412 Science claim verifications avg. score 5.9/10 212 rated true or mostly true 152 rated false or mostly false
“By analytic continuation, the Riemann zeta function satisfies ζ(-1) = -1/12.”
Standard mathematical references agree that the analytically continued Riemann zeta function has value ζ(-1) = -1/12. This does not mean the ordinary series 1+2+3+4+⋯ converges to -1/12; it means the unique analytic extension of ζ(s) to s = -1 takes that value.
“Collagen extracted from cannonball jellyfish (Stomolophus sp.2) shows α-chain bands (α1 and α2) and higher-molecular-weight β and γ components on SDS-PAGE that are consistent with type I collagen.”
Primary studies on blue cannonball jellyfish report SDS-PAGE profiles with α1/α2 chains and β/γ components that match the classic pattern associated with type I collagen. Because the claim says the pattern is “consistent with” type I rather than proving identity, the evidence supports it well. The main limitation is that SDS-PAGE alone is supportive, not conclusive, for collagen typing.
“All racists have a distorted view of the world and genuinely believe that their racist behavior is not wrong.”
The evidence supports that many racist attitudes and actions involve biased perception, rationalization, or moral disengagement. It does not support the stronger claim that every racist has a distorted worldview and sincerely believes their behavior is not wrong. Some people may recognize the wrongness of racist conduct and still do it, making the universal wording unsupported.
“The metre is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.”
The claim accurately describes the metre in operational terms. Current SI sources define the metre by fixing the speed of light in vacuum at exactly 299,792,458 m/s, which is exactly equivalent to saying one metre is the distance light travels in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. The only caveat is that modern formal wording states this through c and the SI second rather than the older direct sentence.
“Telling small self-serving lies can desensitize a person and increase the likelihood that the person will tell bigger lies later.”
Evidence strongly supports a real slippery-slope effect in dishonesty. Experimental studies show that small self-serving lies can be followed by reduced emotional sensitivity and a higher chance of telling larger lies later. The main caveat is that the strongest evidence comes from controlled research settings, so the effect is best understood as a demonstrated tendency, not an inevitability in every person or situation.
“A climate-action blueprint attributed to David Attenborough calls for creating large no-fishing marine protected areas covering at least one-third of the world's oceans.”
The ocean-protection goal is real, but the claim misstates what is attached to Attenborough. His documentary and related advocacy do call for fully protected or no-fishing marine areas covering roughly a third of the ocean, yet this is not a personal climate blueprint authored by him. It is a pre-existing scientific and policy target that he publicizes.
“Climate change is a primary cause of massive heatwaves in Europe.”
The evidence strongly supports climate change as a major driver of Europe’s most severe heatwaves. Authoritative assessments and attribution studies show human-caused warming has made such events much more likely and more intense, and some recent extremes would have been extremely unlikely without it. The caveat is that individual heatwaves are still triggered by specific weather patterns such as persistent high-pressure systems.
“At a fixed temperature, changing the total air pressure (lowering it by removing air or raising it by adding air) does not significantly change the maximum amount of water vapor that a given volume of space can contain, because the saturation vapor pressure of water is nearly the same.”
The claim is accurate in ordinary atmospheric conditions. At a fixed temperature, the saturation vapor pressure of water stays essentially the same even if total air pressure changes, so the saturation-limit amount of water vapor per unit volume also stays essentially the same. The main caveat is that this assumes normal, near-ideal gas behavior rather than extreme-pressure or exotic conditions.
“A hook echo on weather radar indicates that a storm cell is going to form.”
The evidence shows the claim reverses what a hook echo means. A hook echo is a radar signature within an already formed, rotating thunderstorm—typically a supercell—not a sign that a storm cell is about to form. It is mainly associated with mesocyclone structure and possible tornado development in an existing storm.
“SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) escaped from a laboratory in China.”
The evidence does not support treating a Chinese lab escape as established fact. The most authoritative scientific reviews and institutional assessments say the origin remains unresolved, with the overall evidentiary weight leaning toward zoonotic spillover linked to the wildlife trade and Huanan market. Some intelligence bodies consider a lab-associated incident plausible, but only with low or moderate confidence and without direct proof.
