Science fact-checks
Infact's fact-checks in Science, newest first. Each links to a full verdict with a 0–100 accuracy score and cited evidence.
- 91 NASA claims the perfect nap is 26 minutes long.
- 91 Dogs lick their noses to improve their sense of smell.
- 70 Water may taste strange if left out overnight due to absorbing gases from the air. It's advised not to leave a glass of water open to the air.
- 48 Trees need water to survive, consuming up to 100 gallons daily and releasing oxygen and water vapor.
- 86 Dogs react to inequality similarly to humans and stop cooperating when treated unfairly.
- 91 Horses can remember if you were smiling or frowning the last time they saw you.
- 58 Hair contains information about substances in the bloodstream and is commonly used in forensic evidence.
- 50 The text claims that the nose and ears never stop growing, which is why they appear larger in old age.
- 56 The text claims that if a female fish sees her lover lose a fight, she loses interest.
- 45 The tongue is claimed to be the only muscle in the body attached from one end.
- 91 Polar bears have jet black skin, and their fur is transparent and hollow, reflecting light to blend into the snow while absorbing heat from the sun.
- 88 Small animals perceive the world in slow motion due to their fast metabolisms and ability to process more visual information per second, making human movements appear slow to them.
- 91 The ghost crab has teeth in its stomach used for grinding food and can growl at predators using these teeth.
- 98 Octopuses have three hearts and blue blood. Two hearts pump blood to the gills, while the third circulates it to the rest of the body. Their blood turns blue because it relies on copper instead of iron to carry oxygen.
- 91 Shrimp have their hearts located in their heads, specifically inside the cephalothorax.
- 63 Dolphins use pufferfish to get high by passing them around and gently chewing to release toxins, resulting in a blissful state.
- 67 The video discusses factors influencing sexual market value, including personality, appearance, and status, with examples from historical figures and studies.
- 51 The video discusses how body language affects attraction and confidence, citing studies on open versus closed body language, presentation analysis, and the impact of appearing threatening.
- 73 Ancient Romans used urine as mouthwash and teeth whitener due to its ammonia content, and the Roman Empire taxed liquid waste collection.
- 78 Clownfish can change their biological sex, with all being born male. In groups, the largest male becomes female and leads.
- 74 Donkeys are not waterproof because their coat lacks natural grease, causing their fur to absorb water and potentially making them cold and sick.
- 99 Welwitschia mirabilis is a plant in the Namib Desert that produces two leaves in its life, grows continuously, and is considered a living fossil. Some specimens are estimated to be 1,000 to 2,000 years old.
- 55 Skyquakes are unexplained loud sounds from the atmosphere without meteorological or other known explanations.
- 90 Tropical pitcher plants have vase-shaped leaves that act as traps and are called 'monkey cups' because monkeys drink rainwater from them.
- 91 All mammals over 3 kg take about 21 seconds to pee due to the physics of urethra scaling.
- 86 Coast Redwoods are the tallest living plants, with the tallest known tree, Hyperion, reaching 380 feet, taller than a 35-story skyscraper.
- 75 Photosynthetic cyanobacteria caused the Great Oxidation Event, creating the ozone layer, which filters ultraviolet radiation and allowed life on land to evolve.
- 94 Mimosa pudica, known as the sensitive plant, has leaflets that fold inward and droop when touched, shaken, or heated.
- 52 The text states that lightning strikes oak trees more frequently than other trees due to their height, deep taproots, and high moisture levels, making them efficient grounding rods.
- 96 A cheetah can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3 seconds, faster than many sports cars.
- 94 Water can boil and freeze simultaneously at the triple point, where solid, liquid, and gas phases coexist in equilibrium.
- 91 A cloud can weigh more than a million pounds, and cumulus clouds are heavy due to water droplets.
- 91 The video discusses factors affecting perceived attractiveness, including facial symmetry, beard styles, and feature contrast, supported by various studies.
- 92 Butterflies have taste sensors on their feet to check if a leaf is safe for caterpillars before laying eggs.
- 92 The Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish can reset its cellular life cycle and return to its juvenile polyp stage after reaching adulthood, making it theoretically immortal.
- 65 Honey never spoils due to its low moisture content and natural acidity. Archaeologists found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs that is still edible.
- 86 The text asks which animal's heart beats only 9 times per minute, with options including a blue whale.
- 78 Neuroimaging and EEG studies show that guided relaxation shifts brain waves, reduces autonomic tone, restores dopamine levels, and avoids sleep inertia.
- 91 Male goats urinate on their heads to smell more attractive to females.
- 91 Twins can have different fathers, a phenomenon known as superfecundation.
- 61 The text claims that a whale's vagina can be large enough to walk through.
- 67 A new snake species from New Guinea, named Lielaphis slashi after Slash, is reddish-brown, nonvenomous, and 71 cm long. Initially mistaken for another species, genetic testing confirmed it as new to science.
- 48 The text mentions a flower resembling a human skull and identifies Antirrhinum majus as the snapdragon or dragon flower.
- 91 Frogs close and retract their eyes to help push food down their throat when eating.
- 56 The text states that body decomposition to a skeleton in ordinary soil can take about a year, and a skeleton can take eight to twelve years to decompose.
- 58 The text claims that the sense of smell is heightened in space and that spraying perfume on a spaceship can cause painful sensations.
- 95 Earthworms are hermaphrodites with both male and female organs. Cutting one in two does not create two worms; the front part may regrow, but the rear usually dies. It's not a cloning trick.
- 94 Sound travels 4 times faster in water than in air.
- 92 A giraffe has the same number of neck vertebrae as a human, which is 7.
- 79 The video discusses the Lindsay Clancy case, focusing on her confession to murdering her children, the defense's claim of insanity due to postpartum depression, the mistrial of her first hearing, and the significant support she received for her legal defense. It also touches on a study about gender differences in responses to punishment.
