Science

Did researchers discover a shocking display of primate intelligence when a band of chimps in the Congo began wearing masks to hide their faces when they were raiding local markets? No, that's not true: This story appeared spontaneously on social media from an account bearing the disclaimer, "story (noun) - an account of imaginary or real people and events told…

Did Nicole Sirotek get a 4 a.m. call from the husband of a pregnant woman dying of liver failure after she took a large dose of Tylenol to disprove President Donald Trump's declaration that acetaminophen causes autism? Here's what we know: Sirotek, who Lead Stories has previously fact-checked for COVID misinformation, posted the anecdote on social media September 24, 2025,…

Did Tylenol tweet a warning that they "actually don't recommend using any of our products while pregnant?" Yes, that's true: The drug maker posted the message on its official Twitter account in 2017 in reply to another post that has since been deleted. The company's reply was still on the Tylenol timeline on September 24, 2025. The claim appeared in…

Is it true that Cuba has no access to Tylenol and virtually no autism? No, that's not true: This rumor is false on both counts; Tylenol, usually marketed in Cuba as Paracetamol, is available -- although there can be shortages. The rate of diagnosed autism in Cuba is lower than world averages. There are nine schools for autistic children in…

Would Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former diet supplement company advisor and investor, profit from the Trump Administration's plan to recommend folinic acid for those on the autism spectrum? No, that's not true: As a condition of taking the job of Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Oz pledged in writing to close out by July 3, 2025…

Did a graphic including a short-haired person, labeled "Your body during pregnancy" appear in an official King's College Hospital NHS poster in the UK, as social media posts claim? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told Lead Stories the poster was not produced by the trust nor displayed at its hospitals. The…

Is a Texas man fighting for his life after he was bitten by black widow spiders that came out of a package he stole from a lady's porch? No, that's not true: This story is fiction, but may have been inspired by something that really did happen. The story about the Texas porch pirate originated in October 2024 from a…

Is a video of a cat guarding an eagle's nest to keep a snake from eating the eggs authentic? No, that's not true: The video was made by artificial intelligence tools. One telltale sign is the snake's two tails seen in the first four seconds. Also, the structure of the nest and the branches of the tree change significantly from…

Do viral online posts show screenshots of real trail cam footage of a Chihuahua dog who "joins the wolf pack"? No, that's not true: The dog has been digitally inserted into two different trail cam images. According to specialized detection software, much of the story of a viral article about the "scrappy stray Chihuahua" in Ely, Minnesota was written by…

Did singers Dolly Parton, Adam Lambert, Elton John, Barry Gibb, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, sports figures Sam Pittman, Cade Klubnik, or Marc Marquez honor Charlie Kirk by calling for a moment of silence or by attending his funeral? No, that's not true: Social posts and articles claiming that these celebrities reacted to the killing of Kirk on September…

Do images described as tree stumps provide proof that there were once giant ancient trees which were felled by angels? No, that's not true: The photos show natural geological features around the world which came to be through several geological processes over millions of years. Volcanoes erupting, erosion of different materials at different speeds, and the lifting and folding of…

Did a "first population-wide peer-reviewed study" confirm that COVID-19 vaccines cause "turbo cancers"? No, that's not true: The study referred to its results as preliminary. The corresponding author told Lead Stories that more research is needed to confirm the findings about cancer among those vaccinated against COVID-19. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published on The Gateway Pundit…

Did the U.S. Navy admit that the Earth is flat in "their defense magazine", by claiming that a Navy laser weapon can shoot down cruise missiles from 100 miles away? No, that's not true on several counts: The Navy said no such thing. A short video clip circulating on social media has sensationalized points made by Pastor Dean Odle during…

Does a real photo show the political and climate activist Greta Thunberg wearing a revealing keyhole T-shirt along with her signature frog hat? No, that's not true: The photo of Greta Thunberg has been digitally edited. The shirt Thunberg actually wore when she was photographed in Barcelona, Spain, is a crop top which does not have a cutout below the…

Does a blue pulse moving from east to west on a Doppler radar map show some sort of "storm pumping" weather modification or HAARP activity? No, that's not true: The radar reflectivity time lapse animation shows that radar signals have picked up the presence of millions of birds in flight who began their southward migration after the sun set. As…

Did Finland test "the world's first engine-less superconducting maglev cargo pipeline, capable of moving cargo at over 500 km/h using no engines, wheels or tracks", as a social media post claimed? No, that's not true: As of August 28, 2025, no media organizations reported on the purported test in Oulu, Finland. The organization that was described as having developed the…

Does a video show evidence that dog food is being made with ground up cardboard as a main ingredient? No, that's not true: The video on social media features clips showing real scenes from several sources including dog food manufacturing plants and trash recycling facilities. There is no evidence the ground cardboard pulp shown in one clip is going into…

Will the earth experience "colder weather than ever before" during the "aphelion phenomenon" in August, 2025, as its elliptical orbit takes it to its most distant-from-the-Sun position of the year, as multiple social media posts claim? No, that's not true: Earth's distance from the Sun changes daily and at aphelion, the Earth's distance from the Sun is only about 3%…

Are rabbits spotted in the wild with "weird tentacles" or "horns" infected with a rare virus, as claimed by social media users? No, this is misleading: The rabbits have a common viral infection, papillomavirus, that causes extensive skin growth that looks like horns or tentacles. A spokesperson for the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Department told Lead Stories the "wart-like growths"…

Is that viral video of an adult gorilla beating up a crocodile authentic footage of the adult protecting a juvenile gorilla? No, that's not true: Sseveral visual artifacts that are evidence of common shortcomings of video concocted by generative AI. Among them, a white halo around the gorilla's outline, unnatural stiffness of the crocodile, and a fight in mud that…