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Lightning Often Strikes Twice: The 50 Biggest Misconceptions in Science
A revealing and entertaining guide through some of the biggest misconceptions in science that many of us still believe.
You may well be familiar with the fact that lightning, contrary to the popular saying, often strikes the same place twice. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what many of us wrongly believe about the way the world works. Whether it’s word of mouth, myths you’ve read about online, or misremembered facts from school , we’re bombarded by misconceptions about the science we come into contact with every day – this book will uncover the most popular myths to help you avoid contributing to the perpetuation of these misunderstandings.
Breaking it down into fifty of the most popular misconceptions in science , each chapter of this book will be headed up with a ‘fact’, followed by the real story, providing the science and theory that debunks the myth. From fears about the exponential growth of the human population to the embarrassment of always pointing out the north star as the brightest in the sky, this is the book to read if you want to separate the science fact from fiction .
You may well be familiar with the fact that lightning, contrary to the popular saying, often strikes the same place twice. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what many of us wrongly believe about the way the world works. Whether it’s word of mouth, myths you’ve read about online, or misremembered facts from school , we’re bombarded by misconceptions about the science we come into contact with every day – this book will uncover the most popular myths to help you avoid contributing to the perpetuation of these misunderstandings.
Breaking it down into fifty of the most popular misconceptions in science , each chapter of this book will be headed up with a ‘fact’, followed by the real story, providing the science and theory that debunks the myth. From fears about the exponential growth of the human population to the embarrassment of always pointing out the north star as the brightest in the sky, this is the book to read if you want to separate the science fact from fiction .
- GenresNonfictionScience
192 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2023
About the author
Brian Clegg
168 books3,246 followersBrian's latest books, Ten Billion Tomorrows and How Many Moons does the Earth Have are now available to pre-order. He has written a range of other science titles, including the bestselling Inflight Science, The God Effect, Before the Big Bang, A Brief History of Infinity, Build Your Own Time Machine and Dice World.
Along with appearances at the Royal Institution in London he has spoken at venues from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to Cheltenham Festival of Science, has contributed to radio and TV programmes, and is a popular speaker at schools. Brian is also editor of the successful www.popularscience.co.uk book review site and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Brian has Masters degrees from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences and from Lancaster University in Operational Research, a discipline originally developed during the Second World War to apply the power of mathematics to warfare. It has since been widely applied to problem solving and decision making in business.
Brian has also written regular columns, features and reviews for numerous publications, including Nature, The Guardian, PC Week, Computer Weekly, Personal Computer World, The Observer, Innovative Leader, Professional Manager, BBC History, Good Housekeeping and House Beautiful. His books have been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Thai and even Indonesian.
Along with appearances at the Royal Institution in London he has spoken at venues from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to Cheltenham Festival of Science, has contributed to radio and TV programmes, and is a popular speaker at schools. Brian is also editor of the successful www.popularscience.co.uk book review site and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Brian has Masters degrees from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences and from Lancaster University in Operational Research, a discipline originally developed during the Second World War to apply the power of mathematics to warfare. It has since been widely applied to problem solving and decision making in business.
Brian has also written regular columns, features and reviews for numerous publications, including Nature, The Guardian, PC Week, Computer Weekly, Personal Computer World, The Observer, Innovative Leader, Professional Manager, BBC History, Good Housekeeping and House Beautiful. His books have been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Thai and even Indonesian.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 24, 2025
Interesantă, dar se bazează prea mult pe teorii nefinalizate sau care nu au fost studiate suficient pentru a ajunge la o concluzie, iar asta m-a făcut să pun la îndoială unele din cele 50 de concepții.
August 28, 2024
Though I appreciate the purpose of the content- that is, pointing out misconceptions, describing their origins, and correcting them - the delivery of the content was nothing short of a buzzfeed article (e.g. "50 Things You Were Taught Wrong"). I could hardly make sense of what was being said through all the tangents, vague analogies, and awkward sequence of information. Simplicity has taken its toll, and the information was not conveyed in impactful manner. The only information from this book that may stick with me are the fact that the lightning strikes wherever and how many times it wants, and the fact that the phases of the moon is NOT caused by the Earth's shadow.
