Eight things you think are true – but science scoffs at

The five-second rule won't save you from germs and the blue whale isn't actually the earth's largest living organism

From star signs to homeopathy, humans believe in strange things. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, the incoming president of the Royal Society, recently described us as being "intrinsically prone to being irrational". He pointed out that science has a role in countering this, which got me thinking about the common myths that persist, in spite of scientific evidence telling us otherwise. While not quite in the same league as astrology and homeopathy - two bugbears of Venki and scientists the world over - I hope this odd collection of not-so-conventional wisdom will at least right some small wrongs.