“In salary negotiations, job candidates often adjust their salary expectations toward an employer-provided initial salary anchor before the employer makes further negotiation moves.”
The core claim is well supported: an initial salary figure can anchor candidates and pull their subsequent bargaining position toward it. Strong negotiation research backs this anchoring effect, including in salary contexts. The main caveat is that the best evidence more directly measures counteroffers than private expectations, and the exact timing implied by the wording is less explicitly tested.
“The Earth is not a perfect sphere.”
Earth is measurably wider at the equator than from pole to pole, so it is not a perfect sphere. Authoritative geodesy sources describe it as an oblate spheroid or ellipsoid, and the real physical surface is even more irregular when modeled as the geoid. The small size of the deviation does not change the conclusion.
“Factories in China are destroying the Earth's ozone layer.”
The evidence does not support the idea that Chinese factories are currently destroying the Earth’s ozone layer. China was a major source of illegal CFC-11 emissions in the mid-2010s, and some industrial ozone-depleting emissions still occur, but enforcement sharply reduced the known surge. The best available evidence says the ozone layer is recovering and that this episode did not significantly derail that recovery.
“Stratospheric ozone over China is significantly depleted due to pollution.”
The evidence does not support the claim that stratospheric ozone over China is significantly depleted because of pollution. Reliable sources distinguish China’s serious surface-level ozone pollution from stratospheric ozone depletion, which is primarily a global, well-mixed phenomenon. China has contributed ozone-depleting substances to the atmosphere, but the cited studies do not show major localized depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer above China.
“Physiological costs of expressing sexually selected traits (for example, elevated thermal loads) can oppose natural selection that would otherwise favor smaller or less ornamented phenotypes, especially under environmental stress.”
The evidence strongly supports this evolutionary trade-off. Multiple peer-reviewed studies show that sexually selected traits can impose thermal, metabolic, immune, or fertility costs, and these costs often become more important under environmental stress. Cases where species evolve compensatory heat tolerance do not refute the point; they confirm that the traits can carry real physiological burdens.
“Sexual dimorphism is energetically costly to produce and maintain, and these costs are expected to increase as environments become more thermally stressful.”
The central claim is supported, but it is broader than the strongest evidence. Many sexually dimorphic traits do carry energetic costs, and thermal stress generally increases metabolic strain in ways that can raise those costs. Still, the evidence is strongest for specific traits and species, and some studies show warming can reduce dimorphism through energy reallocation rather than only increasing trait-maintenance costs.
“Testosterone is the principal endocrine mechanism by which sexual selection translates into morphological sexual dimorphism.”
The evidence shows testosterone is an important and often central hormonal mediator of sexually selected, male-typical morphology in many vertebrates. But the claim goes too far by presenting it as the principal endocrine mechanism in general. Credible sources show multiple alternative hormonal pathways and taxon-specific exceptions, so the broad formulation is only partly supported.
“The size of a specific brain region correlates with a person's gender identity.”
Evidence supports a limited version of this statement: some studies have found that the size of particular brain regions is associated with gender identity or gender-diverse traits. But the effect is not consistent across studies, no single region serves as a reliable marker, and some influential findings come from small or confounded samples.
“The sum of all natural numbers (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ) equals 1/12.”
The claim is not supported as stated. In ordinary mathematics, the series 1+2+3+4+⋯ diverges, so it does not have a finite sum and certainly does not equal -1/12. That number arises only in specialized frameworks such as zeta-function regularization or Ramanujan summation, which are not the same as the usual sum of the series.
“Forensic genetic genealogy can generate investigative leads by linking a crime-scene DNA sample to biological relatives using genealogy records.”
Authoritative sources describe forensic genetic genealogy exactly this way: crime-scene DNA can be compared against genealogy databases to find biological relatives, and genealogical records can then be used to build family trees and generate investigative leads. The claim is accurate as a statement of capability, though the method does not by itself prove identity or guilt.