It is claimed that the tryptophan found in turkey can be the cause of lethargy after a Thanksgiving meal. Is this true or simply a holiday myth? Why is Tryptophan Blamed For Sleepiness? According to most experts, turkey is not the primary reason for lethargy after a Thanksgiving meal. Turkey contains the amino acid tryptophan, which helps the body produce niacin. Niacin in turn helps the body produce serotonin, which plays an important role in sleep. The basic logic goes that increased tryptophan should mean an increased desire to sleep. This was an accepted conclusion by many consumers for decades, as tryptophan supplements were even marketed as a cure for insomnia – until the FDA banned the supplement in 1990. Here are some opinions regarding turkey, tryptophan, and lethargy: How Stuff Works – “…nutritionists and other experts say that the tryptophan in turkey probably won’t trigger the body to produce more seroton­in because tryptophan works best on an empty stomach. The tryptophan in a Thanksgiving turkey has to vie with all the other amino acids that the body is trying to use. So only part of the tryptophan makes it to the brain to help produce serotonin.” Chemistry.About.com – Dr. [...]

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A news item circulating online states that 42 million Americans were killed during Black Friday. Is this true or false? The article is satire. This humorous article was published by The Onion, a humorous website, back in 2012. In the fictitious story we read: “…the record-breaking post-Thanksgiving shopping spree carnage began as early as midnight on Friday, when 13 million shoppers were reportedly trampled, pummeled, burned, stabbed, shot, lanced, and brutally beaten to death while attempting to participate in early holiday sales events. Law enforcement officials said the bloodbath only escalated throughout the weekend as hordes of savage holiday shoppers began murdering customers at Wal-Mart, Sears, and JCPenney locations nationwide, leaving piles of dismembered and mutilated corpses in their wake.” The number of soldiers killed in every war in American history amounts to just under 3 million, so the 42 million Black Friday casualties is exaggerated far beyond the scope of reality. It should also be pointed out that the article which circulated heavily in 2013 and moderately in 2014 was actually published by The Onion in 2012, thus being outdated as well as satirical. The Image A photo which accompanied the Black Friday article in 2013 is actually an altered image [...]

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A rumor states that Facebook is attempting to block a nativity image because it is offensive. Is there any truth to this rumor? It’s a Hoax It’s a hoax, though some users may be “reporting” the photo after seeing the rumor. There has been no such attempt by Facebook to block this nativity image. It was seen in large numbers last year, and has appeared again in 2013 and 2014. Claims that Facebook was attempting to block it started as a hoax designed to play on the emotions of people so that they would share the photo – and gain popularity for Facebook pages (not unlike the “1 like = 1 prayer” hoax). After originally spreading in late 2012, the image – and incorrect claims of removal by Facebook – continues to circulate. And while it originated with “like collectors” attempting to gain more shares and likes, it is now also being shared by concerned Facebook users who are unaware that it is a hoax. In some cases, the the image has in fact been “reported” by another Facebook user, but the person who posted the image is not required to remove it just because another user requests it. Facebook isn’t trying [...]

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A Facebook post claims that you must publicly post a statement disallowing public use of your photos and information on Facebook. It’s false. Users of Facebook agree to their Terms of Service, and posting a “public statement” cannot override this fact. Further, the codes listed in the rumor are commercial codes, which don’t apply to personal posts on a social network. The verbiage of these codes don’t even relate to what is being stated in the rumor. There is also no mention of any such need to do this in Facebook’s terms & conditions or in their privacy policy. We first spotted this rumor in June 2012 after Facebook became a publicly-traded company. It has resurfaced again in June 2013, October 2013, August 2014, and November 2014. History Let’s take a look at the original version of the rumor. Safe than sorry is right. Channel 13 News was just talking about this change in Facebook’s privacy policy. Better safe than sorry. As of October 15, 2013 at 10:30 pm Eastern standard time, I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future. By this statement, I give notice to [...]

