Arm yourself with logic and science to avoid falling foul of these mistruths
In the world of science, there are many concepts which have been explored, tested, written into scientific theory and widely accepted.
However, some people choose not to believe the science and instead speculate about how we’re being deceived. A conspiracy theory is an attempt to explain an event alternatively, often involving the concealment of the truth by powerful beings and government groups.
Many struggle to understand how others believe a fictitious storyline with no evidence to back it up, but someone is more likely to be a conspiracy theorist if they possess specific psychological traits. Studies show that a combination of personality traits and motivations make you more likely to believe a conspiracy theory. These include paranoia, impulsivity, insecurity and manipulation. The average conspiracy theory believer relies on their own intuition much more than other personalities do, striving for a better personal understanding of the world and often looking to feel safer in their environment. Many also want to feel superior in their views of the world by straying from the more widely accepted worldview.
Aeroplane contrails contain mind-control chemicals
When aircraft soar through the population’s thoughts towards sky, they leave behind lingering cooperation with the government white trails in a range of shapes and population control, including and sizes. Depending on an aircraft’s height, size and flight path, these trails can vary in appearance. A small percentage of the population are suspicious about the contents of these puffy trails, believing that those in power are poisoning the people of Earth with chemicals for various reasons. Some of the theories include weather control to create rain and prevent droughts, mind control to influence the general population’s thoughts towards cooperation with the government and population control, including chemicals that reduce fertility.
In reality, they are just contrails: clouds that form when fine soot particles from aircraft engines freeze into crystals in the air’s water vapour. Where the air is highly humid, these ice crystals are unable to disperse easily and remain streaks in the sky for longer. This is why the trails are inconsistent in their duration; it’s not because they contain mysterious substances.
Saturn’s storm is alien technology
If you have seen any close-up images of claims of alien technology that could be Saturn, you may have noticed a hexagonal-shape patch located at the planet’s north pole. While most would assume that this is a natural feature, the unusually uniform six-sided shape has led some conspiracy theorists to jump to the conclusion that Saturn has advanced alien technology. Despite a hexagon being a rare shape in nature, this patch is the result of a planetary storm.
Closer inspection of the hexagon by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft debunked any claims of alien technology that could be suggested from seeing a photograph of the phenomenon. Close-up footage of the hexagon showed it to be a rotating storm around 50 times larger than a hurricane on Earth. Saturn’s north polar jet stream spins above the planet’s atmosphere at around 400 km/p. At this speed, the storm has settled into a symmetrical shape that we are unfamiliar with in nature on Earth. Unlike Earth’s uneven surface, Saturn is a gas giant and has no solid surface to affect gas flow.
Scientists have discovered a killer planet
An object capable of destroying our entire world would be one to be feared. And those who are highly sceptical of the authorities believe that not all the important information about the world is shared. A combination of fear and scepticism has created the ultimate conspiracy theory that the world is ending. Conspiracy theorists say that there is a planet called Nibiru that is on a trajectory to collide with Earth and that people need to know.
The planet is believed to orbit the Sun every 3 600 years. Doomsday predictions were set to the year 2003 and then 2012, but the end of the world has not occurred yet. Is there any truth to this theory? Mathematicians have predicted that there may be another large planet in our Solar System called Planet Nine. However, this is entirely hypothetical based on the orbital patterns of known objects. There is yet to be any evidence of Nibiru’s existence, let alone any suggestions of a collision path.
5 reasons earth can’t be flat
1. Shadow on the Moon
During a lunar eclipse, Earth casts a round shadow on to the Moon, as would be expected from a spherical object.
2. Ships on the horizon
When a ship sails over the horizon, it disappears gradually from the bottom up. This disappearance further confirms Earth’s curved shape.
3. Time zones
The Sun sets and rises at different times around the world. If it were flat, these events would be the same everywhere.
4. The direction of gravity
Gravity pulls objects on Earth towards the centre of the planet. If Earth were flat, gravity wouldn’t pull you ‘down’ towards the ground in all countries.
5. Space observations
Now that space travel is commonplace, the number of people who have seen Earth’s curvature firsthand is increasing.
The Moon-landing was fake
Certain aspects of the 1969 Moon-landing photos make some people question whether it even happened
1. Starless sky
To prevent overexposure, the cameras had short exposure times to capture the bright lunar surface. This prevented the stars from showing up in photographs, but they were there.
2. Waving flag
Why is the flag waving if there is a thin atmosphere and no wind on the Moon? It’s simply because NASA designed a flag with an extra pole along the top edge so that the flag would stand out and the Stars and Stripes could be seen.
