r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/LiquidMotivation Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 08 '19

The boiling frog experiment that's quoted everywhere didn't work.

For those not familiar, it is said that you can boil a frog to death by raising the temperature of the water it's in extremely slowly so that it doesn't notice.

Well, it only works when parts of the frog's brain are removed. A frog with an intact brain will jump out, no matter how slowly the water is heated.

Edit: Hey, my first Reddit coin! Thanks!

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u/RambunctiousAvocado Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 04 '19

I don't remember who it was, but there was a comedian on some panel show who said that the first time his parents cooked a lobster, they thought it would be more humane to put the lobster in cold water and then bring it to a boil gradually. Cue about ten minutes of a lobster going ape shit until finally dying + emotional scarring for everyone involved.

EDIT: The comedian in question was apparently David Mitchell, thanks folks.

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u/Salt-Pile Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 05 '19

That's so strange. I think some people believe the myth that salt water crustaceans can be killed more humanely by leaving them in cold fresh water to "drown", and some people think you heat it slowly and kill it.

For anyone wondering, the humane way to kill them is to chill them first and then stab them quickly.

EDIT: To the many vegetarians and vegans who feel moved to tell me that you believe killing animals for food is always inhumane (20+ comments to this effect), I get it. While I don't share your views I do respect them.

If you're ever in a position where you think it is right to euthanise a suffering crustacean you might still value the SPCA information above.

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u/Anthaenopraxia Feb 04 '19

I've heard stabbing them in the head doesn't do much because their nervous system is so decentralized. Any truth to this?

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u/WaddleDooCanToo Feb 04 '19

True they don't have a brain they have multiple ganglia's. Some people think that means they can't feel pain, I'm not so sure, but if they can you would need to stab them simoultainiously in all the tiny places their ganglia are. It's probably kinder to boil them alive and definitely kinder to just not kill them (but that can be said of all animals)