All Questions
1,824
questions
32
votes
2
answers
27k
views
Pirates with a prosthetic hook: Lore or Truth?
Was it common practice for pirates to replace a lost hand with a prosthetic hook? Or was this lore perpetrated by fiction and Hollywood?
It does seem like a reasonable choice, since a hook is a ...
- 47.8k
31
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Are more crimes committed during a full moon?
It is a common belief that more crime is committed during a full moon.
I rationalised this by assuming
criminals used the increased moon
light to aid them in their criminal
activities with out really ...
- 5,694
31
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Does 5G pose health risks?
Among others, the website RadiationHealthRisks claims:
Second, according to experts, because of the shorter length of
millimeter waves (MMV) required by 5G to support the bandwidth, these
shorter ...
- 32.8k
31
votes
1
answer
17k
views
Is running the engine for five minutes before driving beneficial for the car?
There is a belief among a lot of people that you should start your car and leave it on for 5 minutes before moving it in the morning. Is this practice good for the car in any significant way, or it is ...
- 2,772
31
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Are saturated fats unhealthy?
I've been taught since I was a kid that eating fat is bad for my health. Later on, I found out that unsaturated fats (especially ones containing Omega-3 and Omega-6) are actually good for your health.
...
31
votes
4
answers
3k
views
To what degree do facemasks protect against COVID-19?
I've seen this picture multiple times on social media. Every time I see it, it has numbers that vary wildly, and usually with no source.
Examples:
Advert for facemasks
Twitter comments
Actors ...
- 1,564
31
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Can running a fan while sleeping in a closed room cause death?
It is a widely held belief in South Korea that you can suffocate if you leave a fan running in a closed room while you sleep.
Is there any truth or science behind this?
(See Wikipedia on Fan Deaths)
- 575
31
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Is the use of parachutes supported by peer-reviewed papers?
While googling about Ben Goldacre, I came across the following reductio ad absurdum argument:
Nerd, can you point me to the data that shows that wearing a parachute increases your life expectancy ...
- 38.8k
30
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Does gender affect driving skill?
Are there any differences in either sex which are provably beneficial and/or detrimental to their driving abilities?
Also, is it possible that stereotypical gender roles make any difference in ...
- 533
30
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Do magnets have verifiable effects on humans?
Do magnets have statistically significant effects on humans?
Some example claims are in the Wikipedia article on Magnet therapy.
Which says:
Practitioners claim that subjecting certain parts of ...
- 2,461
30
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is there a deep, hot biosphere?
Thomas Gold claims that oil is not aging vegetal or animal matter, but rather made continously from bacteria deep in the Earth's mantle (a 'deep hot biosphere') so that we would effectively never have ...
- 2,100
30
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Did Trump's inauguration draw the largest ever audience to a US inauguration?
Referring to Donald Trump's inauguration, the White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed
This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period. Both in person and around the ...
- 931
29
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Is some level of radiation "good for you"?
"With the terrible earthquake and
resulting tsunami that have devastated
Japan, the only good news is that
anyone exposed to excess radiation
from the nuclear power plants is now
probably ...
- 24.4k
28
votes
1
answer
18k
views
Does putting an ice pack on an injury reduce swelling?
It has been taught for a long time (and appears to be mainstream "knowledge", such as documented here in Wikipedia) that applying an ice pack to an injury reduces the severity of swelling, and it also ...
- 1,266
28
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Are there studies clearly illustrating the great discrepancies in programmer productivity?
There exists a widely held (and frequently asserted) belief that there is a very big (relatively to other professions) discrepancy between the top tier software developers and the non-top-tier.
...
- 31.1k
28
votes
3
answers
12k
views
Does grass alone produce enough oxygen for life?
Over a work happy hour tonight, two employees were talking about their different lifestyles -- one likes riding four wheelers, which the other considers to be recreational pollution. Somehow the fact ...
- 21.6k
27
votes
3
answers
12k
views
Can blue light from LCD panels cause damage to the eyes?
In Japan there is quite a fad about LCD blue light filtering and how they might help reduce eyestrain, etc. The web site of a major computer accessory manufacturer has an English-language press ...
