Your weekly fact-checks
#Health
Half-True: "[The US pays] by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, in some cases 10 times more than the people of any other country."
Sen. Bernie Sanders has claimed in this interview that the prices Americans pay are sometimes 10 times what people in other countries pay. Studies generally found that U.S. prices were approximately two to four times higher than those in other countries, not 10. However, in some studies, insulin prices in the United States were at least 10 times those in other countries. (Source: PolitiFact)
True: "One Night Cough Syrup" from the late 1800s contained cannabis, morphine, and chloroform
The cough syrup was indeed a real product. Entirely unregulated, such drugs' effects, if any, could often be attributed to what would now be considered hardcore narcotics, recreational drugs, or some combination of the two. (Source: Snopes)
Partly False: The pesticide Monitor, used to grow potatoes for McDonald’s french fries, is so toxic that farmers are not allowed to enter their field for five days.
Monitor has not been approved for use in the US since 2009 and the EU since 2008. McDonald’s USA told Full Fact that the chemical had not been used on its potatoes for “several years”. The practice of a “restricted-entry interval” is a standard safety protocol carried out after any pesticides are used. (Source: Full Fact)
#Nordics
Riktig, men...: CO2 er livets gass og bra for planeten. Økt andel av CO2 i atmosfæren vil føre til flere avlinger og økt vegetasjon.
Det er riktig at en økning av CO₂ i atmosfæren vil ha en gjødslende effekt på vegetasjon og avlinger. Effekten har allerede ført til en grønnere planet. Men de positive effektene er ikke sterke nok til å gjøre opp for de negative effektene. Avlingene blir derfor mindre. I tillegg går næringsinnholdet i det som dyrkes ned. (Source: Faktisk)
Falsk: På grunn av lav solaktivitet er jordas klima på vei inn i en nedkjølingsperiode/mini–istid.
Det er riktig at vi har hatt lavere solaktivitet og at dette bidrar til å senke temperaturene. Men den lave aktiviteten vil ikke gjøre opp for andre faktorer som påvirker klimaet. Selv en langvarig periode med lav solaktivitet vil ikke være nok til å stoppe global oppvarming. (Source: Faktisk)
Falsk: 2 ud af 3 tyrkere bosat i Danmark stemte på den siddende præsident, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Det er ikke korrekt. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan har fået 58 procent af stemmerne i Danmark. (Source: Tjekdet)
#Other
Misleading: US is giving free smartphones to migrants
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does temporarily provide phones to qualified individuals, but the devices are only used to track migrants and inform them about their cases. (Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP)
False: In May 2023, Twitter became profitable after Tesla committed to spending $10 billion on Twitter ads.
Tesla did not commit to spending $10 billion in ads on Twitter. The account later said that the post was false. (Source: Snopes)
Misattributed: Adolf Hitler once said, "To conquer a nation first replace science with Christianity."
There is no evidence the Nazi dictator ever said such a thing, or anything resembling it. The quote is nowhere to be found in published literature and appears to be fabricated. (Source: Snopes)
False: In May 2023, actor Tom Hanks said he planned to use artificial-intelligence (AI) technology to keep making films after his death.
In a podcast interview Hanks acknowledged the possibility of having his likeness recreated by AI and used in films; however, he did not say he would definitely use the technology to make films after his death. (Source: Snopes)
#WTF?!
What The Fact?! of the week:
Pseudoscience: Vaccinated People Emit Bluetooth Signals
There is no indication that the chip required to use this technology can be injected into a human body through a needle. The claim's main argument derives from a "documentary" showing a pseudoscientific study that misrepresents how Bluetooth technology operates. (Source: Lead Stories)
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