Terence Tao, often called the “Mozart of Math,” is focused on fundraising after federal research funding to UCLA was suspended. archive.ph/fxqup
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Terence Tao, often called the “Mozart of Math,” is focused on fundraising after federal research funding to UCLA was suspended. archive.ph/fxqup
The Kremlin has begun a campaign to sway the parliamentary election in Moldova in what could become a new model of election interference online.
More than 85 climate scientists declared the Department of Energy’s new climate report unfit for policymaking in a comprehensive review.
As powerful forces push back against green forces, it is little surprise that many of us feel dismay. Climate scientists do, too. But together we can take action to challenge the prevailing apathy, writes Ajit Niranjan.
Russian leader’s claim that people can ‘get younger’ through repeated organ transplants has raised eyebrows.
Scientists say ‘old-school denier nonsense’ isn’t helpful as podcaster repeatedly airs false claim on his show, reports Oliver Milman.
The self-proclaimed "Queen of Canada" cult leader arrived, cuffed and shackled, as she made her first appearance at Swift Current provincial court on Friday.
Vaccine scepticism may seem like a new, growing movement. It’s probably a lot older than you think, writes David Robert Grimes.
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said the public demands “maximum transparency” from the government concerning UAPs, reports Graig Graziosi.
Saskatchewan RCMP arrested 16 adults, including cult leader Romana Didulo, in the village of Richmound on Wednesday after a firearms investigation.
In a mix of seafood safety PSA and the kind of rambling that used to be exclusively on cable access television, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana hit the Senate floor armed with a giant picture of the freshly born chest-bursting alien from Alien, reports Luis Prada.
Ben van Kerkwyk, who runs the YouTube channel UnchartedX, appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast The Joe Rogan Experience on Thursday, where he shared claims that there are labyrinths under the pyramids of Hawara in Egypt, reports Marni Rose McFall.
Science can explain a lot, but sometimes a strange photo, a catchy headline, or a scientific term taken out of context is all it takes to spark a conspiracy theory, writes Kaif Shaikh.
Disinformation circulating online is not staying online but is feeding directly into the UK’s political debate, according to Graeme Downie MP, writes George Allison.
Scientists say ‘old-school denier nonsense’ isn’t helpful as podcaster repeatedly airs false claim on his show, reports Oliver Milman.
The president is alive — but questions and conspiracy theories are still being raised about his health, writes Sophia Tesfaye.
New U.S.-Brazil study points to ways of countering election misinformation, political scientists say, reports Kai Kupferschmidt. www.science.org/content/arti...
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doubling down on the vaccine quackery and outlandish, potentially dangerous public health ideas he’s best known for, reports Laura Esposito.
In fiery Senate testimony this week, US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr once again set his sights on the nation's top public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), writes Jim Reed.
Trump’s political success was derived by being omnipresent on every screen. So his recent absence from public view provoked speculation fed by social media algorithms promoting conspiracy theories and complete nonsense to huge numbers of people, reports Brian Stelter.
On Thursday Senators grilled Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., about vaccines and turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health experts responded to Kennedy’s claims on social media in disbelief and anger, reports Megha Satyanarayana. www.scientificamerican.com/article/sena...
As many as six candidates for Germany's far-right AfD have died in recent weeks ahead of local elections in the big western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, reports Paul Kirby.
Romana Didulo, a QAnon-inspired conspiracy theorist, has been arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) after a firearms report, reports Ali Abbas Ahmadi.
A newly uncovered medieval document is the earliest known to suggest that the Shroud of Turin, widely believed to have been used to wrap Jesus’ crucified body, is not authentic, reports Vishwam Sankaran.
Facing speculation over his health and continued pressure over the Epstein files, Trump has tapped back into the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory by sharing a cryptic post on Truth Social claiming “nothing can stop what is coming”, reports Liam O'Dell.
Marjorie Taylor Greene's combative, conspiratorial populism has collided with leading figures in the MAGA movement, writes David Faris.
HOPE not hate reveals Simon Marcus, Reform UK's head of policy, is a conspiracy theorist, who depicts society as brainwashed by an ill-defined set of shadowy global elites into accepting the Covid vaccine, believing in the climate crisis, and supporting Ukraine.
The EPA’s decision to debunk chemtrails points to a deeper challenge: Conspiracy theories, amplified by politics and algorithms, are slowing action on the climate crisis, writes Jake Hall.
Insect protein is healthy and sustainable. But now it is also at the centre of a far-reaching conspiracy theory, writes Riley Farrell.