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A photo circulating online shows a hybrid rifle nail gun, which can supposedly circumvent gun control laws and regulations. Is this gun real or fake? It is just a regular gun with DeWALT parts attached to it. First, let’s take a look at what’s being claimed about this image: Dewalt’s answer to home protection that doesn’t require a registration or license. This nail gun can shoot a 16-D nail through a 2×4 at 200 yards and in case of a home invasion well you can NAIL THEIR ASS to the wall. I’m not saying it wont kill the perp but they wont get away. You can also help build a friends fence 2 blocks away while sitting in your front lawn. This is truly how you adapt and overcome so Thanks Dewalt. When the graphic originally circulated several years ago, a link was included with the photo to a site that didn’t sell guns, but Army Infantry-related clothing and jewelry. In 2014, the graphic is often circulated without the link. Origin The photo actually depicts a creation by a man named David Wiggins. It is merely a standard rifle with some DeWALT parts attached purely for aesthetic reasons.  DeWALT has nothing to do with the [...]

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A video shows Bruce Lee playing ping pong with nunchucks. Is this video real or fake? It’s not real. The video, which has been circulating on social media since late 2012, was a promotional spot created in 2008 by Nokia for a limited edition Bruce Lee cell phone. History The award-winning commercial was produced by JWT Shanghai, and was created to look as if it were filmed in the late 60s or early 70s. A Bruce Lee lookalike was used. The men playing ping pong mimicked the motions of an actual game, but the ball was inserted digitally after the fact. At first we see “Lee” beat a single opponent, then takes on two opponents at the same time. There is also video of “Lee” lighting a cigarette – with his nunchaku (“nunchucks”) – as it dangles from another man’s mouth. Interview JWT Beijing was featured on agency.asia and asked about the spot. Creative officer Polly Chu noted, “Effective viral relies on an idea that is ‘very’ – very amazing, very funny, very disgusting, or very rude etc. Only when people find it interesting enough, they will spend time with it and share it to others. That makes it ‘viral’. Bruce Lee had ‘very’ amazing skills [...]

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A fake story circulating online this week claims that President Obama’s teenage daughter Malia is pregnant. Fake News The false story was published by the so-called “satire” website Empire News, which is known to post fictional, outlandish stories such as this. Internet readers are often unaware of the fictional nature of Empire News, and often share the false stories with the assumption that they are real. The post came on the heels of a real report in which a congressional aide criticized the Obama daughters for seeming uninterested during a Thanksgiving appearance. That aide has since resigned in the wake of the scandal. Satire watchdog Bad Satire Today was the first to call out the fake story by Empire News, which appeared around November 28. The story began circulating heavily throughout the weekend, and Bad Satire Today reported the false story on November 30, noting that no legitimate sources or corroborating links were cited. Satire Disguised as News Empire News is one of several fake news website which have been responsible for viral false news in recent months. In September, a viral story by Empire News circulated which claimed MTV had started production of a series entitled “12 and Pregnant.”  In its About/Disclaimer section, Empire News [...]

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A story circulating online claims that Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan died of a heart attack. That report, however, is false. Death Hoax In a report published by Unam Noticias, we read that Millan died in a Santa Clarita hospital of a heart attack. The story states that Millan’s death was announced by his wife at a press conference. The article, as of this writing, has received nearly 20,000 shares online. The report, however, is not true. Some shocked readers shared the sad news on social media, without first verifying the claims in the report. Although as of this writing, neither Millan nor his representatives have responded to the death hoax, there are several factors which indicate the article is not true. Consider: The original report does not cite any sources. No legitimate media outlets have reported Millan’s death There is no evidence that Millan’s wife held a press conference There has been no such announcement on Millan’s official Facebook page. The story on Unam Noticias is rife with grammatical and spelling errors (example: “Millan was hospitalize yesterday afternoon, the medical reports indicate that he suffered a fulminate heart attack, which paralyze his heart unavailable for the blood…” Bottom Line The report claiming that Cesar Millan died of [...]

