Is There a ‘New Outbreak’ of HPV That ‘Kills Faster than AIDS’?
27 November 2017A fabricated health scare that originated in Africa got a new lease on life in November 2017.
Tagged "Disease"
Did a Johns Hopkins Scientist Expose Flu Vaccine Dangers?
23 October 2014An anthropologist (not a doctor) penned a non-peer reviewed piece arguing that flu vaccination benefits are overestimated and that the risks have not been sufficiently highlighted.
Coconut Oil As a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease?
2 February 2012There are plausible mechanisms behind the notion that coconut oil could help with Alzheimer's, but the research is in its infancy.
Dry Drowning
17 June 2008An account of a 10-year-old boy's death explains dry drowning and its symptoms.
Florida Governor’s Wife Has Zika Mosquito Spray Business
8 September 2016Ann Scott doesn't own a mosquito spraying business, but she does have a large financial stake in a Gulf Coast company.
Catching Sexually Transmitted Diseases While Tanning
18 July 2016Despite a proliferation of scary articles, the likelihood of getting herpes from a tanning bed is very small.
Italian Doctor Finds Surprisingly Simple Cure for Multiple Sclerosis?
27 April 2016Long-debunked claims from 2009 about a novel approach to Multiple Sclerosis were misleadingly presented as news in 2016.
Three Simple Tests to Detect a Stroke
24 March 2004Rumor: Administering three simple tests will help diagnose a stroke, and pricking a stroke victim's fingers will prevent further harm from the cerebral attack.
Mastoiditis
Rumor: Parents should watch for signs of mastoiditis after their children develop ear infections.
Fraud at the CDC Uncovered?
The claim put forward in a video is that earlier MMR vaccination is associated with an increased risk of autism in African-American boys and that the CDC has spent the last 13 years covering this linkage up.
CDC Recommends Mothers Stop Breastfeeding to Boost Vaccine Efficacy?
Rumor: The CDC has recommended that mothers stop breastfeeding in order to increase vaccine efficacy.
Stanford University Has Discovered an Alzheimer’s Cure?
Rumor: Researchers at Stanford University have found a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
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Is This Video of a ‘Gyro Drop’ Amusement Park Ride Real?
14 June 2019The "Gyro Drop" is a real amusement park ride, but a popular video of it relies on some imagination.
Did Obama Pledge ‘More Flexibility’ Toward Russia After the 2012 Election?
13 December 2016In 2012, President Obama was overheard over a hot microphone telling President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia he would have "more flexibility" to negotiate with Putin after the election.
Does This Photograph Show Two Boys — One Vaccinated, One Not — Who Were Exposed to Smallpox?
13 June 2018In the early 1900s, Allan Warner documented several cases of smallpox and the effects of vaccinations.
Will Woody Be Openly Bisexual in ‘Toy Story 4?’
3 June 2019A niche genre of 'satire' sexualizes animated characters.
Does Facebook Have ‘Shake-to-Report’ Feature That Lands Users in ‘Facebook Jail’?
14 June 2019As of late May 2019, a new Facebook feature allowing users to report technical problems by shaking their phones was being rolled out gradually to all mobile accounts.