Build a conspiracy theory from scratch.
The best way to learn to spot a conspiracy theory is to make one yourself.
Pick a real news story. On the next step you'll choose who's behind it and why. Then walk through the four moves real conspiracists use, with a debunk on every step.
- Hunt anomalies — turn coincidence into evidence of a secret plot.
- Fabricate connections — draw lines between unrelated dots until they look meaningful.
- Dismiss counter-evidence — if a fact disagrees, make the fact part of the cover-up.
- Discredit the critics — dismiss people who point out flaws in your theory.
Pick the event.
Choose whichever real-feeling headline your imagination will run wildest with. Don't overthink it.
Revive extinct creatures: big debate?
Scientists and conservationists are debating de-extinction, the idea of bringing extinct species back using modern genetic tools. Advances such as PCR, genome sequencing and gene editing have made it technically plausible to reconstruct genomes from preserved DNA. Companies like Colossal Biosciences aim to use these methods to create proxy woolly mammoths by editing Asiatic elephant DNA. Proponents argue such projects could help restore lost ecological functions and biodiversity.
Defining Western Feminism in 2023
New YouGov research across Western Europe and the United States finds a gap between people’s agreement with gender-equality principles and their willingness to call themselves 'feminists.' Respondents were randomly assigned one of three question formats: the word 'feminist' alone, a definition of feminist principles, or both. When asked the word alone, only 15–48% claimed the label; when given the definition, 74–91% endorsed equal rights, while the combined definition+word question produced 45–77% support.
Exercise Prevents Heart Rhythm Disorder
Researchers studying more than 15,000 people report that higher physical fitness is linked to a lower chance of developing atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that raises the risk of stroke fivefold. The study, presented at the ESC Congress 2023, used treadmill exercise tests to estimate fitness in metabolic equivalents (METs) and followed participants over time to see who developed heart rhythm problems or strokes.
Many Europeans Want to End Daylight Saving Time
As clocks move forward each spring across the northern hemisphere, debates over daylight saving time continue in several Western European countries. YouGov's Eurotrack survey asked people in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden whether their country should stop switching clocks twice a year. Responses vary widely: 75% of Germans want to end the practice, while Italy is the only country where a majority (56%) prefers to keep changing the clocks. Britain and Spain were narrowly divided on the question.