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A Ferguson protest sign shared on social media says, “No mother should have to fear for her son’s life every time he robs a store.” Is this real or fake? It is Fake… The photo, which has been heavily shared on social media, has been altered. While the altered version reads, “No mother should have to fear for her son’s life every time he robs a store”, the original untouched protest sign says, “No mother should have to fear for her son’s life every time he leaves home #blacklivesmatter #stayhuman” Altered photo by Imgur user Bdawgid History Originally, the unaltered photograph appeared in an October 1st Riverfront Times blog post by Mitch Ryalsm, and covered protesters who had been arrested in Ferguson, MO when they stepped into the street after they were instructed by police to stay on a sidewalk. Original photo from Mitch Ryal blog post On November 27 of 2014, an Imgur user going by the name of Bdawgid posted the modified version of the image. A caption included with the adapted snapshot is quoted below: “The black community has every reason to be angry with the police, and the brutality they inflict. But making a martyr out [...]

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A graphic shows a “Welcome to Idaho” sign which includes a warning to criminals and terrorists about its gun-carrying population. Is this sign real? It’s fake. The text below the “Welcome to Idaho” was digitally added either as a joke or as a statement about gun control. The text reads: Attention Criminals & Terrorists Over 170,000 Idaho residents have a permit to legally carry a concealed weapon, about 60% of the rest of the population is armed but have not bothered to purchase the license as it is not a requirement to carry a firearm. Understand, a substantial portion of the population is armed and prepared to defend themselves and others against acts of criminal violence. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! However, California, New York and Illinois have disarmed their citizens for your convenience. Below you can see the image being circulated, and then an unaltered photograph of the “Welcome to Idaho” sign that does not have the added text: Version 2 In December 2014, a reader sent us the image below. This variation reads: You may not like guns. That is your right. You may not believe in God. That is your choice. But if someone breaks into your home, the [...]

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The “Dr. Phil Personality Test” has been circulating online for at least 10 years. Was this test really created by Dr. Phil? The Test Did Not Come From Dr. Phil. Let’s first take a look at the so-called “Dr. Phil Personality Test” which has been in circulation on the internet in this form since 2009: This is very interesting…. See what you come up with. Don’t cheat! Below is Dr. Phil’s test. (Dr. Phil scored 55, he did this test on Oprah and she got a 38.) Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out! The following test is pretty accurate and it only takes a few minutes. Take this test for yourself and send it on to your friends…. The person who sent it placed their score in the email subject box. Please do the same before forwarding it on to your friends (include me please) Don’t peek! Answers are for who you are now and not who you were in the past. This is a real test given by Human Relations Departments at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and in their prospective employees. There [...]

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Press reports in 1933 claimed that a Chinese man named Li Ching-Yuen had died at the age of either 197 or 256. Is this story real or fake? The claim that this man reached the age of 256 (or 197) is believed to be false. The traditional story of Li Ching-Yuen holds that he was born in 1677 or 1736 (he claimed the latter) and died in 1933, making him either 197 or 256 years old at the time of his death. Late in the man’s life, the public grew increasingly interested in his extraordinary lifespan. He reportedly had 23 wives and over 200 children. His interest included martial arts and herbalism. His secret to a long life was “Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, sleep like a dog.” Early Reports A few years before Li Ching-Yuen’s death, the following news article appeared in the Pittsburgh Press on October 2, 1929. Man, 252 Years Old, Found Residing in Rural China Reported to Have Discovered Fountain of Youth – Has Outlived 23 Wives. by D.C. Bess United Press Staff Writer Peiping, Oct 2 – The world’s oldest man, who, if his given age is correct, would antedate the American republic by almost a [...]

