412 Science claim verifications avg. score 5.9/10 212 rated true or mostly true 152 rated false or mostly false
“A planting density of 300 industrial hemp plants per hectare is an appropriate agronomic recommendation for industrial hemp grown for fiber production.”
The claim is not supported by agronomic evidence. Reliable guidance for fiber hemp recommends very dense stands—commonly around 150 to 300 plants per square meter, not 300 plants per hectare. At 300 per hectare, the crop would be far too sparse for proper weed suppression and fiber production, so the recommendation is agronomically indefensible as written.
“In conflict resolution research, the Big Five personality trait neuroticism is positively associated with an avoiding conflict style.”
The literature generally supports this association. Several direct studies and synthesis materials find that higher neuroticism is linked to more avoidant or withdrawal-based conflict handling, but the exact pattern depends on how “avoiding” is measured and on the sample studied. Some cited evidence concerns conflict frequency rather than conflict style and does not directly bear on the claim.
“Phase relations (weight-volume relationships) are a fundamental framework in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering for quantifying soil composition.”
The evidence shows this is a standard, foundational concept in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. Across textbooks and university engineering materials, phase or weight-volume relationships are used to quantify soil composition and related index properties. Empirical field correlations may supplement them in practice, but they do not replace their core theoretical role.
“The chemical name of diclofenac is 2-[(2,6-dichlorophenyl)amino]phenylacetic acid.”
The stated name correctly identifies diclofenac’s free-acid form. Authoritative references often prefer equivalent variants such as "benzeneacetic acid" or "dichloroanilino" wording, but these describe the same structure. The statement is accurate, though it is not the only standard naming form for diclofenac.
“Dishwashing detergent dissolves grease better than plain water because dishwashing detergent can be mildly alkaline, which helps break down and remove greasy dirt.”
Dishwashing detergent does remove grease better than plain water, and mild alkalinity can help loosen fatty soils. But the main reason detergents work is usually their surfactants, which let oil mix with water and rinse away. The claim is broadly accurate, but it gives alkalinity more explanatory weight than it usually deserves.
“Linalyl acetate and alpha-bisabolol acetate can destabilize the outer membrane of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri.”
The cited evidence does not demonstrate that linalyl acetate and α-bisabolol acetate destabilize the outer membrane of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri. Most of the support comes from other organisms, other compounds, or studies of general membrane disruption that do not isolate the Gram-negative outer membrane. The claim overstates what the literature currently shows, especially for α-bisabolol acetate.
“In cement paste, cement and water chemically react in a process called hydration to form the binding material that holds the mixture together.”
The claim matches standard cement science. In cement paste, water reacts chemically with cement in hydration, producing solid hydrates—most importantly C-S-H—that bind the paste and give it strength. The statement is simplified, but the omitted details about different cement phases and secondary reactions do not change its core accuracy.
“The mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex mediates rapid Ca²⁺ uptake into mitochondria driven by the large negative inner mitochondrial membrane potential.”
The evidence strongly supports this description of mitochondrial calcium transport. Across reviews, structural studies, and foundational papers, the MCU complex is identified as the canonical pathway for rapid Ca2+ uptake into the mitochondrial matrix, powered by the large negative inner mitochondrial membrane potential. Caveats about regulation and debated alternative pathways do not change that core conclusion.
“Humans evolved gradually, so there was no first woman.”
The core idea is sound: human evolution did not produce a single, clear-cut first human woman. Evolution works through gradual changes across populations, so there is no sharp biological moment when one female was the first fully human woman. The claim overstates slightly because named ancestral women such as mitochondrial Eve existed, but they were not the first woman and lived among many others.
“An AI does not know whether it is conscious.”
The evidence supports this as a claim about current AI, not as a timeless rule. Existing AI systems have no established way to detect or confirm their own consciousness, and their self-descriptions are better explained as generated outputs than privileged self-knowledge. The statement overreaches only because some philosophical accounts leave open the possibility that a different, genuinely conscious AI could know this in principle.