December 16, 2022
Considering that this is a four hour audiobook, each fact takes just under five minutes.
I do enjoy the these quick clearing up of common misconceptions - it’s not too heavy, making it easy to put down and pick up again.
Interesting fact: Your fingertips and toetips wrinkle after a long shower not because water went under your skin - it’s pretty much waterproof. It’s a response to increase fiction - If there’s nerve damage, the wrinkling doesn’t happen.
This book was published in July earlier this year.
I do enjoy the these quick clearing up of common misconceptions - it’s not too heavy, making it easy to put down and pick up again.
Interesting fact: Your fingertips and toetips wrinkle after a long shower not because water went under your skin - it’s pretty much waterproof. It’s a response to increase fiction - If there’s nerve damage, the wrinkling doesn’t happen.
This book was published in July earlier this year.
September 6, 2024
This is way more of a 'technically...' approach rather than things people actually believe that are wrong. Some were actual misconceptions but most felt like filler and would have been better served having maybe 10-20 instead of 50. Some areas of quantum mechanics piqued my interest, however, for a notoriously difficult area, the author spoke about it in a way which made it more complicated. Didn't appreciate that approach.
September 18, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyable read and topics right up my alley and hence the 5 stars rating. Things are explained fairly easily and enough hints to do your own research in case you want more details. Also clear call outs on where we still don't have answers. Specifically I want to know why the moon appears so close.
August 17, 2025
I already knew all this... it uses very simple language and doesn't explain anything in detail just briefly covers the basics
I picked it up because the cover and concept seemed interesting
my rating comes from me already knowing the information in this book and the author going on tangents a lot. it's just not for me
I picked it up because the cover and concept seemed interesting
my rating comes from me already knowing the information in this book and the author going on tangents a lot. it's just not for me
July 12, 2023
A pleasant book which had me raising my eyebrows often. Some of these misconceptions seem too good to be true. I'd really like to see the the literature for myself.
If these misconceptions are indeed proved true, we really must share the info and set the record straight!
If these misconceptions are indeed proved true, we really must share the info and set the record straight!
May 31, 2026
Despite rising to the level of my incompetence in science (A level), I retain an interest in scientific topics and I thought that this book was more or less at my level. I was not mistaken. I found it interesting and engaging. I wanted to keep reading and to discover more things of which I could say, ‘Not a lot of people know that’.
The trouble, however, with writing a popular science book with a title like this is that you end up scratching around to make your topics up to 50. Why not 47 or 38? As a result, some of these “biggest misconceptions” are a little feeble. Take the title. Despite the saying, surely people know that lightning can strike more than once in the same place? Any illusions I had about this were dispelled as a boy when reading in the Guinness Book of Records about a man who had been struck by lightning many times. Although, I suppose you could say that he moved around so it was never quite in the same place twice.
There are, as you would expect, 50 short chapters of 3-4 pages each, each chapter dealing with a different ‘big misconception’. How big, I wonder? True, some are things that you hear people say—you may have said them yourself—but they are not usually meant as statements of absolute fact but rather proverbial sayings that express a general perception. There are quite a few straw men here. Is there anyone who really thinks the phases of the moon are caused by the earth’s shadow?
Take chameleons. Apparently, only one species of chameleon changes colour to blend in with its background; most do it for other reasons (e.g. to warn their mates of danger). Does that make it a big misconception? Do people who say the referee is ‘as blind as a bat’ actually think bats are blind? Is it such a big misconception to think there are three states of matter (solid, liquid and vapour) when, despite science telling us of other states, that is how we perceive things? Speaking of senses, science tells us that there are more than five but our normal perception of the world does come in the five well-known ways. Do people really think the world’s population is growing ‘exponentially’, or are they just using the word ‘exponentially’ loosely, just as they do words like ‘literally’ and ‘absolutely’?
