Nasa

Does a "leaked photo" authentically show a "city on the other side of the ice at Antarctica," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: The image was created using artificial intelligence, based on the results of three image analysis tools used by Lead Stories. Many conspiracy theorists use the ice wall argument to make unfounded arguments, such…

Does the ocean being colder along the seafloor prove that Earth's core is frozen, as a video on TikTok suggested? No, that's not true: Scientific literature shows that the Earth's interior is indeed hot, with some estimates suggesting it is comparable to the surface of the Sun. While the Earth's interior is hot, a deep-sea scientist told Lead Stories that…

Does photographic evidence and reports from several independent sources, including NASA, show that an ancient satellite has been orbiting Earth since at least the 1950s? No, that's not true: The supposed photographic evidence from NASA, sometimes used to support this myth, does not show an ancient satellite but a thermal blanket accidentally dropped during a space walk on the 1998…

Does a diagram from a patent application for a purported "sun simulator" prove that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is also a sun simulator because of their similarities? No, that's not true: The diagram included in a 2003 patent application is for an "autonomously assembled space telescope" and does not depict a "sun simulator." The James Webb Space Telescope, which…

Can the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association, or EISCAT Scientific Association, use its technologies for mind control, as a video on social media claims? No, that's not true: EISCAT Scientific Association Director Axel Steuwer told Lead Stories that there is "absolutely no mind control possible" with the program's systems, which primarily measure physical elements of the upper atmosphere using the…

Was Walt Disney a founder of NASA? No, that's not true: Disney founded an animation, television and movie studio as well as a theme park empire. He produced a television series about space travel in 1955 with a NASA rocket designer. This was three years before President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which…

Did NASA announce that it has plans to build a railway system on the moon? No, that's not true: The space agency announced funding for visionary concept studies that include a "lunar railway," but not an official launch of a train system on the moon. As of May 2024, there was not a concrete plan to build a modern railway…

Is corn syrup "illegal in much of the world," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence that corn syrup is banned in any country. The claim stems from a common misconception that high fructose corn syrup is banned in the European Union, which is false. The sweetener was formerly regulated under a…

Did Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon and former Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary, endorse a cure for tinnitus and hearing loss? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Carson called the video a "scam and completely fake." Additionally, digital forensics and deepfake-testing websites, which analyze audio, video, and other media, corroborated the Carson spokesperson's statement, finding that the recording…

Did Joe Rogan claim scientists have found extraterrestrial life on a planet known as "K2-18 b," as a video on Facebook suggested? No, that's not true: As narration that sounds like Rogan describes the supposed discovery, images cover his face so it's not obvious if the voice is dubbed. There is no evidence the podcast host ever made the comments.…