Technology

Do gene editing mRNA vaccine patent holders own vaccinated people outright once injected, and does mRNA alter natural human DNA? No, that's not true: A Stanford University professor of law specializing in bioethics told Lead Stories that these claims are "too absurd even to be wrong." Also, many credible medical organizations have debunked the claim that mRNA vaccines alter the…

Is Bill Gates engineering a seed that "will target Black people" and possibly kill them? No, that's not true: A video making that claim offers no evidence that Gates is producing a seed for plants that can attack the immune system of Black people and thereby kill them. According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the…

Did Twitter make a rule that users may not display the flag of Ukraine on their profile because it is considered a political statement against Russia? No, that's not true: A post from Walter Report contained a fabricated image which appeared to be a screenshot of a notification from Twitter. A day later, Walter Report published a notice that this…

Can the Alaska-based HAARP project, a former military research facility for studying the ionosphere, remotely initiate natural disasters such as earthquakes anywhere on Earth? No, that's not true: An "explanation" of its purported capabilities to manufacture disasters, posted on social media, contradicts well-established scientific facts. The manager of the HAARP project told Lead Stories that the facility "cannot create or…

Did the word "horizon" come from the word "horizontal," and is this evidence that the Earth must be flat? No, that's not true: The word "horizon" came first, and the adjective "horizontal" followed. The adjective describes something "relating to or near the horizon." The word "horizon" originated from the ancient Greek term "ὁρίζων κύκλος" (horízōn kýklos), which means "separating (or…

Does a report assessing the safety of a plant-based meat product made by a company in which Bill Gates has invested prove that meat grown in a laboratory causes cancer in humans? No, that's not true: Since the report doesn't even consider lab-grown meat, it can't prove it's carcinogenic when eaten by people because the two products are not the…

Was Andrew Tate, who was arrested in late 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and participating in organized crime, released as of February 22, 2023? No, that's not true: The former kickboxing champion and internet influencer remains behind bars after a Romanian court ruled to extend his detention by another 30 days, according to Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for…

Does Apple have to pay $700 "to anyone with a slowed-down phone, if they claim it"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Apple has to pay $700 to anyone with a slowed-down iPhone. In 2020, the company settled a lawsuit for $310 million over the sluggish performance of certain older models of iPhones only. The text of…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

Does a social media video show entrepreneur Elon Musk discussing imprisoned internet influencer Andrew Tate? No, that's not true: This appears to be a "deepfake" video of Musk, now the CEO of Twitter. The video uses publicly available footage from a TED Talk with Musk in April 2022. A transcript of Musk's remarks proves that he did not talk about…

Can "quantum healing" work by sensing your body's biofield and harnessing energy for an instant cure? No, that's not true: Physicists and medical doctors say using quantum physics terminology as the basis for medicine-free healing is hucksterism and quackery. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on Facebook on January 5, 2023. It opens with Sachin Karve, a self-described…

Do NASA documents say that we live on a "flat, nonrotating earth"? No, that's not true: NASA does not believe in a flat-Earth theory of any kind. While the term "flat, nonrotating earth" does appear in NASA documents, it's not referring to the structure of the planet but instead citing mechanisms and assumptions used to analyze flight. In a February…

Did a "local man" singlehandedly shoot down "in an EXTRAORDINARY act of vigilantism" the "Chinese spy balloon" recently flying over the continental United States? No, that's not true: The meme that makes this vigilante claim shows a comedian, Sam Hyde, who is routinely cast as the perpetrator in headline-grabbing news events in what one website has called an "extremely tired"…

Does the reflexology practice of interlocking and tugging the little fingers improve kidney function? No, that's not true. No authoritative sources suggest that reflexology is an effective tool for enhancing kidney function. The claim appeared on TikTok on February 1, 2023, under the title "The body is a system, recommended pull body practice, more healthy, #wudang #health #chineseculture #TCM #kedney…