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.
- 93 The website reports that ESA's Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 of the oldest quasars, including two that are the oldest ever observed, and is helping to improve understanding of dark energy.
- 56 The text suggests that a dog can determine the time of his master's return by the amount of scent left in the house.
- 77 Gold types vary based on alloys mixed with pure gold, affecting color, strength, and jewelry use.
- 37 The text claims that no person can be more than 5 meters away from any spider at any given time.
- 88 Researchers have discovered dangerous stress levels building beneath Southern California.
- 77 The text states that when a lion takes over a pride, he kills all the offspring of the previous head.
- 76 The text states that a sloth swims three times faster than it moves on land and can hold its breath for 40 minutes.
- 76 The website reports on the James Webb Space Telescope discovering a new substance, China's Great Green Wall growing faster than natural forests, and a Medici murder mystery being solved.
- 43 The text states that there are volcanoes that release blue lava.
- 64 The image discusses instinctive rejection and neuroception, a subconscious system detecting body language incongruences, warning of danger before logical processing.
- 20 The text claims that the head is the main thermoregulator, with 80% of heat escaping from it.
- 80 The text states that goosebumps from listening to music are due to dopamine release in anticipation of the song's climax.
- 69 The website discusses the creation of a synthetic cell that exhibits lifelike properties, including growth, DNA replication, and division, though it cannot survive independently. The cell's development could lead to new materials and insights into the origins of life.
- 52 The text claims that dogs don't feel guilty and are only sad if scolded by their master.
- 50 The text suggests that the female brain is more complexly structured and capable of multitasking.
- 50 The text claims that taste, hearing, and smell are most heightened between 5 PM and 7 PM, suggesting this time is ideal for going out.
- 76 The text states that scientists claim trees can communicate using smells.
- 85 Graphene is described as the strongest yet lightest material in the universe, being a carbon plate only one atom thick and stronger than diamond.
- 39 Scientists from Moscow State University linked a rat's brain with AI, teaching it to press a lever and recognize human inscriptions.
- 88 The text states that the most expensive drug in the world costs $2.1 million per injection and that Zolgensma is a gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy.
- 71 The text states it takes as long as 5 minutes to put a person to sleep with chloroform.
- 31 The text asserts that the human body contains enough carbon to produce 9000 pencils.
- 68 Scientists discovered garnet in a Martian meteorite, NWA 8171, for the first time, suggesting new geological insights about Mars. The meteorite may represent a new category of Martian rock, and Martian meteorites are rare, with only a few hundred confirmed samples.
- 72 The website discusses recent scientific breakthroughs, including a preference in human turning direction, the creation of nuclear clocks, a brain implant for ALS communication, a meteorite impact discovery in Australia, and the identification of autism subtypes.
- 71 The website reports on the first-ever filming of goblin sharks, California's proximity to a major earthquake, physicists splitting a photon into a swarm of particles, and the rediscovery of a dwarf fox in Cozumel, Mexico.
- 64 The website reports that a Martian meteorite in the Royal Ontario Museum revealed garnet grains, a mineral not previously confirmed in Martian samples, suggesting new geological insights about Mars.
- 62 The website discusses the impact of a 2011 earthquake in Japan, highlighting how a seismic wave reflected off Earth's core caused the country to shift east. It also notes the unprecedented nature of this core-reflected wave triggering fault slips.
- 73 The website discusses the ongoing issues with leaks on the International Space Station, highlighting tensions between NASA and Roscosmos over proposed repair methods, including the use of a handsaw. The PrK module has been leaking since 2019, and there are concerns about its future use.
- 87 The Mandela Effect involves people remembering events differently from reality. The term was coined in 2009 after false memories of Nelson Mandela's death in the 1980s. Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and died in 2013. The phenomenon is linked to misremembered movie quotes, logos, and brand names, and scientists associate it with false memories.
- 80 The text claims that the boomslang snake in Africa has venom that prevents blood clotting and causes bleeding from body openings.
- 29 People blink over 10,000,000 times a year.
- 86 Involuntary stretching of muscles after sleep is called pandiculation.
- 88 Lithium is used in batteries for its high electrochemical activity, as confirmed by studies.
- 61 The text suggests that mice and rats do not like cheese and mentions a study indicating Parmesan smell is unpleasant to them.