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Jennifer Aniston appeared on Conan and discussed a fake image which went viral in 2013 that showed the actress with a shaved head. The fake image The photo was originally circulated as an April Fool’s joke in 2013, and went viral in December 2013, with many readers fooled by the image. We initially debunked the photo on December 24, 2013. A fake Instagram post also circulated with the photo in which the actress claims to have shaved her head in honor of her niece who was diagnosed with cancer. Daily Makeover first published the fake photo on April 1, 2013, with a story about the star’s new hair style. That article ended with the expected “April Fool’s!” footnote. You can see the fake image below, next to the source from which was taken – an appearance in 2006 for the movie “Friends With Money.”    2014 Conan Interview On the December 4, 2014 edition of Conan, the fake photo was discussed. “There was this – it turned out to be a fake picture of you – but they put a picture of you that they were claiming you had shaved your head,” Conan explained. “It actually went kind of viral, like [...]

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Photographs have been circulating of an alleged Nareepol Tree, a tree which supposedly produces a woman-shaped fruit.  Is this tree real or fake? It is Fake. The Nareepol Tree is purportedly a tree whose fruit resembles an intricately detailed woman. Not surprisingly, the Nareepol Tree is certainly a hoax. Claims about the Nareepol Tree, which include a set of pictures, have been circulating via email and social media since at least early 2008. One version of the hoax claims that the Nareepol Tree grows in the Petchaboon province of Thailand, while another adaptation offers similar claims about a plant called Naarilatha which is said to blossom once every two decades in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and/or the Himalayas. A photograph of the Nareepol Tree According to an article on the Nareepol Tree from the Hoax or Fact website, “naree” translates to “girl/woman” while “pol” means “plant/tree” in the Malay language. Thus, “nareepol” can be interpreted as “woman tree” or “fruit woman”. In addition, they point out that “nareepol” are a form of legendary beings mentioned in Thai mythology and sacred texts. Nareepol Tree Anomalies Although many websites repeat claims about the Nareepol Tree and the Naarilatha plant, there is a surprising [...]

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A terrifying tale recounts the story of a 1940’s Russian sleep experiment in which five people were kept awake for fifteen days, followed by a horrifying chain of events. Is this story real or fake? The Story is a Work of Fiction. The short fictional work entitled “The Russian Sleep Experiment“ was originally posted in 2010 on the website CreepyPasta.com. This website is self-described as “a collection of various paranormal/scary short stories.” Synopsis Russian researches gave political prisoners a gas-based stimulant to keep them awake for 15 days as part of a scientific experiment. The subjects were sealed and monitored, with the false promise of freedom if they could successfully avoid sleeping for 30 days. Strange behavior by the prisoners in the early days of the experiment was blamed on the gas, but the subjects began displaying increasingly unusual behavior as their time in the chamber continued. Halfway through the experiment, the subjects appeared to calmly embrace their bleak conditions, despite horrifying circumstances within. After being briefly removed, the remaining subjects were ordered back in the chamber along with three researchers, but one of the researchers refused and demanded answers before killing his commander and the remaining test subjects. This photo has been passed around with the Russian Sleep Experiment [...]

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An image circulated online shows a newspaper clipping which allegedly shows a new winged spider that has been discovered by scientists. Is this real or a hoax? The image is fake. The graphic, which has circulated for several years, shows a fake newspaper clipping which  includes the caption: Scientist discovers winged spider. When we view the real image, however, we see that it is a normal, non-winged spider. It appears that someone added wings and formatted the image to look as if it were printed in a newspaper. Compare the hoax newspaper clipping with the real image below:   The original photo can be found on this website, with the image dated 9/23/2007. The photo is labeled: Dolomedes sp. (Fishing Spider) – Durham, NC 9/23/07. With cockroach prey. 2014 Version The “winged spider” image began circulating again in early 2014, with a new – yet still fake – story attached. This version claims that this new flying spider is set to arrive in the U.K. this summer. Early Summer threatens UK with Volat-Araneus (The Flying Spider) WARNING: not for the feint of heart! – This is an article you will definitely want to share. Humans aren’t the only species that like the hot [...]