Mar-a-Lago face is suddenly everywhere – and there is a version for both men and women, writes Arwa Mahdawi. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There are real viruses that can cause wartlike growths called fibromas in deer. But there's no need to worry, according to experts, reports Megan Loe for Snopes. www.snopes.com/fact-check/m...
Some people have noticed that summer storms are producing louder and longer thunder claps. Here's the scientific reason behind it, reports Nicole Westhoff for TCD. www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/t...
Taylor Swift's belly button has begun trending online after fans spotted something unexpected in promotional pictures for her new album The Life of a Showgirl, reports Bekka Barnard for Daily Star. archive.ph/G52BQ www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/tayl...
Scientists engaged in the search for extraterrestrial life (SETI) have flipped the question on its head, providing new ideas in quest for ET, writes Ryan Whalen for The Debrief. thedebrief.org/is-anybody-o...
A new study comparing near-death experiences with high-dose DMT trips finds striking similarities in what people see and feel. The research sheds light on how the brain might shape extraordinary states of consciousness, writes Pascal Michael for PsyPost. www.psypost.org/near-death-v...
If you’ve ever felt panicked at the sight of empty shelves, you are not alone, reports Dominik Piehlmaier for The Independent. www.independent.co.uk/life-style/h...
Anti-sunscreen sentiment is cropping up on social media with alarming frequency. Katie Rosseinsky asks the experts to separate the facts from the fiction. www.independent.co.uk/life-style/s...
First Lady Melania Trump’s signature on the letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin is at the center of wild social media speculation, reports Rhian Lubin. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump is demanding the release of a prominent conspiracy theorist and former state elections official serving a nine-year jail sentence after being found guilty of scheming to overturn election results in states Trump lost in 2020, reports Alex Woodward. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
There have been many advancements in battery technology, but one Redditor floated the idea that batteries are weaker than they should be to keep us dependent on charging infrastructure, reports Robert English for TCD. www.thecooldown.com/green-busine...
A Sydney mum-of-eight who travelled overseas for a promised 'cure' to her diabetes is now fighting for her life in a Peruvian hospital, reports Caitlin Powell for MailOnline. archive.ph/O3o7c www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Far from being isolated outsiders, conspiracy theorists enjoy thriving communities that recruit and organise activism, writes Robin Canniford, Stephen Murphy, and Tim Hill. theconversation.com/why-people-e...
Philosophers are fond of saying that their field boosts critical thinking. Michael Vazquez and Michael Prinzing decided to put that claim to the test. theconversation.com/studying-phi...
As our summers heat up, it is predicted that by 2050 up to a third of British homes will have air conditioning. But at what cost to the environment? Jonathan Margolis looks at the battle over how cool, or uncool, getting aircon really is. archive.ph/AjReT www.independent.co.uk/life-style/a...
A 1989 experiment offered the promise of nuclear fusion without the need for high temperatures, but this "cold fusion" was quickly debunked. Now, some of the techniques involved have been resurrected in a new experiment, reports Alex Wilkins for New Scientist. www.newscientist.com/article/2493...
Weaponized Weather, shows how harmful narratives surge after disasters, filling the information vacuum before official updates are available. Using insights from Logically Intelligence, Nitish Rampal analyzed more than 76,000 online posts tied to U.S. natural disasters. logically.ai/case-studies...
Squirrels with pox and rabbits with horns. Learn more about the viruses impacting these small mammals, writes Monica Cull for Discover. www.discovermagazine.com/what-s-causi...
Posts claimed Hurricane Erin was the result of weather manipulation by HAARP. But its signals do not interact with the levels of the atmosphere that produce storms and scientists have told AFP assertions it can create typhoons are false, reports Marisha Goldhamer. factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....
A "respected" Harvard astrophysicist (Avi Loeb alert -CS) shared new claims about the mysterious interstellar object in our Solar System, saying there are signs (hedging alert -CS) it is not an ordinary comet, writes Chris Melore for MailOnline. archive.ph/zRTvq www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...
Talking about climate change is one of the easiest and most effective climate solutions. So why are so few of us having climate conversations? Asks Bella Zanin, University of Bath. theconversation.com/how-to-talk-...
Opposition is often rooted in a worldview in crisis, writes Marc Hudson, University of Sussex. theconversation.com/why-wind-far...
Kevin Woods, who says he engages in weekly conversations with 18-inch-tall creatures, has built a tidy business with books, merchandise, guided tours and maybe soon, an animated series, writes Mark Landler for NY Times. archive.ph/qw3V1 www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/w...
A survey of doctors shows how pervasive medical falsehoods have become. 86% of physicians surveyed said they'd encountered more misinformation among patients within the last five years than in years before, reports David Ingram for NBC. www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinfo...
