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.
Choose whichever real-feeling headline your imagination will run wildest with. Don't overthink it.

Google is expanding a tool called "Results about you," first introduced last year to help people remove personal information from Search results. The new version will actively scan the public web for instances of a user’s personal data and send alerts so they can request removal. Google says the feature is currently available in the United States in English and will be rolled out to more regions over time.

Mick Jagger, the longtime frontman of the Rolling Stones, has been sharing unexpectedly ordinary moments from his tour life on Instagram. Instead of the usual glamorous or staged celebrity photos, his feed shows mundane outings—visits to local attractions, bars, strip malls and well‑known landmarks. He told The Washington Post that these images are less about spectacle and more about getting a feel for places, and he treats the account like a simple visual diary.

Geoscientists have identified a largely submerged landmass called Zealandia, or Te Riu-a-Māui, that meets the criteria many researchers use for a continent. Covering about 1.89 million square miles (roughly 4.9 million square kilometres), Zealandia is mostly underwater — about 90–95 percent — and includes the visible islands of New Zealand and New Caledonia. Debate about its status grew over decades and many geologists accepted it as a continent in analyses published in recent years.

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.