“Red shoes do not have any particular effect.”
The claim is not supported because research shows red shoes can affect how people are perceived in specific contexts. Studies on the “red sneakers effect” found changes in status and competence judgments, and broader red-color research links red to attention and dominance-related responses. The effects are not universal, but that does not make them nonexistent.
“Stepping into a lit fireplace and stating a location will instantly travel you to that location.”
The claim is not supported by reality and would result in injury, not transport. Scientific sources do not show any mechanism for instantaneous human teleportation through fireplaces, while medical evidence shows open flames cause burns. Even as a reference to Harry Potter fiction, the statement is wrong as phrased: Floo travel requires additional conditions, not simply stepping into a lit fireplace and naming a place.
“The majority of a human's brain is almost always active.”
The claim captures the broad scientific picture that the human brain is active across most states, including rest and sleep, rather than lying mostly dormant. However, it overstates precision: activity is uneven across regions, and deep non-REM sleep significantly lowers overall brain metabolism. The statement is best understood as a rebuttal to the "10% of the brain" myth, not as a strict quantitative rule.
“Tiger sharks will sink if they stop swimming.”
Tiger sharks do tend to sink in open water if they stop swimming because they are slightly negatively buoyant. But the broad wording leaves out crucial context: they can still stop swimming, keep breathing, and rest motionless on the seafloor. That omission changes the practical takeaway, so the claim is better treated as an oversimplification than a cleanly true statement.
“Bears usually sit on chairs.”
The evidence does not support this claim. Bears commonly sit on their haunches on the ground, logs, rocks, or other natural surfaces, but there is no credible evidence that they usually sit on chairs. The chair examples are isolated novelty incidents, not typical bear behavior.
“A quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay has been developed and validated to detect Gastrodiscoides hominis DNA in clinical or environmental samples.”
The evidence does not support the existence of a developed and validated qPCR assay for Gastrodiscoides hominis. Sources that directly discuss this parasite describe microscopy-based diagnosis and, at most, conventional PCR for sequence characterization. The qPCR papers in the record concern other organisms and cannot substantiate a G. hominis-specific assay in clinical or environmental samples.
“Members of the phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms) lack a specialized circulatory system.”
The evidence strongly supports this statement. Standard biology references consistently describe Platyhelminthes as lacking a dedicated circulatory system, with gases and nutrients moving mainly by diffusion and, in larger forms, through a branched gastrovascular cavity. That cavity assists transport but does not qualify as a specialized circulatory system.
“The odor of traditional Chinese medicinal materials primarily comes from volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, including terpenes, alcohols, esters, aldehydes and ketones, aromatic compounds, and small amounts of sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing compounds.”
The core description is well supported by peer-reviewed reviews and GC-MS studies. Across traditional Chinese medicinal materials, odor is generally driven by volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, and the listed families are common major contributors. The main caveat is that the list is not complete: some materials also contain substantial alkanes, acids, amides, lipids, or other odor-relevant compounds.
“The dominant geological unit exposed at Punta Carballo, Costa Rica, is part of the Nicoya Complex (Nicoya Ophiolite).”
The evidence does not support describing Punta Carballo’s dominant exposed rocks as Nicoya Ophiolite. Locality-specific studies and mapping identify the main coastal exposures there as the Punta Carballo Formation, a younger sedimentary unit derived from the Nicoya Complex but distinct from it. The claim blurs the difference between regional basement geology and what is actually exposed at the surface.
“In recent years, deforestation and logging rates in the Amazon rainforest have accelerated, and the spatial patterns of forest loss in the Amazon rainforest have changed.”
The statement blends a real past surge with an inaccurate present-tense impression. Amazon deforestation did accelerate in roughly 2019–2022, and the geography of forest loss has changed, but the strongest recent data for 2023–2025 show deforestation falling substantially rather than continuing to accelerate. The spatial-shift evidence is also better established over decades than as a uniquely recent development.