Nine bodies have been exhumed from fresh graves suspected to be linked to Kenya's notorious starvation cult, reports Anita Nkonge for BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Companies are using AI to do basic coding tasks instead of hiring junior staff, reports Joe Fay for BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The Bishop of Sheffield has offered an "unreserved apology" to the victims of former priest Chris Brain after he was convicted of 17 counts of indecent assault, reports Steve Jones for BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A gardener said he could not believe his eyes when he uncovered a "miraculous representation" of the now-felled Sycamore Gap tree, hidden beneath a paving stone, reports Gemma Sherlock for BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The agency has been the subject of some criticism and some aspects of the new arrangement could be positive. writes Bleddyn Bowen, Durham University. theconversation.com/the-uk-space...
The conditions of everyday life in Kashmir reveal the web of violence in which its civil society is confined, reports Angana P. Chatterji for The Wire. thewire.in/books/what-d...
Sponsorship of News Corp’s event series has given Australia’s richest person a vehicle for her anti-net zero crusade, writes Graham Readfearn for The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Inspired by 80s rave culture and radical evangelical preaching, Christopher Brain developed a revolutionary type of worship. Thirty years after his ‘cult’ collapsed, he's been convicted of abusing vulnerable young women, Amy-Clare Martin reports www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...
A former priest accused of abusing members of a "cult-like" church group he led has been found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women, report Caroline Bilton and Steve Jones for BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Allegations the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan embezzled 3.4 million dollars in a children's cancer fund corruption scandal are based on a fake article published on a bogus news website, reports Nathan Gallo for FRANCE 24 Observers. www.france24.com/en/europe/20...
Misinformation about benefits, money and government policy has likely been seen by hundreds of thousands of people as fake news has been allowed to feature amongst Google’s top-ranking search results, reports Albert Toth for Independent. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
An unidentified flying object reportedly crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland early on Wednesday, according to the country's news agency PAP. The explosion shattered windows in some homes, reports AP. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
The world was left in shock when grainy film footage featuring a so-called Alien Autopsy was released in 1995. Now a new documentary from Louis Theroux's production company Mindhouse will re-examine the bizarre tale, reports Rod McPhee for The Sun. archive.ph/Nkahz www.thesun.co.uk/tv/36375733/...
AI-generated images of wildfires have been circulating online, leading the British Columbia government to issue an online warning, write Ali Asgary, York University, Canada and Maleknaz Nayebi, York University, Canada. theconversation.com/ai-generated...
A network of nearly 90 TikTok accounts has been using artificial intelligence to create fake versions of high-profile Spanish-language journalists and spread falsehoods online for potential financial gain, reports Nicole Acevedo for NBC. archive.ph/zV9W8 www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/...
Despite Donald Trump's whining about "fake news," his administration has rolled back efforts to combat it, allowing fakes to flourish, reports Peter Wade for Rolling Stone. archive.ph/ZaS2y www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
More than 750 HHS employees sent a signed letter to members of Congress and Health Secretary RFK Jr., calling on him to stop spreading misinformation. It comes in the wake of a deadly shooting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, reports Mary Kekatos for ABC. abcnews.go.com/Health/750-h...
Federal health staff have warned their safety is at risk in a letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It comes after a deadly shooting at CDC HQ in Atlanta. Those who signed the letter said that the attack "was not random," reports Kieran Burke for DW News. www.dw.com/en/us-rfk-jr...
Strange organisms that get their energy from chemical reactions instead of the sun have been discovered at the bottom of ocean trenches up to 31,000 feet deep in the northwest Pacific between Russia and Alaska, reports Doyle Rice for USA TODAY. eu.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
A TikTok creator is setting the record straight on a wave of climate conspiracies, reports Christine Dulion for TCD. www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/c...
Believers say one gigantic boat was swapped for another for insurance money. Here’s the truth, writes David Grossman for Popular Mechanics. www.popularmechanics.com/technology/i...
Trump loyalists were thrilled when a Brazilian whistleblower said that former Attorney General Bill Barr was working to take down Trump. Then their story fell apart, writes Malcolm Ferguson for TNR. newrepublic.com/post/199120/...
Vaccine critics like RFK Jr. often give the impression that scientists haven’t seriously researched whether vaccines might cause autism. In a Times Opinion analysis, Jessica Steier demonstrates that researchers have. archive.ph/ffclX www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The Brigitte Macron conspiracy theory helps MAGA cope with their own contradictory gender ideology, writes Amanda Marcotte for Salon. www.salon.com/2025/08/15/w...