A good subtitle for the book would be, ‘Sayings and ideas that have made it into popular culture or expressions but aren’t necessarily literally or absolutely true and you may be surprised by some of them’. Having said that, it is interesting to read such things as:
• why a coin dropped from the top of the Empire State Building would be very unlikely to kill anyone it hit in the street below
• that cockroaches can withstand up to 10 times the dose of radiation humans can survive
• why the nobility are said to have blue blood (though I cannot believe anyone thinks blood is red because of the iron in it)
Despite these quibbles, the book is an interesting eye-opener on a number of subjects. It may even save you from embarrassing yourself by passing on popular ideas that are plainly wrong. Yes, I was told in school science and I have told others that glass is a very viscous liquid. Apparently, it isn’t.
The trouble, however, with writing a popular science book with a title like this is that you end up scratching around to make your topics up to 50. Why not 47 or 38? As a result, some of these “biggest misconceptions” are a little feeble. Take the title. Despite the saying, surely people know that lightning can strike more than once in the same place? Any illusions I had about this were dispelled as a boy when reading in the Guinness Book of Records about a man who had been struck by lightning many times. Although, I suppose you could say that he moved around so it was never quite in the same place twice.
There are, as you would expect, 50 short chapters of 3-4 pages each, each chapter dealing with a different ‘big misconception’. How big, I wonder? True, some are things that you hear people say—you may have said them yourself—but they are not usually meant as statements of absolute fact but rather proverbial sayings that express a general perception. There are quite a few straw men here. Is there anyone who really thinks the phases of the moon are caused by the earth’s shadow?
Take chameleons. Apparently, only one species of chameleon changes colour to blend in with its background; most do it for other reasons (e.g. to warn their mates of danger). Does that make it a big misconception? Do people who say the referee is ‘as blind as a bat’ actually think bats are blind? Is it such a big misconception to think there are three states of matter (solid, liquid and vapour) when, despite science telling us of other states, that is how we perceive things? Speaking of senses, science tells us that there are more than five but our normal perception of the world does come in the five well-known ways. Do people really think the world’s population is growing ‘exponentially’, or are they just using the word ‘exponentially’ loosely, just as they do words like ‘literally’ and ‘absolutely’?
A good subtitle for the book would be, ‘Sayings and ideas that have made it into popular culture or expressions but aren’t necessarily literally or absolutely true and you may be surprised by some of them’. Having said that, it is interesting to read such things as:
• why a coin dropped from the top of the Empire State Building would be very unlikely to kill anyone it hit in the street below
• that cockroaches can withstand up to 10 times the dose of radiation humans can survive
• why the nobility are said to have blue blood (though I cannot believe anyone thinks blood is red because of the iron in it)
Despite these quibbles, the book is an interesting eye-opener on a number of subjects. It may even save you from embarrassing yourself by passing on popular ideas that are plainly wrong. Yes, I was told in school science and I have told others that glass is a very viscous liquid. Apparently, it isn’t.
September 23, 2022
absolutely devastated to learn that i have more than 5 senses mere days before becoming a legal adult
the short sharp chapters were actually really fun to give little snapshots of 50 science myths
the short sharp chapters were actually really fun to give little snapshots of 50 science myths
April 7, 2023
Enjoyable. Clegg is a terrific science communicator.
April 26, 2023
Easy, light read. Interesting and informative.
May 18, 2023
An interesting read, easy to read as each chapter is only 4-5 pages.
March 17, 2024
La plupart des faits présentés sont intéressants, mais il manque de détails et de références à mon avis. Livre idéal à lire avant le dodo!
September 18, 2025
3⭐️/5⭐️
♡ O carte scurtă, fiecare capitol descrie o situație "predată greșit" sau rămasă greșit în amintirea colectivă. Unele sunt simple, altele puțin surprinzătoare. Toate sunt explicate în câteva pagini, plus scheme, unde e cazul. (O recomand celor de gimnaziu, interesați de fizică.)
♡ Number of pages: 207 pages, Kindle edition
♡ Read: 13th August 2025
♡ O carte scurtă, fiecare capitol descrie o situație "predată greșit" sau rămasă greșit în amintirea colectivă. Unele sunt simple, altele puțin surprinzătoare. Toate sunt explicate în câteva pagini, plus scheme, unde e cazul. (O recomand celor de gimnaziu, interesați de fizică.)
♡ Number of pages: 207 pages, Kindle edition
♡ Read: 13th August 2025
March 2, 2023
This was a fun easy one with lots of interesting facts.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews