Science

Do a paper published in a medical journal and a video based on it prove the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine causes brain and heart damage? No, that's not true: The paper looks at the case of a single elderly man with Parkinson's disease who died weeks after his final vaccination. It doesn't establish a causal link between the vaccine and the…

Is flesh-eating rain coming down in Nebraska as a result of the toxic chemical spill from the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio? No, that's not true: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told Lead Stories they have received no reports about flesh-eating rain in connection with the spill. A Nebraska climatologist told Lead Stories that, given…

Does oil pulling -- gargling with oil -- serve as a remedy for root canal infections and cavities? No, that's not true: Numerous credible oral health organizations and medical professionals have stated that while there may be benefits to the ancient technique, the science behind what this method offers to remedy oral health issues has yet to be explored in…

Did the U.S. military arrest vaccine scientist Richard Tillyer for "accessory to mass murder and negligent homicide" in regards to the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The U.S. military does not have the authority to arrest civilians outside of certain circumstances authorized by an act of Congress. The claim was made on Real Raw News, a website that publishes…

Does a collection of photos shared on social media show "another world" and remnants of a lost civilization or buried spacecraft under the ice of Antarctica? No, that's not true: These photos come from several sources. Some are presented with no context, while others are mislabeled or have been digitally edited to create science-fiction fantasy scenes. The collection of 11…

Did a research paper adequately demonstrate that vaccinated COVID-19 patients die at a higher rate than their unvaccinated counterparts? No, that's not true: The study in question has limitations that affect the quality of its conclusions. Furthermore, the study is published in a preprint journal and as of this writing has not been critiqued by scientific experts familiar with the…

Did the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shut down access to a website that showed a real map of "how far the deadly plume from East Palestine, OH had traveled by Feb. 8," as podcast host Stew Peters claimed? No, that's not true: As of February 17, 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hysplit Model website, which displays…

Did Walmart sell eggs for "illegal prices" and are $500 store credits being given to customers to "make it up"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Walmart sold eggs at illegally high prices nor is there any evidence of consumers being able to get $500 in store credit from the world's largest retailer as compensation. The claim…

Does a photograph show a dozen birds that died in Kentucky from complications attributable to the February 2023 derailment of a train transporting toxic chemicals through neighboring Ohio? No, that's not true: While the photo is authentic, it was taken in April 2018 in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission confirmed to Lead Stories. The birds appeared…

Does a time-lapse video of the midnight sun in Alaska show that the sun appears to get smaller as it approaches the horizon -- thus proving that this is a "local sun" that is very close to Earth in a closed environment, part of the firmament? No, that's not true: The footage of slightly more than one full day has…

Does a picture circulating on social media prove that Pfizer has a patent "for tracking vaccinated humans worldwide via microwave and graphene"? No, that's not true: The pictured document is not a Pfizer patent and it does not mention graphene or microwaves. Pfizer's office of media relations confirmed to Lead Stories that Pfizer has nothing to do with the patent,…

Does cayenne pepper heal stomach ulcers, and is it safe to consume in excess? No, that's not true: An emergency medicine toxicologist at the National Capital Poison Center told Lead Stories that cayenne pepper can cause many life-threatening health complications when consumed in excess. A clinical dietician also told Lead Stories that cayenne pepper irritates stomach ulcers, causing more pain.…

Do vaccines make children allergic to nuts? No, that's not true: There is no known association between childhood vaccines and these sorts of allergic reactions. An assistant professor of pediatrics in allergy and immunology called the notion "anti-vaccine rhetoric." The claim appeared in a post on Instagram published on February 14, 2023, with the description "A little Valentine's Day poetry…

Is antineoplaston therapy developed by Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski an effective cure for cancer? No, that's not true: There is not sufficient evidence that antineoplaston therapy -- an alternative type of cancer treatment using drugs that are composed of chemical compounds found naturally in human blood and urine -- is an effective cure for cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration…

Did Bill Gates create computer viruses and infect Microsoft computers to then sell antivirus software programs? No, that's not true: There's no evidence that either Gates or his company deliberately created and spread computer viruses, and a spokesperson from Gates' private office confirmed to Lead Stories that such a claim is false. Creeper, the first experimental self-replicating computer virus, was…

Did Maxwell Chikumbutso, an inventor from Zimbabwe, develop a technology to turn radio frequencies into free, unlimited, green electricity that can power a car that never needs charging, a television or even a neighborhood? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Chikumbutso's inventions work as described. Although there have been public showcases of some of Chikumbutso's "microsonic energy…

Does the human body contain 2 trillion volts of electricity in it? No, that's not true: A professor in electrophysiology told Lead Stories it "does not make sense" to talk of voltage of the human body. He likened the human body's electrical ability to a table with 1,000 batteries sitting on it, unconnected, with the negative ends of the battery…

Did a dog howl into the night trying to warn people in an eastern Turkish town of the coming earthquake disaster? While it's not possible to know why the dog was howling, and the date of the video has not been verified -- this video does not show eastern Turkey. It shows an intersection in the town of incesu Kızılören…

Was the devastating temblor that struck Turkey on February 6, 2023 actually a human-caused earthquake triggered by a weapon from an ionospheric research program called HAARP, in response to the Turkish president's move to block an expansion of NATO? No, that's not true: Experts that spoke to Lead Stories say the quake's occurrence is a natural event supported by scientific…

Does a device called "Pro Power Save" help consumers cut their electric bills in half? No, that's not true: such devices have not been proven to work as advertised. The claim appeared in a post published on Facebook on December 9, 2022. The post included a video, which had a title and a caption that read: How To Cut Your…