Earth'S Temperature

Does the Coriolis effect fail to affect aircraft trajectory, which proves that the Earth is flat, as is implied in a video shared on social media? No, that's not true: A professor emeritus of physics and astronomy told Lead Stories that "the Coriolis effect is, of course, well known and thoroughly analyzed." Though airplanes experience Coriolis force, it is "pretty…

Is NASA launching three rockets during the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, for nefarious or "strange" purposes, as a post on TikTok implied? No, that's not true: While NASA is indeed launching the rockets before, during and after the solar eclipse, the purpose is to study disturbances in the ionosphere -- an electrified region of the atmosphere. The disturbances…

Does mercury generate "free energy" as a post on Instagram claimed? No, that's not true: Mercury is a metal that can "conduct electricity in ways similar to copper," an industrial chemist told Lead Stories and the clips shown in the video on Instagram are "all demonstrations of electromagnetism," not energy production. Furthermore, an inorganic chemist told Lead Stories that mercury…

Does a recording of Amazon's virtual assistant reciting a conspiratorial answer to "Alexa, What are they spraying in our skies?" prove the "chemtrails" theory of a global conspiracy to depopulate the planet with chemicals sprayed from above? No, that's not true: While Amazon confirmed on January 18, 2024 that the recording of Alexa was authentic, a spokesperson said Alexa has…

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…

Is there no scientific consensus that climate change is happening? No, that's not true: A scientific survey of more than 88,000 climate-related studies found that more than 99 percent of research agrees that climate change is real and primarily caused by human activities. Furthermore, a majority of credible scientific institutions and researchers in the U.S. and beyond unequivocally and publicly…

Do "chemtrails" contain the chemicals aluminum, barium, strontium and ethylene to cause a number of negative health impacts, including migraines, runny noses, depression, lethargy and anxiety? No, that's not true: Experts largely agree that "chemtrails" are a conspiracy theory not proven by science. Contrails, white lines of condensation released by aircraft primarily made of water vapor, are commonly confused for…

Is global warming caused by the solar system having two suns? No, that's not true: An astronomy expert and the National Weather Service told Lead Stories this claim is "completely false." The claim appeared in a video on Instagram on November 28, 2022. The caption for the posted video read: Just hanging out by the Great Spinx's paw dropping 4BIDDENKNOWLEDGE.…

Is the Earth flat and surrounded by a transparent barrier that prevents rockets from leaving the Earth's atmosphere? Beyond this barrier, is there a firmament composed of water or a liquid-like substance? Does this explain why the U.S. government in 1962 launched Operation Fish Bowl -- to use nuclear weapons to try and break through that barrier? No, that's not…

Are satellites a myth because there is no way they could survive high temperatures in space? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesperson called this claim about satellites "misleading." According to NASA, artificial satellites are built to survive high temperatures in space, but they orbit in a layer of the atmosphere, the thermosphere, where sufficient gas molecules do not exist…