- 83 The text states that the earth’s circumference is 24,900 miles.
- 60 The website discusses the presence of microbes in Earth's stratosphere, their similarity to common microbes on Earth, and their potential for global movement. It also covers historical high-altitude experiments by the U.S. and Soviet scientists.
- 82 The text states that human femur bones are stronger than concrete.
- 74 Rats know how to laugh.
- 65 The text claims that a parasite affects half of the planet, impacting brain functions and encouraging risky behaviors. It connects Toxoplasma gondii, spread by cats, to increased dopamine production and risky behaviors. WHO states it infects 30-50% worldwide.
- 25 The text states that under the influence of alcohol, the brain forms the truth more easily.
- 68 The text claims that a baby can send stem cells to help heal a damaged organ in its pregnant mother.
- 69 SETI scientists scanned the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS for radio technosignatures and found no evidence of artificial signals. 3I/ATLAS was the third confirmed interstellar object seen passing through the Sun’s neighborhood, with an orbital eccentricity estimated at 6.137. The Allen Telescope Array observed it for 7.25 hours, detecting 73,974,799 narrowband hits, all attributed to radio frequency interference.
- 69 The website reports on recent scientific discoveries, including the measurement of a dormant black hole's mass, evidence of a protoplanet from a meteorite, the end of NASA's MAVEN probe, and the creation of a universal vaccine by AI.
- 59 The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean monitoring system, sparking concerns among scientists about the impact on ocean data collection and climate science.
- 39 Scientists found that the sky looks bluer over Rio de Janeiro than anywhere else.
- 33 Veins appear blue because subcutaneous fat allows blue light to penetrate to the veins, reflecting blue color.
- 82 A rainbow that appears at night is called a 'moonbow.'
- 68 Firefighters use chemicals to enhance water's effectiveness by reducing surface tension, allowing it to spread and soak better into objects.
- 70 Astronomers recorded radio waves from Proxima Centauri at 980 megahertz, located 4.2 light years from the Sun.
- 63 The website discusses the discovery of viable yeasts in Ötzi the Iceman's remains, suggesting that his preservation is dynamic due to microbial activity. It highlights the importance of understanding these microbes for the preservation of Ötzi's remains.
- 60 The physiology of birds enables them to inhale during exhalation, ensuring a continuous air supply.
- 50 Music influences the brain in a way that can change how you think and perceive the world.
- 71 The text claims the human liver can regenerate itself, even if 70% is removed.
- 50 Curvy women are suggested to be more intelligent due to fatty acids in their hips enhancing mental abilities, according to a study.
- 50 In 2015, a 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite was found in Antarctica, containing star dust, offering insights into the universe's birth according to scientists.
- 50 The text states that the same part of the brain is responsible for feeling lonely as it is for physical pain.
- 50 The text states that rotten eggs float and fresh eggs sink in water.
- 36 Two rats in an ideal environment can turn into 482 million rats over three years.
- 85 The text claims that every second, the Sun produces significantly more energy than humanity has generated in its entire history.
- 12 The text addresses the myth that blood is blue in the body until it is exposed to air, explaining that blood is red inside and outside the body, but appears blue due to light scattering by tissue. It also notes that blood color varies with oxygen levels.
- 80 A sniper bullet travels faster than the speed of sound, causing you to be hit before hearing the gunshot.
- 38 Certain sounds or music can induce euphoria in listeners, including tingles down the spine towards the knees.
- 52 Evacuation orders were issued for 40,000 people in California due to an explosion threat from a chemical tank at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove. The tank contains methyl methacrylate, and over a dozen schools have temporarily closed.
- 51 The text discusses Germany's energy transition's high costs, the limits of its renewable energy network, and the absence of nuclear power. It highlights modular reactors' economy, the long timeline for fusion, and gas as a backup in adverse weather. Germany's policy decisions on energy and the role of Switzerland are also mentioned.
- 45 The text discusses the effectiveness of Omega XL as a supplement for reducing joint pain and includes its ingredients and comparisons to fish oil supplements.
- 80 The callipyge genetic mutation in sheep leads to unusually large butts.
- 79 Finger crunching does not harm the bones or cause arthritis; the sound is from gas bubbles bursting.
