pro-skier, Erik Roner tried to skydive with just an umbrella (well, and like, a backup parachute). It may have slowed him down a little bit at first, but within a few seconds, the umbrella flipped up, making it completely useless.
There are no tornadoes in winter
Not true! Tornadoes are possible any month or season. In fact, in 2008, there was a notable tornado outbreak on February 5 and 6 in the southern United States. Actually, tornadoes can be even deadlier in the wintertime because they typically move faster.
If an elevator is falling, jumping will save your life
People say that if you're caught in a falling elevator, jumping at the exact moment of impact might save you, but this doesn’t really work, okay? You need to have a very impressive reaction time, and even still, you could only reduce the speed of your impact by about 2 to 3 miles per hour. You’d also need to jump faster than the elevator was falling, which would be pretty tough, considering falling elevators tend to hit the ground at about 50mph.
Suck the poison out of a snakebite to save your life
Emergency room physician at University of Maryland School of Medicine, Robert A. Barish claimed, “Evidence suggests that cutting and sucking, or applying a tourniquet or ice does nothing to help a victim. Although these outdated measures are still widely accepted by the general public, they may do more harm than good by delaying prompt medical care, contaminating the wound, or by damaging nerves and blood vessels.”
Play dead during a bear attack
According to experts, how to act during a bear attack depends whether the bear is being predatory or defensive. Grizzly bears tend to attack when they’re being defensive. So, it’s best to play dead, because that shows the bear you’re not a threat. Black bears usually attack in a predatory way. In this case, playing dead doesn’t do much. If you have food, drop it and back away slowly. If the bear keeps coming, get aggressive, scream and be loud. Just get out of there.
www.mentalfloss.com
