Going viral

China has developed a functional artificial womb capable of supporting human reproduction.

This claim is false. The viral "pregnancy robot" story originated from Kaiwa Technology, whose founder later retracted the claims, clarifying the company only manufactured a humanoid shell — not an artificial womb. Fact-checkers and scientific experts confirm that full-term human ectogenesis remains far beyond current capabilities. No peer-reviewed evidence supports the existence of a functional artificial womb for human reproduction. Existing technologies like embryo-monitoring incubators and "mini-womb on a chip" platforms are categorically different from a system capable of gestating a human baby to term.

Tennis balls can cause significant dental wear in dogs, a condition sometimes referred to as 'tennis ball mouth'.

The claim is largely accurate. Multiple veterinary and canine dental sources confirm that the abrasive felt on tennis balls — especially when contaminated with sand or grit — can wear down enamel and dentin in dogs, producing flattened crowns and clinically meaningful dental damage. The term "tennis ball mouth" is used informally to describe this condition, though it is not a standardized veterinary diagnosis. The main caveat: significant wear typically occurs in dogs that chew obsessively or for prolonged periods, not from occasional fetch play.

The Earth will experience a loss of gravity for seven seconds during the solar eclipse in August 2026.

This claim is false. NASA has explicitly stated that a solar eclipse has "no unusual impact on Earth's gravity" and that Earth cannot "lose gravity" without losing mass. The claim originated from a viral social media conspiracy post. While eclipses produce tiny, ordinary tidal variations in local gravity (on the order of 0.0000178%), this is not a "loss of gravity" — and certainly not a seven-second global shutdown. No credible scientific evidence supports this claim.

Bitcoin is expected to surpass the US dollar as the world's primary reserve currency.

This claim is false. The US dollar holds roughly 58% of global foreign exchange reserves, while no central bank currently holds Bitcoin as reserves. No credible, independent expert consensus supports the expectation that Bitcoin will surpass the dollar as the world's primary reserve currency. The most optimistic pro-Bitcoin analysis (from a crypto exchange) only suggests a conditional "earliest plausible window" of 2046 — contingent on multiple unmet conditions — which is a speculative scenario, not a mainstream expectation.

The COVID-19 virus was engineered in a laboratory.

The claim that COVID-19 was "engineered" in a laboratory is not supported by the available evidence. While some U.S. intelligence agencies and political bodies have entertained a "lab leak" or "research-related incident" as plausible, this is a fundamentally different claim from deliberate genetic engineering. The WHO, peer-reviewed genomic analyses, and scientific meta-analyses consistently find no credible evidence of engineering, and most intelligence assessments explicitly state the virus was probably not genetically engineered.

Cadbury is selling 'Eid Eggs' in UK supermarkets to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

Cadbury is not selling "Eid Eggs" in UK supermarkets. The viral image is fabricated misinformation. Multiple independent fact-checkers (Full Fact, Snopes, The Journal) confirmed in February 2026 that the product does not exist. Cadbury's parent company Mondelēz International explicitly denied it. The social media account that originated the claim included "Semper parodius" (mock Latin for "Always Parody") in its profile. Cadbury's actual 2026 seasonal lineup includes only Easter-themed products.

Cold plunges increase testosterone levels in men.

This claim is not supported by the scientific evidence. The highest-quality peer-reviewed studies show cold-water immersion either blunts or decreases testosterone levels in men. The only sources supporting the claim are commercial cold plunge and cryotherapy vendors with clear financial conflicts of interest, and even one of those admits no definitive clinical trial exists. Any reported increases are trivially small (~5%), transient, and within normal hormonal fluctuation — not meaningful testosterone boosts.

Adopting an intentionally optimistic mindset, often referred to as 'delulu', increases self-confidence.

While research shows optimism correlates with self-confidence and well-being, no peer-reviewed study has tested whether intentionally adopting a "delulu" mindset causes increased self-confidence. The claim conflates a loosely defined internet slang term with studied psychological constructs like optimism, treats correlation as causation, and omits evidence that excessive or unrealistic optimism can lead to poor decision-making and burnout. The core idea has a grain of truth, but the claim as stated significantly overstates what the evidence supports.

Practicing bedtime stacking, which involves engaging in activities such as reading, journaling, or self-care in bed before sleep, improves sleep quality compared to using the bed only for sleep.

This claim is not supported by the available evidence. Mainstream sleep medicine — including CBT-I stimulus control protocols and guidance from Harvard Health, the Cleveland Clinic, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine — explicitly recommends reserving the bed for sleep (and sex) only, warning that in-bed activities like reading or journaling can condition wakefulness and worsen sleep quality. No rigorous study in the evidence base compares "bedtime stacking" in bed against a bed-only-for-sleep approach and finds it superior.

The number of avalanches in the Alps has increased significantly in 2026 compared to previous years, and this increase is attributed to climate change.

The claim is not supported by the available evidence. No Alps-wide data shows a significant increase in avalanche numbers in 2026. The only quantitative indicator — roughly 105 fatalities in the 2025–26 season — is described by official sources as in line with the long-term average of ~100. The strongest peer-reviewed research on Alpine avalanches and climate change projects a net reduction in total avalanche activity under warming, with only a compositional shift toward more wet-snow events. The claim overstates both the trend and the attribution.

Taylor Swift performed live at a wedding held in Jamnagar, India.

Taylor Swift did not perform at a wedding in Jamnagar, India. Multiple fact-checks from major Indian news outlets confirm the viral video actually shows Ashley Leechin, a Taylor Swift lookalike and tribute artist. Swift was not present at the event and did not travel to India for it. An earlier report about Swift being "in talks" for a different Indian celebration remains unconfirmed and is unrelated to the Jamnagar wedding in question.

Wrapping plastic around the mouth causes weight loss.

This claim is false. No scientific evidence supports wrapping plastic around the mouth as a weight-loss method. Medical experts, including gastroenterologists, confirm the viral trend has no validated mechanism for fat reduction. Any minor weight change would result from simply not eating — not from the plastic itself — and would likely be temporary water loss. The practice poses serious health risks including choking, microplastic ingestion, and reinforcement of disordered eating behaviors.

As of March 1, 2026, the United States Department of Justice has released only 2% of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

This claim is false. By January 30, 2026 — over a month before the claim's stated date of March 1, 2026 — the DOJ had released nearly 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related materials, along with thousands of videos and 180,000 images, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche declared the review complete. The "only 2%" figure has no basis in the evidence as of the claim's reference date.

Jeffrey Epstein created Bitcoin.

This claim is false. Bitcoin was created by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, who published its whitepaper in October 2008 and launched the network in January 2009. Jeffrey Epstein's documented involvement in cryptocurrency — investments in Coinbase, Blockstream, and MIT's Digital Currency Initiative — all occurred in 2014–2015, years after Bitcoin already existed. Viral emails claiming Epstein was Satoshi Nakamoto were confirmed to be doctored fakes. No credible evidence links Epstein to Bitcoin's creation.

As of March 1, 2026, Kendrick Lamar has not released any album that has surpassed 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' and 'Section.80' in critical or commercial success.

This claim is false. Multiple Kendrick Lamar albums have surpassed both *good kid, m.A.A.d city* and *Section.80* in critical and/or commercial success. *To Pimp a Butterfly* holds a 96 Metacritic score — the highest-rated hip-hop album ever — and debuted at No. 1 with 363k first-week units versus GKMC's 241k. *DAMN.* won the Pulitzer Prize for Music and is Kendrick's biggest-selling album globally. *Section.80* only recently went Platinum, making it one of his least commercially successful releases.