South Africa

Does a video show a mermaid found in Zimbabwe? No, that's not true: The video shows part of a 2015 festival performance staged by city officials and cultural organizations in Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. The claim appeared in a post on Instagram on June 27, 2023. The post included a video of people in white hazmat suits carrying…

Does this photo show a human baby dubbed "The blackest South African baby in the world" or "the World's Tiniest, Darkest, and Most Resilient Baby"? No, that's not true: This photo doesn't show a human baby but a handcrafted doll by sculptor Lilah Pearson. It's a one-of-a-kind "Baby Gorilla Monkey" made of polymer clay. Photos of Pearson's creation have circulated…

Does a video shared to social media authentically show a Canadian government helicopter setting fire to a forested area in order to ignite a dangerous wildfire? No, that's not true: While the video is authentic, it depicts a controlled burn conducted by the British Columbia Wildfire Services (BCWS) in June 2023. An agency spokesperson confirmed to Lead Stories that such…

Are tetanus shots being used to sterilize people? No, that's not true: Such claims are "completely illogical and contrary to fact," a molecular biologist told Lead Stories. There is no substantive evidence that tetanus vaccines available as of June 2023 contain a hormone that would "attack" a pregnancy and cause a miscarriage. Numerous studies indicate that tetanus vaccines are safe…

Did a once powerful and technologically advanced "Tartarian Empire" exist before being washed away or buried in a great "mud flood" that reset society? No, that's not true: There is no proof to support this claim. While the assertion has been widely circulated in alternative history and conspiracy theory circles, there is no historical or scientific evidence to support it.…

Does a video shared on social media show Sudan Rapid Forces (SRF) troops in control of "Khartoum International Airport and Military base"? No, that's not true: The video appeared online three months before fighting broke in Sudan in mid-April 2023. Lead Stories geolocated the footage: It was recorded outside the airport in a park typically used for recreational purposes and…

Does the safety data sheet for Apeel, a protective coating for produce, contain "a long list of hazardous cautions" that make the product unsafe for human consumption? No, that's not true: The information in the claim comes from a cleaning product using the same name but made by another company. The cleaner and degreaser is not meant for human consumption.…

Does a photo show a sculpture named "Woman of our times" in Oxford, UK? No, that's not true: The artwork, which has a different name, has been displayed on streets of The Hague, Netherlands, since 2017. There is no evidence that it was relocated to Oxford. Also, the sculptor doesn't refer to the subject of this statue as a woman.…

Did the world suddenly stop having new COVID-19 variants after Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), retired at the end of 2022? No, that's not true: More than a year before his retirement, the most recent variant of COVID, Omicron, was identified in Botswana and South Africa. Many Omicron subvariants have…

Were Corn Flakes, the cereal product that launched the Kellogg Company, invented to "kill the libido" of patients at a health resort? No, that's not true: Several versions of the Kellogg Company's website attribute the creation of the cereal to an accident. Although John Harvey Kellogg, who is often credited as the creator of the cereal, was known for his…