Nasa

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.…

Does a photo show mining operations extracting "lithium for electric cars," as a meme on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: According to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, the image is of the Rio Tinto Kennecott mine in Magna, Utah, where no lithium mining occurs. The agency confirmed that the "image is false." The Rio Tinto mine…

Does footage on social media show Palestinians celebrating at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem after they heard news of Iran's mid-April 2024 aerial attack on Israel? No, that's not true: The video was shot days before Iran launched drones and missiles against Israel. The video was recorded during the last Friday of Ramadan, according to a BBC reporter. Lead Stories…

Is it impossible for women to snore? No, that's not true: Besides no evidence to support that claim, a sleep medicine expert told Lead Stories, "Women are equally likely to snore compared to men." Statistics from the National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine do show that more men than women report snoring but snoring affects both…

Is an image showing a dramatically swirling and sparkling corona over a wooded hillside a real photo of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse? No, that's not true: The AI detection tool from Hive Moderation rated this image as having a 99.8 percent likelihood of being AI-generated. Practical photography considerations also expose this as an impossible photo. Both a…

Does a viral image on social media show the 2024 solar eclipse? No, that's not true: The photo appeared online almost seven years before the April 9, 2024, solar event. It was taken by an astrophotographer who captured the previous eclipse that was seen in North America. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook where it was…

Does a photo show the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse? No, that's not true: The image is from the 2012 solar eclipse taken near Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, as the original photo, found on the website Flickr, says. It does not show an image of the sun blocked by the moon during the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse. The…

Is NASA keeping vintage cars in a parking lot to prepare for an electromagnetic pulse "blast"? No, that's not true: The vehicles shown in a questioning video on social media were part of a movie titled "Fly Me To The Moon" which was filmed at a NASA facility. There were several images taken of the location during production of the…