# Darwin was wrong about the human appendix and theories proven wrong ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 8, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885 "2019-09-08T17:11:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/61 "2019-09-10T03:51:18Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Wikipedia has a whole page on [color of water](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_of_water), with a section specifically on [color of lakes and oceans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_of_water#Color_of_lakes_and_oceans), which backs me up on this. It also discusses the reflection of the sky as being one component of it. If you look at the surface of water at greater than the critical angle (I forget the exact number but around 48 degrees for water), most of the light you see will be a direct reflection of the sky. The greater the angle, the more the light will be reflected. That Wiki section shows this in both pictures, even the first one which ostensibly “manifest[s] water’s inherent blue color.” Almost all the light in that first picture is reflected. You can tell this because the color of the sky changes from being light near the horizon to darker blue higher up. The water color is lighter near the horizon to darker lower down. Furthermore, the sky has some higher clouds on the left making that part lighter and this is reflected in the water color, being lighter on the lower left. So if you’re on a body of water and you look out over the water, the color is going to be mainly a reflection of the sky. If you look down, the color will be that of the water or impurities within it. If there’s significant waves, you’ll get a mix of the two depending on the exact angle, which of course will be constantly changing. (In fact that second picture has more waves, so the water doesn’t reflect the sky as well as the first one.) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/62 "2019-09-10T04:05:19Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > If you look at the surface of water at greater than the critical angle (I forget the exact number but around 48 degrees for water), most of the light you see will be a direct reflection of the sky. Critical angle is where [total internal reflection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_internal_reflection) happens. But that only happens when you are inside a denser (larger index of refraction) medium looking at a boundary with a less dense medium - e.g. you are underwater, looking up at the surface. It doesn’t happen when you are above the air, looking into water. Reflectivity of water surface (i.e. looking at the water from air) does [depend on incident angle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Water_reflectivity.jpg), but it’s less than 50% until you are ~85 degrees from normal (i.e. your line of sight is at ~5 degree angle relative to the water surface). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/63 "2019-09-10T06:18:30Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > The still pervasive belief that being out in the cold causes ‘a cold’. > > (and ninja’d by Nemo on ulcers) A cold is caused by contracting a respiratory virus. But cold weather can lower your immune system’s ability to fight infection, and make you more susceptible to contracting a virus. Therefore the advice to stay warm in order to protect yourself from catching a cold is still valid, even if the reasoning behind it is not. > **[Influenza Virus Transmission Is Dependent on Relative Humidity and Temperature](https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.0030151)** > > Author SummaryIn temperate regions influenza epidemics recur with marked seasonality: in the northern hemisphere the influenza season spans November to March, while in the southern hemisphere epidemics last from May until September. Although... ---
**Author:** ![EdelweissPirate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@EdelweissPirate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdelweissPirate)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/64 "2019-09-10T06:35:08Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Do I have a cite, no sorry. I see. > [@OldGuy](#): > > I don’t see how the transmitted light could have anything to do with the blue color we see except under water as I noted. I gather you’ve never been to the Caribbean. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/65 "2019-09-10T16:10:37Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > It’s still not a case of a scientific theory being wrong. Just one science teacher (or one book) being wrong. Agreed (and acknowledged when I first raised it in this thread). I think it was a fairly common falsehood in the 60s and 70s, though) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/66 "2019-09-10T16:12:31Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Do I have a cite, no sorry. But when you’re looking at a lake or ocean from above, you aren’t seeing the transmitted light. The light source is from above the water surface so the transmitted light stays below the surface. I don’t see how the transmitted light could have anything to do with the blue color we see except under water as I noted. If the transmitted light stayed below the surface, the ocean would appear black. If you can see anything at all when it’s underwater, it’s because some of that transmitted light is being reflected back up (and is undergoing transmission again on the way back up) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/67 "2019-09-10T16:22:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > . . .But cold weather can lower your immune system’s ability to fight infection, and make you more susceptible to contracting a virus. . . . . I don’t think this has ever been proven. If it were the case, we should see an uptick in all kinds of illnesses during colder months–and we just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/68 "2019-09-10T17:44:05Z")
Dinosaurs became extinct (probably a direct result of that meteor that slammed down in the Yucatan) clearing the way for mammals to evolve. Mammals did not cause the extinction. