From coffee to hyenas: The 5 most popular questions on Metafact
Hello everyone,
With thousands of questions answered by our verified expert community of researchers, professors and doctors - I thought you’d like to know the questions that are the most google searched on Metafact.
QUESTION #1:
Is drinking 1/2 bottle of wine each night harmful to health?
EXPERT CONSENSUS: 100% Yes via 4 experts in alcohol use
Drinking heavily increases the risk of serious illnesses such as cancers and liver disease, as well as injuries. The degree of risk varies according to specific diseases. While the individual risk may be small, in a population of 1000 people, there would be a significant increase in the rates of different diseases and injuries compared to drinking less or none at all.
Read what the experts say here.
QUESTION #2:
Is 400mg of caffeine a day a safe threshold?
EXPERT CONSENSUS: 100% Yes from 6 experts
The European Food Safety Authority has concluded that for the general population, 400 mg per day is the safe limit for caffeine intake. For others, the maximal dosage advised in one sitting is 200 mg (2 cups coffee) and 3 mg/kg for adolescents and children. Pregnant and nursing women should not exceed 200 mg daily.
Read what the experts say here.
QUESTION #3:
Does IQ decrease with age?
EXPERT CONSENSUS: Uncertain via 5 Intelligence experts
Approximately 67 percent of intelligence is influenced by genetic factors and 10-12 percent is influenced by early life factors. These factors generally do not change, so most of our intelligence does not decline with age. However, negative environmental stimuli and serious diseases can cause decrease in intelligence.
Intelligence is usually measured by a set of tests. Your intelligence will be the average of your scores compared to how well other people do, and as you age, different skills change at different rates. Generally, cognitive skills relying on crystalized knowledge increase or are resistant until late sixties; however, speed can decline. Overall intelligence can remain similar with age.
Read what the experts say here.
QUESTION #4:
EXPERT CONSENSUS: 100% Yes via 5 animal experts
Are Hyenas more closely related to cats than dogs?
Batman is correct! Contrary to appearances, hyenas are more closely related to cats than to dogs. The four species of hyena belong to the family Hyaenidae and the suborder Feliformia, while dogs, foxes and wolves belong to the order Carnivora but the suborder Caniformia.
Read what the experts say here.
QUESTION #5:
Are the stars we see in the sky actually 'dead'?
EXPERT CONSENSUS: 88% No from 8 Astrophysicists
Most of the stars you can see with the naked eye are still alive, as they are no more than 10,000 light years away. Most stars live for 1 billion years, so it's unlikely that any particular star died during the past 10,000 years. Even out of the 6,000 stars visible without a telescope, it's unlikely that any have died by the time we see them.
Read what the experts say here.
May the facts be with you!
Ben
Is the microbiome a human organ?
Learn more about the microbiome with our deep-diving review.
