2114 published verifications avg. score 5.4/10 926 rated true or mostly true 1187 rated false or misleading
“Tax cuts pay for themselves through economic growth by generating sufficient additional tax revenue to offset the initial revenue loss.”
The overwhelming weight of high-authority economic research directly contradicts this claim. Post-TCJA analyses from Brookings, Penn Wharton, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget consistently find that the 2017 tax cuts reduced federal revenues by hundreds of billions of dollars, with growth-driven feedback offsetting only 4.5% to 22% of the cost — nowhere near the 100% required for self-financing. Even sources sympathetic to supply-side economics acknowledge that full self-financing is rare and context-dependent, not a general rule.
“The use of antibacterial soaps contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance.”
Strong mechanistic and regulatory evidence supports that antibacterial soaps — particularly those containing triclosan — contribute to antibiotic resistance development. Multiple peer-reviewed studies show triclosan exposure selects for bacteria with cross-resistance to clinical antibiotics, and the FDA banned triclosan from consumer soaps in 2016 partly on these grounds. However, the claim overgeneralizes: triclosan-based soaps are now largely off the market, the evidence gap between laboratory findings and real-world population-level causation persists, and not all antibacterial soap ingredients carry the same risk profile.
“Triclosan, when present in consumer products, breaks down into chloroform and dioxin upon release into the environment.”
Triclosan does degrade into both chloroform and dioxin-class compounds, but through two separate, condition-dependent pathways — not as an automatic consequence of any environmental release. Chloroform forms when triclosan contacts chlorinated water (e.g., during water treatment), while dioxin-like compounds form under UV photolysis in sunlit surface waters. The claim's core chemistry is supported by peer-reviewed research and regulatory reviews, but its blanket phrasing overstates the inevitability and omits that conversion rates are partial and other degradation products are often more prominent.
“A lake in Antarctica transformed from ocean water to freshwater over approximately 6,000 years.”
The underlying fact is real but significantly overstated. Mercer Subglacial Lake in Antarctica is indeed freshwater today and was connected to the ocean roughly 6,000 years ago. However, the claim implies a gradual, documented transformation spanning 6,000 years, when the evidence actually shows the marine connection ended around that time, after which freshening occurred over an unspecified — likely much shorter — period via glacial meltwater dilution. The "approximately 6,000 years" figure marks the age of the transition event, not the duration of a measured conversion process.
“Improving sleep quality significantly reduces anxiety and psychological stress levels.”
Strong evidence from multiple peer-reviewed studies and meta-analyses confirms that improving sleep quality significantly reduces anxiety symptoms. However, the claim overstates the case for psychological stress: a 2025 meta-analysis found no significant difference in stress levels compared to standard care when sleep was improved. The sleep-anxiety relationship is also bidirectional, meaning reduced anxiety can itself improve sleep. The claim is well-grounded for anxiety but less conclusively supported for stress reduction specifically.
“In mass tourism, a significant portion of profits is retained by large companies instead of being distributed to local communities.”
Well-documented evidence from UN/UNCTAD data and multiple academic sources confirms that tourism "leakage"—where profits flow to multinational hotel chains, airlines, and tour operators rather than staying local—is a significant and widely observed feature of mass tourism, with leakage rates commonly ranging from 40% to 80% depending on the destination. However, the claim slightly overgeneralizes: leakage is most acute in small developing economies and all-inclusive models, and local communities can still benefit through wages, taxes, and local procurement even where profit repatriation is high.
“Ashwagandha supplementation effectively reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels in humans.”
Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses — including a 2025 BJPsych Open analysis of 15 studies — consistently show ashwagandha reduces perceived stress and cortisol levels compared to placebo. However, these benefits are best demonstrated in chronically stressed adults, not the general population. Evidence certainty is rated "low" with high heterogeneity across trials, at least one RCT found no cortisol effect in a specific subgroup, and long-term safety data remain limited. The claim is substantively supported but overstates universality.
“Adrenal fatigue syndrome is a recognized medical condition in which overworked adrenal glands produce insufficient cortisol.”
Every major medical authority — including the Endocrine Society, NIDDK, Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic — explicitly states that "adrenal fatigue" is not a recognized medical diagnosis and lacks scientific proof. A 2016 systematic review in a peer-reviewed journal found no substantiation for the concept. While adrenal insufficiency (e.g., Addison's disease) is a real condition involving low cortisol, it has distinct causes unrelated to the "overworked adrenals" mechanism described in the claim. The only sources supporting the claim come from low-authority integrative or commercial health websites.
“Donald Trump's foreign policy positions systematically favor Russian geopolitical interests.”
The word "systematically" overstates what the evidence supports. Trump's record includes over 50 documented anti-Russia actions during his first term — sanctions, diplomat expulsions, and lethal aid to Ukraine — alongside second-term moves that are more Russia-accommodating, particularly on Ukraine negotiations and NATO posture. Credible think tanks characterize the approach as transactional and evolving, not consistently pro-Russia. The claim captures a real but partial pattern while omitting substantial countervailing evidence.
“Practical steps to avoid hoaxes include being cautious of provocative headlines, checking website addresses, and cross-referencing information from multiple trusted sources.”
Multiple credible, independent institutions — including the European Commission, SFU Library, and NOAA — explicitly recommend all three steps named in the claim: scrutinizing provocative headlines, checking website URLs, and cross-referencing with trusted sources. No evidence in the source pool contradicts these recommendations. The claim presents a non-exhaustive but accurate subset of widely recognized media literacy best practices; readers should be aware that additional verification steps (such as consulting fact-checkers) are also commonly advised.