- 68 Eating cheese before bed may improve sleep. British research from 2005 suggests tryptophan in cheese positively affects the nervous system, reducing stress and anxiety.
- 62 The text claims that sunburn is caused by DNA damage in skin cells to prevent cancer.
- 82 Petricor is the official name for the smell of rain.
- 79 The website discusses the discovery of a new species of ghost pipefish named Solenostomus snuffleupagus, found near Australia and Papua New Guinea. It highlights the fish's unique features, evolutionary history, and range.
- 65 The text suggests breathing on a diamond checks its authenticity; condensation appears on fakes, not on diamonds.
- 49 Scientists are finding new unknown bacteria in the bellybutton, including a bacterium previously found only on Japanese soil.
- 20 The text states that our planet moves through space at a speed of 2.16 million kilometers per hour.
- 42 The Indian army spent 6 months observing what they believed were Chinese spy drones, which were actually the planets Jupiter and Venus.
- 54 Wonderful World is a Telegram channel showcasing cinematic landscapes, amazing animals, and surreal places, focusing on beauty without politics.
- 68 Scientists discovered a crystal at the site of the Trinity test, the world's first nuclear explosion, which should not exist on Earth. The explosion released 21 kilotons of TNT, forming a unique calcium copper silicate clathrate.
- 57 The Mpemba effect suggests hot water can freeze faster than cold water.
- 61 The text describes young surgeons in Israel practicing surgery on grapes to develop precision and skill without using real tissues, due to the grape's structural similarity to human organs like the liver and kidneys.
- 86 A person who weighs 45 kilograms on Earth would weigh approximately 3 kilograms on Pluto due to Pluto's gravity.
- 65 The text states that all human beings have skin covered in stripes called Blaschko’s Lines, which cover the body from head to toe but are invisible to us.
- 57 Some metals known as shape-memory alloys can remember their shape and return to form when heated.
- 34 The text describes a reaction involving toothpaste, cola, and hydrogen peroxide, producing foam that is claimed to be so discharged that it can fly.
- 78 Scientists claim that adult crows are smarter than a four-year-old child and much smarter than most animals.
- 64 The website discusses the Pentagon's release of UFO files, highlighting reports of unexplained aerial phenomena and the ongoing investigation into these sightings.
- 64 The video discusses the search and discoveries related to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, including new technological efforts and the discovery of wreckage that contradicts the official narrative.
- 41 The text claims there is a fungus called Dictyophora in Hawaii that when smelled can trigger spontaneous orgasms in women due to an odor it secretes.
- 60 Iron and oxygen account for most of the Earth's mass.
- 25 The text claims unfiltered beer is 10 times healthier than milk, supposedly proven by the Munich Beer Institute.
- 74 The website discusses a study showing that tagged sharks can collect ocean climate data, improving climate forecasts by up to 40%. It highlights the integration of animal-borne sensor data into climate models and the complementary role of these sensors to traditional systems.
- 63 NASA satellite data supports wildlife conservation by revealing the journeys of golden eagles, aiding in their protection. The data is used to track eagle migration and identify hazards, such as electrocution risks in Alaska. The Room to Roam project, led by Ohio State University, is part of this effort.
- 78 Pierre Sikivie, a UF Distinguished Professor Emeritus, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his work on axions, hypothetical particles related to dark matter. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Galileo Galilei Medal and AAAS Lifetime Fellow recognition.
- 100 A tornado forms in a thunderstorm and appears as a dark funnel with spinning air.
- 57 Astronomers found Uranus smells like rotten eggs due to hydrogen sulfide in its atmosphere, detected by a telescope in Hawaii.
- 74 Brain-eating amoebas inhabit freshwater, can enter the body through the nose, and consume brain tissue.
- 80 In South Korea, dogs can be cloned and the service costs $100,000.
- 64 Chewing gum is claimed to boost concentration, with a 2013 study suggesting gum chewing helps maintain focus during memory challenges.
- 73 The website discusses the discovery of a new organelle in ciliates that may influence methane production in cattle, highlighting the potential for reducing methane emissions by targeting specific ciliate species.
- 50 A woman in India covered her car with cow poop, believing it cools the car.
- 50 The text claims that gold reserves worth 700 quintillion dollars have been found on the asteroid Psyche 16, enough to make everyone on Earth a billionaire.