- 91 Hummingbirds are the only birds capable of flying backward.
- 91 Pandas do not have a special place to sleep and fall asleep wherever they are when tired.
- 52 The text questions whether pigs can see the sky due to the placement of their eyes.
- 48 African elephants are said to help humans, with a story of a woman being covered by elephants with branches while she slept.
- 85 The text discusses the palmaris longus muscle, noting that about 15% of people lack it, it doesn't affect grip strength, evolution is erasing it, it was important for climbing, and surgeons use it in surgeries.
- 92 Bananas are classified as berries.
- 94 Crocodiles cannot stick out their tongues.
- 86 The text describes the 1859 Carrington Event, a massive solar storm that disrupted telegraph systems and caused auroras as far south as the Caribbean. It remains the most powerful geomagnetic storm recorded, and a similar event today could disrupt modern technology.
- 87 Rottweilers are considered one of the smartest dog breeds.
- 100 The text states that pandas are black and white.
- 93 Pallas' cats can tolerate cold weather down to -50°C and have a coat density of 9000 hairs per cm².
- 79 The text compares the weight of elephants to the tongue of a blue whale, stating that blue whales are the largest creatures known, with a weight of up to 200 tons and a tongue weighing up to 4 tons. Forest elephants weigh up to 2.7 tons.
- 91 The text claims that the index finger is the most sensitive finger on the hand.
- 94 Savannah is one of the most expensive cat breeds, appearing in 1986, costing 4 to 22 thousand dollars, bred by crossing a serval with a domestic cat, and is one of the largest feline breeds.
- 88 Sexual attraction can change perception of faces, influence memory and recognition, and affect brain processing of visual information.
- 100 The line that separates the day and night sides on Earth is called the Terminator.
- 53 The text illustrates the size comparison between a human, a black bear, a brown bear, and a polar bear, stating that the polar bear is the largest predatory mammal on the planet.
- 90 Playing video games can help train your brain to make faster real-life decisions with equal accuracy.
- 43 The text claims that the human eye can detect a match being struck 50 miles away on a clear, moonless night.
- 91 Jupiter experiences helium rain, where helium condenses into droplets and descends towards the core.
- 35 The text claims that the walking palm tree can move up to 65 feet each year to find a suitable habitat.
- 94 Starfish don't have blood and circulate nutrients using seawater in their vascular system.
- 83 Giant pandas can sleep in various places including on the ground, in trees, under logs, and even while sitting upright.
- 50 An experiment in 1978 found that staring at Baker-Miller Pink reduces aggression temporarily.
- 91 The text states that a rainbow is a full circle, visible completely only from a height.
- 91 The text states that a housefly can lay up to 2,000 to 3,000 eggs during its lifespan, which lasts about a month.
- 64 Sloths are described as being so lazy they are even too lazy to breathe, and they can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes.
- 85 Lethologica is a temporary inability to recall a known word or name, affecting nearly everyone, usually resolving quickly, and caused by a disconnect between memory retrieval and speech production.
- 91 The text states that mouse sperm is longer than elephant sperm.
- 93 Mathematics developed over millennia across various civilizations, evolving from practical needs and becoming a universal language of logic.
- 90 The text claims that lifting a kangaroo's tail will cause it to fall because they use their tails for balance during jumps.
- 71 The Double Coconut, native to the Seychelles, produces the largest seed on Earth, which can reach 50 cm in height, 30 cm in width, and weigh up to 20 kg. It has a distinctive double-lobed shape.
- 91 Ice Age animals have been found well-preserved in permafrost, with some mammoths having liquid blood.
- 43 The text claims that the elephant brain reacts to people similarly to how the human brain reacts to puppies, suggesting elephants find humans cute.
- 64 Gorillas are said to live in a semi-permanent state of flatulence due to their vegetarian diet and intestinal microflora.
- 84 Oranges are not always naturally orange and can stay green when ripe due to weather. Farmers use Citrus Red No. 2 dye or ethylene gas to change their color.
- 89 Venus has a day longer than its year, taking 243 Earth days to rotate and 225 days to orbit the Sun. It rotates opposite to most planets, causing the Sun to rise in the west and set in the east.
- 46 The text states that a fist-sized rock has a terminal velocity of 1.6 feet per second in water, taking nearly six hours to reach the Mariana trench's floor.
- 77 Termites are being researched for renewable energy due to their gut microbes producing hydrogen from paper, making them efficient bioreactors.
- 90 Dolphin milk is claimed to be the fattiest and most calorie-dense among all mammals.
- 72 Lightning can heat air to 30,000°C, causing thunder, and its channel can be five times hotter than the Sun's surface.
- 91 Scientists can create brain cells from urine.
- 91 The text states that the noise from a seashell is an echo of surrounding noises, not the ocean, and that in a noise-isolated room, no sound is heard from the seashell.
- 80 The text describes a plant called 'pomidofel' as a hybrid of potato and tomato, with tomato fruits and potato-like tubers.
- 86 Fungi can be transformed into leather-like materials using mycelium, which can be processed into products like bags and shoes.
- 48 Earth's helium supply may run out by 2030, and party balloons could cost about $90.
- 57 The text suggests that people are more creative in the shower due to increased dopamine flow from warm showers.
- 89 Elephants are afraid of bees, and the sound of buzzing can make them flee. They have a special rumble to warn each other about bees.
- 38 The text states that a blue whale's heartbeat can be heard from over 2 miles away, and provides information on the average weight of blue whales and their hearts.
- 67 Cats can hear ultrasonic sounds up to 64–65 kHz, higher than dogs and humans. They can hear high-frequency sounds beyond human hearing and often ignore calls despite knowing them.
