# Obvious things that Scientists Once Said Aren't True that Are True Again **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2007, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-that-scientists-once-said-arent-true-that-are-true-again/395346 "2007-03-10T03:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2007, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-that-scientists-once-said-arent-true-that-are-true-again/395346/41 "2007-03-30T12:47:18Z")
[QUOTE=CairoCarol] In the past, I believe medical professionals said there was no link between excessive reading (or other close-up work) and myopia. Now I think they like to bandy about a study showing that law students usually have worse eyesight when they graduate than when they enter, presumably due to all the reading needed to complete a law degree. [/QUOTE] Post hoc ergo propter hoc. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-that-scientists-once-said-arent-true-that-are-true-again/395346/42 "2007-03-30T18:38:12Z")
Intelligent design has made a comeback. It was evolution for the longest time, but of course, that’s _only_ a theory. The sticker on my published and peer-reviewed textbooks says so. Besides the second law of thermodynamics says the earth would break down unless there was some outside source of energy. That energy obviously couldn’t come from anything but an intelligent designer (who also designed bananas)! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-that-scientists-once-said-arent-true-that-are-true-again/395346/43 "2007-03-30T18:41:41Z")
[QUOTE=Lil’ Slugger] You may have missed Carl Sagan and other scientists making flat assertions that it _would_ happen, contrary to this thread’s erroneous argument that “scientists almost never speak in absolutes”. Whether nuclear winter actually occurred (or failed to occur) stands as immaterial. [/QUOTE] Did you miss the word “almost” in that quote? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-that-scientists-once-said-arent-true-that-are-true-again/395346/44 "2007-03-30T22:46:21Z")
> [@](#): > > It has plenty of friends. It has ceased to be the least and coldest of planets and is now the oldest, best known and second largest (for now) Kuiper Object. There are far far more Kuiper objects then planets and by default it is their leader. Yeah, like it’s gonna be accepted back after putting on airs and going to the Planet parties for 60 years. As far as the OP. There is the How do airplanes fly bit. When you are in first grade they tell ya that it obvously flys just like your hand does when stuck out of a care window. Then by 5th grade they say that is wrong, and it’s all airfoil and Bernoulli effect to cause lift. Then by college it’s back to deflected air, just like a hand out of a car window. And don’t forget glass. Originally a solid, then a quirky liguid, now back to a liquidy-solid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-that-scientists-once-said-arent-true-that-are-true-again/395346.md?page=2)