Cambridge Skeptics

The Area 51 of New England Through trinkets and tales, a U.F.O. story that once captured national attention lives on.

Through trinkets and tales, a U.F.O. story that once captured national attention lives on, reports Michaela Towfighi. archive.ph/JASXt www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/m...

New Study Explains Why People Fall for Fake News - Georgia State University News - Press Releases, Robinson College of Business - Researchers from Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business, Kennesaw State University, and the University of Tennessee have developed a model that explains how emotional cues, rather than…

In a world where misinformation spreads faster than fact, a new study is offering insight into why so many people fall for fake news, even when they suspect it’s false. news.gsu.edu/2025/12/05/n...

AI misinformation may have paradoxical consequences To understand why, consider the side-blotched lizard

To understand why, consider the side-blotched lizard. www.economist.com/finance-and-...

RFK Jr.'s vaccine panel says not all newborns need Hep B shots The shot was previously recommended for all infants after birth to prevent an infection that can cause severe liver disease and cancer.

The shot was previously recommended for all infants after birth to prevent an infection that can cause severe liver disease and cancer, report Sophie Gardner and Lauren Gardner. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

‘It becomes my whole job’: autism advocates fight RFK Jr’s barrage of misinformation Advocates demand public health officials ‘listen to autistic voices’ after health secretary’s debunked vaccine claims

Advocates demand public health officials ‘listen to autistic voices’ after health secretary’s debunked vaccine claims, reports Fabiola Cineas. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

EU slaps €120M fine on Elon Musk’s X, straining ties with US US vice president says EU should not be ‘attacking American companies over garbage.’

The European Commission on Friday imposed a €120 million fine on Elon Musk’s X, the first-ever penalty issued under the bloc’s flagship content moderation law, report Pieter Haeck and Eliza Gkritsi. www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...

Trump administration moves to deny visas to factcheckers and content moderators Action detailed in a state department memo directs officials to deny visas to any applicant engaging in ‘censorship’

The Trump administration has moved to formalize a crackdown on the issuance of visas for people who it deems to have engaged in censoring the free speech of US citizens, reports Richard Luscombe. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Macron takes on ‘French Murdoch’ in battle against disinformation French President Emmanuel Macron has come under fire from the political right for suggesting that news outlets be labelled to distinguish those that comply with journalistic ethics from those that do…

French President Emmanuel Macron has come under fire from the political right for suggesting that news outlets be labelled to distinguish those that comply with journalistic ethics from those that do not, reports Barbara Gabel. www.france24.com/en/france/20...

Revealed: how academics are being deepfaked on TikTok and Instagram to promote supplements – Full Fact Strange videos of a professor offering cures for “thermometer leg” led Full Fact to uncover an army of social media accounts promoting wellness products with fake AI ‘endorsements’.

Strange videos of a professor offering cures for “thermometer leg” led Full Fact to uncover an army of social media accounts promoting wellness products with fake AI ‘endorsements’. fullfact.org/health/acade...

Wear a face mask if unwell to help stem flu ‘tidal wave’, say health officials This year’s flu season started earlier than usual and is yet to reach a peak

Britons have been urged to wear a mask in public if they feel unwell, amid warnings the NHS is facing a “tidal wave” of illness ahead of Christmas, reports Athena Stavrou. www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...

Trains cancelled over fake bridge collapse image Rail services were cancelled after a 'hoax' picture of a damaged bridge appeared on social media

Rail services were cancelled after a 'hoax' picture of a damaged bridge appeared on social media, report Zoe Toase and Laura O'Neill. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Mysterious fire erupts at Roswell site linked to 1947 UFO crash Fire crews rushed to the scene after the blaze was reported at the Roswell Air Center, just south of the legendary Hangar 84, a site long tied to the infamous 1947 UFO crash.

Fire crews rushed to the scene after the blaze was reported at the Roswell Air Center, just south of the legendary Hangar 84, a site long tied to the infamous 1947 UFO crash, reports Stacy Liberatore. archive.ph/9f8c1 www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...

Area 51 scientist staggering death bed claim he'd 'worked with aliens for years' Boyd Bushman, a respected scientist who worked at Area 51 for Lockheed Martin, made a staggering deathbed claim that he had worked with aliens his entire life - and even had photos to prove it

Boyd Bushman, a respected scientist who worked at Area 51 for Lockheed Martin, made a staggering deathbed claim that he had worked with aliens his entire life - and even had photos to prove it, reports Emilia Randall. www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...

Kim Kardashian’s ‘low brain activity’ sparks internet conspiracy frenzy Kim Kardashian revealed her brain scan results on the latest episode of The Kardashians, and now some people have run with a new, wild conspiracy theory.During the consultation with famed doctor Dr…

Kim Kardashian revealed her brain scan results on the latest episode of The Kardashians, and now some people have run with a new, wild conspiracy theory, reports Becca Monaghan. www.indy100.com/viral/kim-ka...

