
Accurate information is the foundation of a functioning democracy
A worldwide network of scientists sorting fact from fiction.
Our goal is to empower readers to discern trustworthy news.
Insights
-
Training and using ChatGPT uses a lot of energy, but exact numbers are tricky to pin down without data from OpenAI
As the capabilities and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) continue to grow, so are its energy impacts. Training and ongoing use of AI models requires significant energy due to their use of data centers – one of the most energy-intensive building types.
-
Cattle have numerous impacts on Earth’s climate and natural environments, despite misconceptions
Summary Studies have shown that cattle farming operations – even ones that are perceived to be ‘better’ like pastured operations…
-
Will solar panels overrun farmland? The two are more likely to coexist
Even if solar capacity continues to grow at unprecedented rates in the next several years, data suggests that the land used for solar panels will account for a small portion of the land used for agriculture.
Newsletter subscription
Get scientists’ reviews and articles delivered directly to your inbox
Recent Reviews
-
Misleading
Side effects from vaccination aren’t more dangerous than measles outbreaks
Claim:
Media exaggerates the harm of some measles cases while it ignores millions of “vaccine injury reports”
Source: Facebook, Instagram, Social media users, 2025-02-20 -
Incorrect
Vaccine skeptics misconstrue studies to falsely claim that measles vaccine causes measles outbreaks
Claim:
Measles vaccine caused Texas outbreak; measles vaccine is responsible for measles outbreaks
Source: Children's Health Defense, The People’s Voice, Baxter Dmitry, Marcella Piper-Terry, 2025-02-17 -
Inaccurate
Flight paths are not evidence for a flat Earth
Claim:
Flights from New Zealand to Argentina connect through the U.S., which only makes sense if the Earth is flat.
Source: Facebook, Social media users, 2025-02-14 -
Unsupported
No evidence that EVs cause infertility, and their magnetic fields are similar to those from household electronics
Claim:
Electric vehicles cause infertility. Being in an electric car will lower your testosterone.
Source: YouTube, Justin Frandson, Garry Lineham, 2025-02-07 -
Misleading
No evidence that measles prevents cancer or heart disease, can lead to long-term health problems instead
Claim:
Measles prevents cancer, provides long-term health benefits
Source: Instagram, Social media users, 2025-02-15 -
Unsupported
Altered video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promotes unproven use of apple cider vinegar as diabetes cure
Claim:
Apple cider vinegar is a cure for diabetes; it’s an effective substitute to metformin therapy and dietary changes
Source: Facebook, Social media users, 2025-02-09
Analyses & Investigations
-
Sanctioned but Thriving: How Online Platforms Fail To Address the Widespread Presence of Entities Under EU Sanctions
given the ease with which such illegal content was discovered, Meta, Google, X/Twitter, TikTok and Telegram’s compliance teams should investigate why they seem not to have taken sufficient action to limit access.
-
An unfair (algorithmic?) advantage: a popularity premium for low-credibility accounts on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram before the 2024 European Parliament elections
Analysis of YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram data in the run-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections campaign highlight a substantial “popularity premium” benefitting low-credibility accounts when compared to a control group of high-credibility accounts
-
Despite Community Notes, most content reviewed by fact-checkers in Europe goes unaddressed on X/Twitter
While X is presenting the crowd-sourced Community Notes system as a substitute for professional fact-checking, our results show that in a European context, Community Notes (and more broadly, X’s content moderation systems) fail to identify the posts flagged by professional fact-checkers, leaving misleading and oftentimes highly-viral content unaddressed.
News & events
-
Science Feedback, QuotaClimat, and Data for Good Launch Climate Safeguard, an AI Tool to Detect Climate Misinformation on TV and Radio
-
Science Feedback Participates in New Project to Measure the Amount of Misleading Information on Large Online Platforms
-
Science Feedback Launches French Website to Empower the Public to Verify the Credibility of Scientific Information