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A photo which has circulated online since 2012 shows what appears to be a man forcing a puppy to drink vodka. Is the image real or fake? The photo is real, but it is often mis-captioned. The image dates from August 2012 and was taken in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. The man and the photo were investigated by local authorities, and no action was taken. Captions for the photo have included: “Repost until this person is caught and prosecuted” or “Let’s get this one shared, hopefully someone will recognize this piece of sh-t and report him to the cops for animal cruelty/abuse.” The photo surged in September 2013 and again in February 2014, with calls for the man to be “caught.” We have seen an increase in sharing of this photo in December 2014. Investigation Police investigated the photo and issued the following press release (it is no longer available on their website, but can be viewed via the Internet Archive here.) Prepared by Sgt Daniel Mafturack (3635) Posted August 14, 2012 Occurrence Type: Social Media Occurrence #: BA12039162 Date: Monday, August 13, 2012 – 11:00pm Details: On Sunday August 12th 2012, a complainant attended the Barrie Police Service to report a picture [...]

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Does this photo show a python which consumed a drunk, passed-out man in India – or possibly a woman in South Africa? Known History of the Snake Photo The origin of the photo is unknown, and it has been circulated with a variety of captions. Let’s take a look at the known history of this photo. September 2012 The photo appeared on several websites, and was quickly re-posted on a variety of websites such as 9gag. One version included the caption, “A Python swallowed a drunken man who was sleeping on the street!!!!!”  There were, however, no news accounts of a snake eating a human at that time. January 2013 The image reappeared with a story that the snake had been caught after eating a person during a flood in Jakarta (Source). Another variant was also discussed on Reddit around the same time. June 2013 On June 11, 2013 South African journalist Linda Laina Nyatoro posted the image on Facebook, stating, “Hey guys this snake is real it swallowed a woman, happened two days ago near Durban North.” Her claim that this attack occurred on June 9, 2013 is impossible, as the snake picture had already been circulating since at [...]

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A recording of crickets chirping is said to sound like a human chorus singing in harmony when the sounds are slowed down. Is this true or false? The sounds of crickets appear genuine, but the melody was likely added later. History Although the piece circulated heavily in late 2013, the music in question by Jim Wilson dates to the early 1990’s. The liner notes of one version of the work explains the sounds: Though it may sound like a synthesizer or a chorus singing; it’s the crickets themselves slowed way down, creating the effect of a choir of human voices. The sound created is a simple diatonic 7-note scale chord progression and melody with a multi-layered structure. The song features two tracks: crickets chirping at normal speed, and the sound of crickets chirping “several octaves lower.” The slowed-down crickets sound amazingly like a harmonizing choir, singing in a major key. Original Recording The original cricket recording was captured by Jim Wilson and included on the album Medicine Songs as the track “Ballad of the Twister Hair.” In 1994, the cricket track was featured on the soundtrack to the TBS documentary miniseries The Native Americans as the track “Twisted Hair.” That track also [...]

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A photo which has circulated online for several years shows what appears to be a man being burned at the stake. It has been suggested that the man was burned as part of Islamic Law (Shariah). Is it real or fake? The photo is real, but it is often miscaptioned. Let’s first take a look at the image in question, which shows a man tied to a stake with his legs on fire:   False Claims The photo above has been circulated online for several years, often with captions claiming that it is an example of Sharia brutality. Real Incident The image is real, but it has nothing to do with Islam or Sharia. The man in the photo was a thief who was caught stealing in Pelileo Grande, Ecuador. He was punished by local villagers, who tied him to a cross and set his legs on fire. He was removed from the cross by a priest and villagers, and taken to a hospital. The Daily Mail reported the story on October 12, 2006. In a story entitled, “Burned alive for being a thief,” we read: A suspected thief screams as villagers set fire to his legs after stripping him and tying [...]

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