‘Conversion therapy’ is homophobic and dangerous. Yet it threatens to make a comeback | David Kirp Bans on the dangerous practice, condemned by national mental health organizations, could soon be struck down

Bans on the dangerous practice, condemned by national mental health organizations, could soon be struck down, writes David Kirp. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Death of Irish mother in ‘free birth’ reveals how poor maternity care is pushing women towards extreme influencers Women in Ireland and the UK linked to Free Birth Society among scores around world to have suffered loss or serious harm after births

Women in Ireland and the UK linked to Free Birth Society among scores around world to have suffered loss or serious harm after births, report Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Autonomous Deep-Sea Robots to Lead New Search for Missing Flight MH370 Texas-based firm Ocean Infinity will send swarms of autonomous underwater vehicles into the southern Indian Ocean in a high-risk attempt to locate this missing jet

Texas-based firm Ocean Infinity will send swarms of autonomous underwater vehicles into the southern Indian Ocean in a high-risk attempt to locate this missing jet, writes Eric Sullivan. archive.ph/ij09h www.scientificamerican.com/article/auto...

The disappearance nearly 12 years ago of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 people on board remains one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries, reports Reuters. www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Trump dubbed 'lunatic' after sharing bizarre Michelle Obama conspiracy theory Donald Trump has been slammed as a “lunatic” after sharing a wild conspiracy theory about Michelle Obama.Questions around Trump’s mental health and judgement have been swirling recently after making…

Donald Trump has been slammed as a “lunatic” after sharing a wild conspiracy theory about Michelle Obama, reports Ellie Abraham. www.indy100.com/politics/tru...

Kim Kardashian’s brain scan shows ‘low activity’ and holes. I’m a brain expert and I have questions Here’s what these brain ‘holes’ and the scans that found them really mean.

Here’s what these brain ‘holes’ and the scans that found them really mean, writes Sarah Hellewell. theconversation.com/kim-kardashi...

The MAGA Battle Over the Epstein Files Trump’s image as a warrior against supposed elite pedophile cabals now faces a unique threat

Trump’s image as a warrior against supposed elite pedophile cabals now faces a unique threat, reports Ryan Biller. newlinesmag.com/reportage/th...

The Radicalization of Ziz Lasota: How an AI Doomer Became an Accused Cult Leader Lasota’s friends, colleagues, and family talk about how a NASA intern and Google employee wound up at the center of a bizarre string of murders

Lasota’s friends, colleagues, and family talk about how a NASA intern and Google employee wound up at the center of a bizarre string of murders, reports Tessa Stuart. archive.ph/jqgbX www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

NHS directed pregnant women to controversial Free Birth Society via charity Exclusive: NHS websites pointed women to factsheet featuring podcast by ‘dangerous’ influencers linked to baby deaths

NHS websites pointed women to factsheet featuring podcast by ‘dangerous’ influencers linked to baby deaths, report Lucy Osborne and Sirin Kale. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

A campaign by French President Emmanuel Macron to combat online disinformation has triggered a backlash from right-wing opponents and the increasingly influential conservative media empire controlled by billionaire Vincent Bollore, reports Michel Rose. www.reuters.com/business/med...

Five key findings from our investigation into the Free Birth Society Year-long investigation into multimillion-dollar business exposed serious concerns, from dangerous medical claims to FBS-linked stillbirths

Year-long investigation into multimillion-dollar business exposed serious concerns, from dangerous medical claims to FBS-linked stillbirths, report Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

I think my father was D.B. Cooper: Son's staggering confession This Thanksgiving will mark 54 years since a man identifying himself as Dan Cooper hijacked a plane for $200,000 ransom and skydived out the back, never to be seen again.

This Thanksgiving marked 54 years since a man identifying himself as Dan Cooper hijacked a plane for $200,000 ransom and skydived out the back, never to be seen again, reports Luke Kenton. archive.ph/aEax3 www.dailymail.co.uk/news/crime-d...

'Zombie gran' terrified neighbours when she got out of her coffin she 'died' Locals panicked when 95-year-old Li Xiufeng’s coffin was found empty — until the “dead” grandmother reappeared alive, calmly cooking in her kitchen.

Locals panicked when 95-year-old Li Xiufeng’s coffin was found empty — until the “dead” grandmother reappeared alive, calmly cooking in her kitchen, reports Jude Jones. www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-n...

Flat Earth, spirits and conspiracy theories – experience can shape even extraordinary beliefs Conspiracy thinking, supernatural beliefs and pseudoscience can seem impervious to evidence. An anthropologist suggests the opposite: Extraordinary beliefs may be supported by an individual’s…

Conspiracy thinking, supernatural beliefs and pseudoscience can seem impervious to evidence. An anthropologist suggests the opposite: Extraordinary beliefs may be supported by an individual’s experience, reports Eli Elster, University of California, Davis. theconversation.com/flat-earth-s...

Visual thinking: the strategy that could help you spot misinformation and manipulated images We are entering an era where seeing is no longer believing.

We are entering an era where seeing is no longer believing, writes Shaun Nolan, Malmö University. theconversation.com/visual-think...

Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors

A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors, report Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...