“The Earth is flat.”
Every credible source in the evidence pool — from NASA to academic institutions to science publications — directly refutes this claim. Centuries of independent empirical evidence, including horizon observations, shadow measurements, circumnavigation, and satellite imagery, conclusively demonstrate Earth is an oblate spheroid. No peer-reviewed or scientifically credible evidence supports a flat Earth model. Arguments citing ancient civilizations' beliefs or questioning observer accessibility rely on well-documented logical fallacies and do not constitute evidence for flatness.
“Pregnant women should avoid eating crab due to health risks.”
This claim is false. Major health authorities including the EPA, FDA, and NHS do not advise pregnant women to avoid crab. The EPA-FDA explicitly lists crab as a "Best Choice" seafood for pregnant women due to its low mercury content. The NHS caution applies only to raw or undercooked shellfish, not properly cooked crab. Guidance recommends eating cooked crab within standard seafood serving limits — not avoiding it entirely. A blanket avoidance recommendation is unsupported and could deprive mothers and babies of beneficial nutrients.
“Adolf Hitler had Jewish ancestry or was of Jewish heritage.”
The overwhelming weight of historical scholarship and the most recent DNA analysis (2025) firmly reject the claim that Hitler had Jewish ancestry. The rumor traces back to Hans Frank's discredited postwar memoir and an undocumented gap in Alois Hitler's paternity — neither of which constitutes evidence. A single minority study noting a Jewish community in Graz does not establish any link to Hitler's lineage, and the haplogroup E1b1b argument conflates statistical rarity with ethnic identity.
“No human has ever landed on the Moon as of April 8, 2026.”
This claim is flatly contradicted by the established historical record and every credible source in the evidence pool. NASA documentation, independent scientific institutions, and physical evidence — including 382 kg of returned lunar samples and orbital imagery of landing sites — confirm that 12 astronauts walked on the Moon across six Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972. No credible source supports the assertion that these landings did not occur.
“Consuming caffeine while cortisol levels are elevated reduces the stimulant effect of caffeine compared to when cortisol levels are not elevated.”
The available evidence does not support this claim as stated. Studies show that habitual caffeine use can blunt caffeine's ability to further raise cortisol levels — but this is a different outcome from caffeine's stimulant effect on alertness, which is primarily mediated through adenosine receptor blockade. No source in the evidence pool directly measures whether pre-existing elevated cortisol reduces caffeine's wakefulness or alertness properties. The claim conflates two distinct physiological pathways, creating a materially misleading impression.
“In the classic missing-money puzzle involving a 100,000 loan, after spending 97,000 and repaying 2,000, the remaining debt of 98,000 equals the sum of assets held, which are 97,000 in goods and 1,000 in cash, so no money is missing.”
The arithmetic and conclusion are correct — assets of 97,000 in goods plus 1,000 in cash do equal the 98,000 remaining debt, and no money is missing. Khan Academy's explanation of this exact puzzle variant confirms the resolution. However, the claim's framing omits a key piece of context: the puzzle's confusion arises from improperly adding debt and asset figures together, a category-mixing fallacy. Simply asserting "debt equals assets" resolves the riddle's answer but doesn't explain the trick, and could itself be misread as endorsing the flawed logic the puzzle exploits.
“The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) is one of the oldest banks in Vietnam.”
BIDV's 1957 founding, well-documented by government and industry sources, makes it older than all major Vietnamese commercial banks, including Vietcombank (1963), Vietinbank, and Agribank (both 1988). The phrase "one of the oldest" is defensible. However, the State Bank of Vietnam was founded in 1951 and is officially recognized as the country's oldest banking institution. BIDV's own marketing sometimes overstates its position by claiming to be "the oldest financial institution," which is inaccurate.
“Fire-induced damage to plants reduces the primary energy source in an ecosystem, resulting in fewer trophic levels being supported.”
While fire can reduce plant productivity — the ecosystem's energy base — the leap to "fewer trophic levels" is not supported by the strongest available evidence. Peer-reviewed studies show that post-fire ecosystems often shift energy pathways (e.g., from detritus to algae-based food webs) or rebound through early-successional regrowth, maintaining multi-trophic structure even when individual species abundances decline. The claim conflates reduced biomass with the elimination of entire trophic levels, overstating fire's structural impact on food webs.
“Frequent use of the pronoun 'ia' in Indonesian texts can make the writing feel monotonous, and occasionally replacing it with the character name 'R.A. Kartini' can improve readability.”
The claim inverts what Indonesian writing guides actually teach. Authoritative sources consistently describe pronouns like "ia" as tools to reduce monotony caused by repeating proper names — not as a source of monotony themselves. No credible source supports the specific recommendation to replace "ia" with the full name "R.A. Kartini" to improve readability; this contradicts standard Indonesian stylistic guidance. The proposed remedy runs counter to the very principle it claims to serve.
“Martha Christina Tiahahu was designated as a National Hero of Indonesia on May 20, 1969.”
Multiple independent sources — including National Geographic Indonesia, an academic library, and a museum registry — consistently confirm Martha Christina Tiahahu was designated a National Hero of Indonesia on May 20, 1969, via Presidential Decree No. 012/TK/Tahun 1969. No source in the evidence pool contradicts this date or designation. The only limitation is that the primary decree text itself is not reproduced, but the convergence of specific details across diverse secondary sources meets the standard threshold for historical verification.