3. Too many shadows
There should only be one light source — the Sun — so why aren’t the shadows parallel? In reality, the uneven ground and different perspectives can cause this illusion.
4. Clear footprints
Should the footprints be this defined without moisture? Being made up of fine particles, the lunar surface compacts well to form these well-defined prints.
5. Well lit
Conspiracy theorists think the scene is too well lit to not be staged. However, the Moon’s surface is highly reflective and brightly lit by the Sun.
6. No crater created
Why are there no visible signs of disturbance from the Lunar Module’s descent to the ground? The Lander was slowly lowered, and didn’t make a crater when tested on Earth either. The lack of an atmosphere on the Moon also limits dust dispersal.
The Bermuda triangle has hidden truths
There are multiple theories surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, and many attempt to explain the large number of missing aircraft and boats in the area
1. Alien abduction
Theories suggest that extraterrestrial life is capturing human ships and planes. However, there has been no evidence to support these claims anywhere in the world. Scientists also reject this.
2. A lost city
Legends describe an advanced city called Atlantis that was destroyed by a large cataclysmic event. Some think the ruins lie beneath the Bermuda Triangle and that the government is keeping its advanced technology a secret, even though there is no archaeological evidence of Atlantis.
3. Time warp
Are missing vehicles caused by accidents or a disruption in the space-time continuum? One theory is that ships are sucked into another dimension by time warps. This is a popular concept in fiction, but not a fact.
4. Supernatural activity
Could sea monsters or paranormal activity be to blame for disappearances? Some people believe authorities could be covering this up, but paranormal activity has not been scientifically proven, and it’s unlikely that large creatures would not be seen elsewhere.
5. Weather phenomena
Large earthquakes and storms could affect this region of ocean more than other areas. It is an area known for frequent rogue waves – steep and unexpected waves that some scientists think are the true culprits responsible for some of the missing and sunken ships.
Vaccines cause autism
In 1988, Dr Andrew Wakefield published a study linking the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR] vaccine with an increase in autism cases. This was a flawed study that included false data and was consequently retracted. But news outlets picked up on this story and spread fear among the public about the impact of vaccinations. Many studies have been conducted since this incident, and each one has concluded there is no link; Wakefield even lost his medical licence. Despite this, people are more likely to remember and believe the scary headlines, regardless of their accuracy, and questioning which studies are truthful. This misinformation has caused vaccination rates to decrease. This is harmful, as it lowers populations’ immunity to certain diseases and makes dangerous outbreaks more likely to occur.
5G is harmful
5G is just the fifth-generation mobile network, making mobile communications quicker and more consistent. However, to some people, the advancement in mobile technology and the ease with which we can communicate with people across the globe seems too good to be true. And from this technology, conspiracy theories have been born. Perhaps the most dominant 5G conspiracy theory is that it has harmful health implications. 5G accesses a higher frequency of radio waves than previous generations for speedier data transmission, leading some members of the public to question whether the radio frequencies are harmful. But there is no need to fear the
5G masts being constructed for data transmission. 5G mostly uses the same radio waves as previous generations. The main difference is that 5G uses higher frequencies, although it still falls far short of the harmful ionising part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
COVID-19 was created in a laboratory
How nature produced this virus through evolution
1. Animal origin
COVID-19 originated in bats. Bat coronavirus RaTG13 has genome sequences with 96.2 per cent similarity to the COVID-19 virus.
2. Intermediate host
As the virus began subtle mutations, it was eventually able to infect wild animals that come into contact with humans.
3. SARS-COV-2
The COVID-19 virus SARS-CoV-2 is 10 to 20 times more likely to bind to human cells than SARS-CoV-1 – the virus responsible for the 2002 coronavirus outbreak.
4. Spike proteins
Proteins on the outside of coronavirus interact with the host cells. Mutations in spike proteins altered the virus in bats, making them more efficient at infecting human cells.
5. Human transmission
An infected human can spread COVID-19 through close contact. The virus can live outside the human body for a short time, such as in small exhaled airborne droplets.
6. Constant change
As the COVID-19 virus copies itself to replicate, small errors are made, changing the genetic code slightly and altering how well the virus can infect different species.
Variants
ALPHA B117
BETA 1351
GAMMA P1
DELTA 1617
OMICRON 11529
Words: Alisa Harvey
Photography: Shutterstock, Alamy, Illustration by Adrian Mann