- 2,264
27
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Is HIV the cause of AIDS?
"If there is evidence that HIV causes AIDS, there should be scientific documents which either singly or collectively demonstrate that fact, at least with a high probability. There is no such ...
user8150
27
votes
1
answer
90k
views
Do ion bracelets work?
I recently came across a new kind of sports enhancement bracelet. Apparently it emits positive ions that are good for you. The bracelet is also a watch. There are credible scientific studies on ...
- 1,388
26
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Are some laundry detergents better than others?
As we were looking for laundry detergent yesterday, I noted that my wife was quite swayed by brand reputation/impressions than price. She stated that she didn't think one type of detergent really ...
- 21.6k
26
votes
2
answers
26k
views
Did a plane hit the Pentagon on September 11, 2001?
Is it possible that a plane hit the side of the pentagon, but did not even scuff up the grass?
There are some claims of other anomalies that don't quite match the idea of a plane hitting there; like ...
- 703
26
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Were 3 million votes cast by non-citizens in the 2016 US presidential election?
Various websites are repeating the claim in this tweet, which says:
Completed analysis of database of 180 million voter registrations.
Number of non-citizen votes exceeds 3 million.
...
- 1,111
25
votes
1
answer
16k
views
Was there a giant red-haired race in North America?
The other day, I saw a show on the History channel about "giant skeletons" being found in North America. It also said that, for some reason, these findings have been hidden from people, maybe due to ...
- 2,510
25
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Is the human menstrual cycle related to the lunar cycle?
I've heard that the female menstrual cycle follows a pattern of the lunar cycle, mostly as an evolutionary adaptation so that menstruation (and hence detectability by predators because of the smell of ...
- 18k
25
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is a coin toss fair?
I've just seen a referee use a coin toss to decide who will start a match which got me thinking, coins aren't perfectly symmetric. Our euro coins have the value on one side, a country specific image ...
- 1,971
25
votes
1
answer
32k
views
Does home-WiFi expose you to less radiation than using the 3G on your cell-phone?
Are there any studies that compare WiFi and cellular data usage, in the home, over time?
Mainly I've heard that WiFi uses more battery (so it should emit more radiation) but OTOH it feels like 3G/...
- 520
25
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Is Soy bad for you?
The internet is full with stories about how soy contains phytoestrogenes, how the protein is actually not readily used by our bodies etc.
I especially remember quite a long rant in Tim Ferriss's ...
- 12.3k
25
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Do weather changes affect arthritis?
My father always claims he knows when a storm is coming by the pain in his knee. It turns out he might not be as crazy as I thought. Many people with arthritis report varying pain levels as a result ...
- 8,152
24
votes
4
answers
53k
views
Does homeopathic zinc (Zicam) help with the common cold?
I'm sick, and my friend had me buy store brand Zicam to help with it. Looking at the bottle after taking it, I thought the ingredients were written strangely. "Zincum Aceticum 2x", it says, when I ...
- 3,289
24
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Do 80% of gender-dysphoric children grow up deciding not to change their gender?
A Wall Street Journal article makes the following claim:
... a high percentage—up to 80% in a study of 44 gender-dysphoric
boys—grow up to be not transgender, but bisexual, gay or lesbian
...
24
votes
2
answers
13k
views
Has 99% of the western continental Europe banned water fluoridation?
I keep seeing this claim about the unpopularity of water fluoridation parroted.
Despite dental pressure, 99% of western continental Europe has rejected, banned, or stopped fluoridation due to ...
- 28.3k
24
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Are 95% of Ashley Madison dating site's accounts male?
The hackers who procured and recently published Ashley Madison's internal databases, the so-called "Impact Team," have claimed that the accounts in the databases were predominantly, in fact "90-95%" ...
- 673
22
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Did the Obama administration halt processing of Iraqi refugees back in 2011?
From "Muslim ban" hypocrisy: Left quiet when Obama also halted visas by Andrew Bolt:
But why was the Left silent when the Obama administration refused to
issue visas to Iraqis for six months?
...
- 38.8k
22
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Is rape a crime about violence and power, or a crime of passion?