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/69 "2019-09-10T17:51:15Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > Also, water is blue in indoor swimming pools with no natural light. It might be worth pointing out that copper sulphate (which is very blue) is added to swimming pools to control algae. A bit of _googlage_ gives a dose of 2 ounces for a 10,000 gallon pool. How much that would affect the colour of the water? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/70 "2019-09-10T18:20:49Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I don’t think this has ever been proven. If it were the case, we should see an uptick in all kinds of illnesses during colder months–and we just don’t. [Cold season.](https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/qa/what-is-cold-season-in-the-united-states) [Flu season.](https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/qa/when-is-flu-season) And thanks to anti-vaxxers, measles season, etc. is back. This should not be new information to people. The issues are the factors involved: weather, school in session, people around people more, etc. The belief that cold weather and such doesn’t encourage colds has been challenged quite a bit in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/71 "2019-09-10T18:33:58Z")
> [@EarlGrayHot](#): > > Dinosaurs became extinct (probably a direct result of that meteor that slammed down in the Yucatan) clearing the way for mammals to evolve. Mammals did not cause the extinction. I’ve never heard anyone claim that mammals caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, and in any case, mammals had already evolved by the event; the removal of dinosaurs allowed mammals to spread, diversify, and dominate. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/72 "2019-09-10T18:50:03Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > [Cold season.](https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/qa/what-is-cold-season-in-the-united-states) > > [Flu season.](https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/qa/when-is-flu-season) > > And thanks to anti-vaxxers, measles season, etc. is back. > > This should not be new information to people. > > The issues are the factors involved: weather, school in session, people around people more, etc. The belief that cold weather and such doesn’t encourage colds has been challenged quite a bit in recent years. Thanks for the response. . . Now where in that does it support the point that cold weather depresses the immune system, and where does it show the spike in all other the diseases that you would expect with a depressed immune system ? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/73 "2019-09-10T19:06:53Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > A cold is caused by contracting a respiratory virus. > > But cold weather can lower your immune system’s ability to fight infection, and make you more susceptible to contracting a virus. Therefore the advice to stay warm in order to protect yourself from catching a cold is still valid, even if the reasoning behind it is not. > [Influenza Virus Transmission Is Dependent on Relative Humidity and Temperature](https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.0030151) It (the cold) also causes more people to congregate indoors, making spreading said virus much easier. So - being cold does not cause you to catch a cold - but it does make you more susceptible to doing so. and no amount of “dressing warm” will change that. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/74 "2019-09-10T19:47:07Z")
Isn’t it also the case that the cold and dry air in winter dries out the mucous membranes which reduces their effectiveness in filtering out airborne diseases? It’s not exactly reducing the immune system’s ability to fight infection, but reducing the pre-screening effectiveness of the upper respiratory system. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885/75 "2019-09-10T22:06:36Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I’ve never heard anyone claim that mammals caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, and in any case, mammals had already evolved by the event; the removal of dinosaurs allowed mammals to spread, diversify, and dominate. In the past it was sometimes suggested that mammals could have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs by eating their eggs, or even by competition. (In fact, my first dinosaur book, Roy Chapman Andrews’ _All About Dinosaurs_ (1953), makes these suggestions as a couple among several causes, and the chapter on the extinction is headed by an illustration of couple of ratlike mammals eating a clutch of dinosaur eggs.) And the idea was common in popular culture: > [@](#): > > You know Tyrannosaurus Rex was destroyed before > By a furry little ball that crawled along > The primeval jungle floor > He stole the eggs of the dinosaur > … > We are egg snatchers - > Flashin’ sunshine children > Diamond thieves [Mau Mau (Amerikon)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Squ_pgiztRI), _Jefferson Starship_ (1970) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/darwin-was-wrong-about-the-human-appendix-and-theories-proven-wrong/839885.md?page=3)