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.
Loch Ness Monster search resumes
The Loch Ness search, described as the biggest in fifty years, took place over the weekend at Scotland’s Loch Ness. The Loch Ness Centre partnered with Loch Ness Exploration to run the operation and invited volunteers to join boat patrols that ran from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Organizers set up 17 official spotting points around the loch and asked the public to report any unusual sightings to the survey team.
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.
China Urges UK Return Artifacts
China’s state-run Global Times published an editorial urging the British Museum to return Chinese artifacts just ahead of a visit by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. The piece accused the museum of holding items acquired through improper channels and called some pieces “stolen.” The British Museum’s collection includes more than 23,000 Chinese objects, and the editorial named examples such as the painting The Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies and Liao tri-coloured luohan statues.