Science

Was the deadly wildfire that began the evening of August 8, 2023, on the Hawaiian island of Maui caused by a "direct energy weapon assault"? No, that's not true: There's no evidence to support that assertion. Instead, natural factors, not a direct energy weapon, are the likely cause of the wildfires. The claim appeared in a post and video on…

Is nattokinase an effective treatment for "spike protein detox" associated with COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: COVID vaccines are not shown to be toxic, so it is not necessary to "detox" from them. Nattokinase is a soybean supplement that is not monitored in the U.S. and as of August 2023, experts recommend avoiding it. Furthermore, the study cited as…

Does a widely shared video of still-standing trees prove that the Maui wildfires were false flag operations? No, that's not true: Social media users who reposted the clip pointed out that some plants survived fires, but that does not support the assertion in question -- plants growing in fire-prone ecosystems naturally evolve with features that allow them to withstand fires.…

Is it true that menstrual cycles, or periods, lasting longer than three days are abnormal? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence that a period lasting longer than three days is not normal. Two gynecologists and an expert on women's health told Lead Stories that the average length of a period is three to seven days. The claim…

Does the image of a map, purportedly "just released" on August 6, 2023, show an actual prediction of "the 2023-2024" snow forecast across the U.S.? No, that's not true: The image is derived from a satirical website whose disclaimer says its content and platform "is intended for entertainment purposes only." This same bogus map was debunked in 2014 by a…

Does the 93-million-mile vacuum separating the Earth from the sun prevent the latter from heating our planet? No, that's not true: A University of California, Berkeley physicist told Lead Stories that the claim is "completely false." The sun's energy is transmitted through electromagnetic radiation, including visible light and infrared radiation, which can travel through space without the need for a…

Does the pH of soda (pH 2) make it seriously toxic, "a pH killer," and does it take 32 eight-ounce glasses of alkaline water to reverse the toxic effects of one soda? No, that's not true: A food science professor told Lead Stories that many foods are as acidic as soda and that all are considered weak acids compare to…

Does data collected from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) prove that COVID-19 vaccines are "killing an estimated 1 person per 1,000 doses," resulting in "676,000 dead Americans"? No, that's not true: The claim originated in a blog post by a known COVID misinformation spreader who used VAERS data in ways that medical experts have explicitly advised against. As…

Did Pfizer employees in Australia receive a special batch of imported COVID-19 vaccines that were different from what the public was given? No, that's not true: Pfizer global media relations told Lead Stories that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company imported "additional doses" for its staff that were evaluated and authorized by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) but all the COVID…

Did today's Black Americans descend from Africans who inhabited North America before European colonizers arrived in the 15th century? No, that's not true: Paleontological, archaeological and genetic evidence all suggest that the original inhabitants of North America who were present on the continent when European explorers arrived were the ancestors of modern Indigenous people, an anthropologist told Lead Stories. Historical…

Did NASA and the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) stage a live stream video pretending to be in zero gravity on board the ISS, and was this hoax betrayed by a blooper where a ball printed like a globe fell to the floor as if under the force of Earth's gravity? No, that's not true: This video shows…

Did a weather station in Germany show a map of the country's high temperatures with the map actually on fire with flames burning on TV? No, that's not true: The image showing flames over a weather map is doctored. The original footage from the weather station broadcast in Germany does not show flames on the map nor does it have…

Does eating cayenne pepper kill cancer cells and regenerate damaged DNA? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that eating cayenne pepper will repair DNA or kill cancer cells in humans, according to a dietitian at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. A clinical director at the National Human Genome Research Institute told Lead Stories that if a…

Do potential methane emissions expelled by wild bison populations compare with levels expelled by domestic cows in the U.S. and beyond? No, that's not true: Global populations of bison total less than half a million compared with 1.5 billion cows. An expert in biological systems engineering and agriculture told Lead Stories that the claim's comparison is arbitrary as it does…

Does a study by University of Colorado medical researchers show that the "vast majority of humanity has gotten the COVID-19 vaccine via "shedding," meaning the vaccine spread from person to person? No, that's not true: The study's lead author told Lead Stories that the social media post making this assertion "does not properly reflect the findings of our study." Also,…

Did Dr. Meryl Nass represent the World Health Organization (WHO) at a press conference, boldly outlining plans to ignore existing human rights laws? No, that's not true: Nass does not speak for the WHO. She is an internal medicine doctor from Ellsworth, Maine, whose license is temporarily suspended while under review. This symposium was not a World Health Organization press…

by: Evgenia Prodaeva Can "a nuclear explosion like in Chornobyl," the world's worst nuclear accident, now occur at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after the June 6, 2023, explosion that destroyed the Kakhovka dam emptied most of the reservoir used to cool down the plant's reactors? No, that's not true: Zaporizhzhia's six power units shut down in 2022, and no…

Does a social media post listing "1,884 Athlete Cardiac Arrests" and 1,310 deaths between January 2021 and July 2023 prove a connection between these mishaps and the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: While the ultimate source of the information cited in the post lists hundreds of "athletes" who have died or collapsed for various reasons (some of them clearly…

Did Nicole Schwab -- daughter of World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab -- say, "permanent climate lockdowns [are] coming -- whether you like it or not"? No, that's not true: There is no record of Nicole Schwab having said that. An article that falsely reported the quote in July 2023 self-debunks by including a link to an authentic video…

Does clapping your hands three times instantly relieve pain in the heel of your foot? No, that's not true: A podiatrist who is a spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) told Lead Stories "without hesitation" that this is not an evidence-based method to "relieve pain in one's heel." A state and national board-certified reflexologist also confirmed to Lead…