French President Emmanuel Macron sued far-right influencer Candace Owens to combat her “nonsense” claims about his wife Brigitte Macron, he said in a new interview, reports Kelly Rissman for The Independent. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
An elderly faith healer convicted of sexually assaulting two women who went to him for help has been ordered to stop giving people "the cure" in person, reports Lyndsey Telford for BBC News NI. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The former president's strange Sunday morning post - "bela" - led to a host of theories from his fans and critics, with some claiming the word had apocalyptic implications, reports Peter Rubinstein and Alexandra Snow for Daily Star. archive.ph/VJGG9 www.dailystar.co.uk/news/us-news...
Eagle-eyed members of the public are often convinced Putin uses a body double but, on this occasion, an expert believes the person meeting the US President is the real Russian leader, reports Charlotte Owen for Daily Star. archive.ph/FlNaB www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-n...
An Australian scientist says probabilities are the leading cause of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances. Pretty simple, actually, reports Tim Newcomb for Popular Mechanics. www.popularmechanics.com/science/a656...
A WIRED review of a now deleted Twitter account that used the screen name “Dr. Erwin J. Antoni III” shows it posted conspiratorial content about the 2020 election, Covid-19, and Jeffrey Epstein, reports David Gilbert. www.wired.com/story/twitte...
The summit in Alaska between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has unleashed a wave of propaganda and disinformation from Russian state media and online conspiracy theorists, writes Steven Lee Myers for NY Times. archive.ph/nJz7n www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/w...
Researchers examining how claims about extraterrestrial life are communicated across the scientific ecosystem found scientific papers rarely speculate or overpromise, but the same can't be said for media coverage that follows, reports Tim McMillan for The Debrief. thedebrief.org/new-study-ex...
Nigel Farage has been accused of being a supporter of controversial influencer Andrew Tate in a new Labour attack ad. The ad, launched on Sunday, refers to comments Farage made on the ‘Strike It Big’ podcast last year, reports Kevin Schofield for HuffPost. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nigel-...
Superstition and fear hold sway where education and healthcare are scarce. In such places, accusations of "witchcraft" are common, often targeting vulnerable women – but not exclusively, writes Anchita Ghosh for Time of India. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/w...
A total of £180,000 has been seized by Devon and Cornwall Police from Andrew Tate over a deposit he placed on an Aston Martin supercar, reports Georgina Barnes for BBC News. www.bbc.com/news/article...
A century-old optical illusion launched a space race, David Baron tells Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram. archive.ph/Ob8MD www.vox.com/podcasts/458...
Gamifying the fight against dangerous medical misinformation, write Sander van der Linden, Jon Roozenbeek and Ruth Elisabeth Appel. theconversation.com/can-a-game-s...
Can AI models be trusted? Discover how a "bullshit index" measures their indifference to truth and what it means for users, writes Edd Gent for IEE Spectrum. spectrum.ieee.org/ai-misinform...
In Dangerous Miracle, Liam Shaw chronicles the history of the drugs, from Alexander Fleming to the alarming rise of antibiotic resistance, writes Ben Spencer for The Sunday Times. archive.ph/gGUki www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
It’s hailed as the gold standard of healthy eating, but in the countries where it was born, the Mediterranean diet is being pushed aside. Hannah Twiggs speaks to a Spanish nutritionist about what has changed and the one thing that might save it. archive.ph/AnbUB www.independent.co.uk/life-style/f...
A Chinese actress says that her agency locked her in a hotel room and performed an exorcism on her to treat her depression. The shocking allegation has sparked online discussion about possible abuse and mental health-related stigma in China, reports Fran Luin for SCMP. www.scmp.com/news/people-...
A parliamentary inquiry on outlawing coercive cult practices in Victoria has alarmed a part of the Liberal Party’s religious right that fears pastors could be criminalised and Pentecostal churches unfairly targeted, reports Rachel Eddie for The Age. archive.ph/YiWtI www.theage.com.au/politics/vic...
Whistleblower warns UK’s top AI research body in danger of collapse due to threats over funding and new direction, reports Dan Milmo for Guardian. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Plantiing trees will not fix climate change, according to a new report, reports Nan Spowart for The National. www.thenational.scot/news/2539568...
Chile wants to turn the site where a cult leader tortured prisoners and abused his followers into a memorial, reports Grace Livingstone for BBC News. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
open.substack.com/pub/importan...
Never one to back down from a challenge to my skepticism, I’ve been looking into who was supposedly “behind” the global warming movement? Spoiler: it looks to me like it was the overwhelming body of scientific evidence... Read the full post here: www.cambridgeskeptics.org.uk/post/the-man...