Teeth

Did the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, wear a "Make America Mexicana Again" hat? No, that's not true: A representative from the Embassy of Mexico told Lead Stories the image was "NOT real." A reply under the social media post with the image of Sheinbaum wearing such a hat revealed that a logo of Grok, X's AI tool, had been…

Did President-elect Donald Trump announce $6,400 "relief checks" that "any American can qualify for"? No, that's not true: A video on Facebook showing Trump announcing the checks is a deepfake. A link in the post did not direct users to an official government website but rather to a health insurance webpage. As of this publication, the government had not announced…

Does a viral video capture "Bosnian neighbors" roasting a dog in their backyard in the U.S.? No, that's not true: A Cornell University professor of veterinary medicine told Lead Stories that what is seen in the years-old footage does not show dog or even carnivore anatomy, speculating it could be a lamb or a goat. The video recycled an old…

Did Secret Service personnel grin widely, showing their teeth, while escorting former President Trump to safety after the assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: A tool created to detect ai-generated images found substantial evidence the image had been remade with generative ai systems.…

Does a social media post show an authentic image of former President Donald Trump smiling at a cookout with Black supporters? No, that's not true: The image shows signs of being generated through artificial intelligence. The image also has not been featured in any legitimate online sources. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on May 23, 2024, on…

Were two diplomats from India's Embassy in Iran detained or arrested in connection with the investigation of the helicopter crash that killed the country's president, among other officials? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support the claim made in a social media post and no credible sources confirmed such arrests. As of this writing, Iran's state media…

Does water with fluoride cause neurological damage in babies? No, that's not true: Fluoridation is approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics with no age restrictions. The Centers states that fluoride "has been proven to protect teeth from decay." The social media post about neurological damage to babies gives no scientific evidence…

Does proof exist that fluoride toothpaste causes brain damage in adults? No, that's not true: The amount of fluoride consumed when brushing teeth, even with a high-fluoride toothpaste, is far below the toxic levels cited by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. A study from that agency that reported the death of rodents exposed to fluoride referred only to…

Does a photo show the genuine "mud fossil remains" of the "dragon head cave in Egypt," as a video on TikTok claims? No, that's not true: The theory of "mud fossils" is a pseudoscientific notion, and there is no evidence that dragons were real. The image's photographer confirmed to Lead Stories that it showed a geological feature in Egypt's Mount…

Did a megalodon shark, thought to be long extinct, attack and sink a charter fishing boat off the coast of South Africa as described in a video on social media? No, that's not true: The dramatic scenes in a video, filmed to appear like vacation footage by friends with a hand-held camera, was actually a scripted pseudo-documentary for the Discovery…