959 published verifications avg. score 4.7/10 329 rated true or mostly true 629 rated false or misleading
“Nuclear fission will continue to be used as an energy source over the next 20 years.”
This claim is clearly true. With approximately 440 nuclear fission reactors currently operating worldwide, over 70 under construction, and every major energy forecasting body (IAEA, IEA, World Nuclear Association) projecting continued and growing nuclear capacity through at least 2050, nuclear fission will unambiguously remain in use as an energy source over the next 20 years. Even the most pessimistic credible analyses acknowledge record nuclear output and hundreds of reactors operating well into the 2040s.
“Drinking milk contributes to increased height growth in humans.”
Multiple observational studies show a consistent association between milk consumption and greater height in children and adolescents. However, the strongest causal evidence — a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials — found no statistically significant effect of milk interventions on height, and a systematic review of controlled trials calls results "inconclusive." Genetics accounts for roughly 80% of height variation. The claim that milk "contributes to" height growth overstates what the experimental evidence supports, presenting an observed correlation as an established causal relationship.
“Statistical data shows that women have worse driving records than men.”
This claim is false. The most authoritative data — from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and peer-reviewed research — consistently shows that men have higher crash rates than women when properly adjusted for driving exposure. Men's fatal crash involvement per 100 million miles is 63% higher than women's. The argument that women have "worse records" relies on poorly defined per-capita metrics from low-authority law-firm blogs, which lack valid denominators and conflict with rigorous, exposure-controlled studies.
“Birds flying at low altitudes is a reliable indicator of an approaching storm.”
There is genuine science behind the idea: birds have baroreceptors that detect falling air pressure before storms, and some species do fly lower in response. However, calling this a "reliable indicator" overstates the evidence. Birds also fly low for feeding, migration, and other non-weather reasons, creating a high false-positive rate. Even the National Environmental Education Foundation notes that low-flying birds "do not always foretell bad weather." No field study has established a validated predictive accuracy rate across species or conditions.
“Shaving hair causes it to grow back thicker and darker than before.”
This is a longstanding myth with no scientific support. Shaving does not cause hair to grow back thicker or darker. Major medical authorities (Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic) and controlled human studies dating back to 1928 confirm that shaving has no effect on hair thickness, color, or growth rate. The "thicker and darker" appearance people notice is an optical illusion: shaving creates blunt-cut tips that feel coarser and look darker compared to naturally tapered, sun-lightened hair ends.
“SPF 50 sunscreen is stronger than necessary for most people.”
This claim is misleading. While it's technically true that SPF 30 blocks ~97% of UVB rays versus ~98% for SPF 50 under ideal lab conditions, most people apply only 20–50% of the recommended amount. That means an SPF 50 sunscreen may deliver only ~SPF 25 in real-world use, making it a practical necessity rather than overkill. Major dermatology organizations recommend SPF 30 as a minimum, not a ceiling, and the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends SPF 50+ for extended outdoor exposure.
“Short distance driving without allowing the engine to warm up increases engine wear.”
The claim is largely accurate. It is well-established in automotive engineering that cold starts cause elevated engine wear due to insufficient oil circulation, loose metal tolerances, and fuel dilution — and short trips multiply cold-start frequency per mile driven. However, the claim oversimplifies: the severity varies significantly by oil type, ambient temperature, engine age, and vehicle design. Modern synthetic oils and engine management systems have substantially reduced (though not eliminated) this effect. Idling to "warm up" is itself counterproductive; gentle driving is the recommended approach.
“The mathematical equation 1+1 equals 2.”
The claim is mathematically true. Multiple credible sources confirm that 1+1=2 within standard mathematical systems (Peano arithmetic, set theory), including rigorous proofs from Russell and Whitehead's foundational work. The equation holds in ordinary mathematics as universally understood.
“Environmental factors have a greater influence on human development than genetic factors.”
This claim significantly oversimplifies the science. While environmental factors are important, peer-reviewed research shows the balance between genes and environment is highly trait-specific: genetics accounts for 50–80% of variance in cognition/intelligence, and the broadest meta-analysis (14.5 million twin pairs) found only a roughly 51/49 split that includes measurement error. Modern behavioral genetics emphasizes gene-environment interplay, not the dominance of either factor. The blanket claim of environmental superiority is not supported by the weight of evidence.
“The Earth has a flat shape rather than a spherical shape.”
The claim is false. Multiple independent, repeatable observations (satellite/space imagery, Earth’s consistently round shadow during lunar eclipses, horizon and latitude/star-visibility effects, and circumnavigation) confirm Earth is an oblate spheroid. The cited sources unanimously refute flat-Earth arguments; no credible evidence in the record supports a flat Earth.
“The ABC conjecture has been proven as of March 18, 2026.”
