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.
Ultra-processed foods increase health risks
Two new studies presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting found links between consuming ultra-processed foods and higher risks of heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes. Ultra-processed foods are widely available consumer items such as fizzy drinks, many breakfast cereals, packaged snacks and ready-made meals. One analysis reported that a 10 percent increase in daily ultra-processed food intake was associated with about a 6 percent rise in risk of cardiovascular disease.
Irregular sleep linked to gut bacteria
Researchers at King’s College London have reported links between irregular sleep patterns and changes in the gut microbiome. The study focused on “social jet lag,” where people shift their sleep timing between workdays and free days. Even a 90‑minute difference in the midpoint of sleep was associated with a microbiome profile that other studies have connected to poorer health, and the team also found associations with diet quality, eating habits and inflammation.
Tools Reveal Hidden Website History
Online tools now let anyone view past versions of websites, exposing changes that site owners may have made over time. The Wayback Machine at archive.org stores snapshots of millions of pages, while archive.today preserves copies that sometimes survive when other archives don’t. The Memento Project links these services and helps users search by URL and date, making it easier to see how pages, policies, and content evolved.
Laughter benefits heart health significantly
Researchers presented new findings at the European Society of Cardiology meeting showing that laughter therapy can improve some measures of heart health in people with coronary artery disease. In the study, patients took part in guided laughter sessions while researchers measured inflammation markers and cardiovascular performance before and after. The reported results included lower inflammation and improved indicators of heart function after the laughter interventions.