Adam Carolla, from the popular radio show Loveline, and in the Guiness Records for the most downloaded podcast of all time made the following claim (1 min mark):
rape is not a sexual crime, you ...
- 8,933
22
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Has Noah's ark been discovered in Turkey?
I found this website claiming that noah's ark has been found. Is there any archaeological or historical evidence to support or deny this claim?
Related Question: Could a Great Flood have happened?
- 653
22
votes
1
answer
2k
views
6-meals-a-day strategy
It is commonly suggested, in the body building world, that the following eating strategy rises metabolism and inhibits the production of fat tissue:
Eat a substantial meal every 2 to 3 hours (six ...
- 78.5k
22
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Ultrasound pest control devices
A couple times I've seen advertised on TV and in supermarkets electronic devices that allegedly irritate all sort of insects and rodents, such as mosquitoes, mice, and rats, forcing them away from the ...
- 323
22
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Do fruit/vegetable washes effectively remove pesticides?
Is there any evidence to suggest that commercially available fruit/vegetable washes can effectively remove pesticides from produce?
Here are some example claims:
Veggie Wash uses natural cleaners ...
- 1,069
21
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Man using "water as fuel" for a welding machine? (H₂O → "HHO")?
I saw a while back a YouTube video that appears to show a news report of a man who patented technology to turn water into "HHO".
The video makes some big claims — 161 km (100 mi.) on 0.1 L (4 ...
- 313
21
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Do high-fat diets causes heart disease?
This article in The Guardian alleges that the nutritional science establishment has spent the last 4 decades claiming that fatty diets cause heart disease when in fact sugar is largely to blame. The ...
- 15.8k
21
votes
3
answers
980
views
Does Roundup harm mammals?
In the anti-GMO debate, it is frequently suggested that the use of Glyphosate (trade name: Roundup) on Roundup-ready GMO crops causes environmental harm.
Example claim: Natural News
Monsanto's ...
21
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Can a society become unhappier with an increase in wealth?
People like to claim that less developed countries are happier, because they live the simple life and stronger family ties. We've all heard the saying:
Money can't buy you happiness.
Which is easy ...
- 18.6k
20
votes
1
answer
18k
views
Does eating greasy foods 'help soak up alcohol'?
I've heard that eating greasy foods while drinking or while hungover is good because it helps 'soak up the alcohol'. This is common advice it seems while drinking. Is there any truth to it?
- 1,541
20
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Do airplanes release biological or chemical agents, forming trails?
Since the topic of the week is conspiracy theories, here's one that I've had re-iterated at me a few times. Supposedly these white stripes after airplanes is created by airplanes releasing biological ...
- 18.6k
20
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Do you feel pain in a life-threatening situation?
Let's say you are in a war-situation, and both you and your opponent are out of bullets. When I was in the army, I learned that the most efficient way to kill your opponent would be to kick him in the ...
- 201
19
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Does wifi stunt cress growth?
A couple of weeks ago there were reports of an experiment by schoolchildren that appears to demonstrate that wifi router radiation adversely affects cress. There's been time now for the
leading ...
- 2,264
19
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does hydraulic fracking endanger the drinking water supply?
According to an industry website the process of Hydraulic Fracturing (or "fracking") is safe. According to an article in the Huffington Post the process is not safe. At least, there is evidence the ...
user2085
19
votes
1
answer
11k
views
Is it possible to do the things Derren Brown does with just psychology or linguistic suggestion?
Edit2: I'm revising the question again. Please note that I am not talking about card tricks like THIS. I'm talking about specific examples below which are at least portrayed as far more complex, ...
- 21.6k
19
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Has global mean temperature at sea level increased since 1900?
It is generally accepted that the Earth's global mean (average) temperature has varied throughout history.
Given the difficulties of accurately measuring and calculating temperatures across the ...
- 860
18
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is the "Electromagnetic Field Sensitivity" study reliable?
Until recently, I have only heard about studies proving electrosensitivity being entirely a nocebo effect.
Now I just found out about a study:
Electromagnetic Field Sensitivity, William J. Real et ...
- 1,100