The ABC conjecture has not been proven in any broadly accepted sense as of March 18, 2026. While Mochizuki's proof was published by RIMS in Kyoto, leading mathematicians including Peter Scholze and Jakob Stix identified a serious, unfixable gap that remains unresolved. The RIMS publication carries a conflict of interest, and Joshi's subsequent defense is explicitly conditional on acceptance of enhancements the community has not endorsed. As of early 2026, the conjecture remains "a theorem in Kyoto, a conjecture everywhere else."
“Electric vehicles have a higher total carbon footprint than gasoline-powered cars.”
This claim is false. While electric vehicles do have higher manufacturing emissions — particularly from battery production — every major lifecycle assessment from authoritative sources (US EPA, EU Climate Action, peer-reviewed studies) finds that these are typically offset by lower emissions during the vehicle's use phase. Over a full cradle-to-grave lifecycle, EVs produce significantly less CO₂ than comparable gasoline cars on most electricity grids. The claim cherry-picks production-phase data and misapplies unrelated macro-level studies to reach an unsupported conclusion.
“Some species of baleen whales, including the blue whale, are the largest known animals in the world.”
This claim is true. The blue whale, a baleen whale, is widely recognized by authoritative sources—including Britannica, NOAA Fisheries, and Guinness World Records—as the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth, measured by mass and overall body size. The phrasing "some species of baleen whales, including the blue whale" is logically satisfied by the blue whale alone. The only minor caveat is that by linear length, the bootlace worm exceeds the blue whale, but "largest" conventionally refers to overall size, not length.
“Jim Simons kept his trading practices secret because he did not understand how he achieved his investment returns.”
The claim is false. The only supporting evidence refers to Simons' early 1980s period when he traded on intuition and lost money, not his later systematic approach that generated massive returns. Multiple sources show he clearly understood his data-driven methodology.
“The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the world.”
The peregrine falcon is widely recognized as the fastest animal on Earth, with Guinness World Records certifying diving speeds up to 389 km/h (242 mph). This is confirmed by Britannica, Audubon, and other authoritative sources, and no other animal has been documented moving faster in any mode of locomotion. The one caveat: this record speed occurs only during a specialized hunting dive (stoop), not in level flight, where the peregrine is far slower. The claim reflects established consensus but omits this important context.
“The cheetah is the fastest land animal on Earth.”
The cheetah is universally recognized as the fastest land animal by maximum sprint speed, with documented top speeds of 103–114 km/h. This is confirmed by Britannica, Guinness World Records, Imperial College London research, and peer-reviewed studies. The pronghorn excels at sustained endurance speed over longer distances, but "fastest land animal" conventionally refers to top sprint speed — and on that metric, the cheetah's title is uncontested.
“Most adults of Western descent are unable to digest milk due to lactose intolerance.”
This claim is false. In medical and genetic contexts, "Western descent" refers to European ancestry — the population with the highest rates of lactase persistence worldwide. Studies consistently show only 5–28% of Europeans are lactose intolerant, meaning the vast majority can digest milk. The claim appears to confuse global lactose intolerance rates (68%) with rates specific to European-descended populations. Lactase persistence evolved in European populations over millennia of dairy farming, making lactose tolerance — not intolerance — the norm.
“Making abortion free of charge results in an increased rate of abortions being used as a method of contraception.”
This claim is misleading. While research shows that reducing the cost of abortion increases the number of abortions among women already facing unintended pregnancies, the specific assertion that free abortion leads women to use it as a method of contraception is not supported by the evidence. The most-cited historical example (Soviet era) is confounded by simultaneous contraceptive scarcity. Studies on repeat abortion find these patients were often already using contraception, not forgoing it. The claim conflates price sensitivity with intentional contraceptive substitution—a leap the research does not support.
“Exposure to urban air pollution is a direct cause of dementia.”
The claim that urban air pollution is a "direct cause" of dementia overstates the scientific evidence. Multiple high-quality reviews and meta-analyses consistently show a strong association between long-term air pollution exposure (especially PM2.5) and increased dementia risk, with plausible biological mechanisms identified. However, authoritative sources — including the Alzheimer's Society and recent systematic reviews — explicitly state that a direct causal link has not been proven. The accurate framing is that air pollution is a significant modifiable risk factor for dementia, not a confirmed direct cause.
“Current atmospheric CO2 levels are not unprecedented when compared to levels found throughout Earth's full geological record.”
The claim is technically accurate: multiple peer-reviewed studies confirm CO2 exceeded 1,000–2,000 ppm during earlier geological periods (e.g., Mesozoic, Eocene), well above today's ~422 ppm. However, the claim omits critical context. Current CO2 is the highest in at least 14 million years, the rate of increase is roughly 100 times faster than any known natural rise, and deep-time CO2 estimates carry large uncertainties (±500 ppm). The literal statement is defensible, but its framing can create a misleading impression that today's levels are unremarkable.