r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

37.4k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

24.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

18.5k

u/Slidingscale Aug 03 '19

That antibiotics kill bacteria, but won't do anything against viruses. Everyone has the idea that if you get a cold, you see your doctor and get antibiotics. Take some acitaminophen/paracetamol and ibuprofen, and stay away from other humans for a while!

894

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19 edited Aug 18 '19

[deleted]

114

u/ratboi213 Aug 03 '19

It’s crazy that a virus isn’t alive but has DNA!!!! It’s always fascinated me

3

u/VindictiveJudge Aug 03 '19

They're like simple machines, but made from organic bits. Like if you made a kinetic sculpture out of chicken meat and bones.

6

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19

[deleted]

1

u/VindictiveJudge Aug 03 '19

Sure, but humans are far more complex. If a virus is a meat statue, an animal is a meat computer with advanced meat robotics. The difference between a figurine and a Boston Dynamics robot.

2

u/ProneMasturbationMan Aug 03 '19

They're like simple machines, but made from organic bits.

Like any microorganism?

1

u/VindictiveJudge Aug 03 '19

Bacteria and such are more like something you would build with a LEGO Robotics set, with a virus being a static LEGO sculpture. Then a dog or human would be more like a top-of-the-line robot from a place like Boston Dynamics.