SettingsHoaxes in science
2009 Latvian meteorite hoax
The 2009 Latvian meteorite hoax was a publicity stunt in which Swedish-based telecommunications company Tele2 staged an apparent meteorite landing which was later revealed to be fake.
The 2009 Latvian meteorite hoax was a publicity stunt in which Swedish-based telecommunications company Tele2 staged an apparent meteorite landing which was later revealed to be fake.
Alien autopsy
An alien autopsy refers to a medical examination and dissection of the dead body of an extraterrestrial being.
An alien autopsy refers to a medical examination and dissection of the dead body of an extraterrestrial being.
Anil Potti
Anil Potti is a physician and former Duke University medical researcher, focusing on oncogenomics.
Anil Potti is a physician and former Duke University medical researcher, focusing on oncogenomics.
Archaeoraptor
"Archaeoraptor" is the generic name informally assigned in 1999 to a fossil from China in an article published in National Geographic magazine.
"Archaeoraptor" is the generic name informally assigned in 1999 to a fossil from China in an article published in National Geographic magazine.
Blue Monday (date)
Blue Monday (also known in Japan as Sazae-san syndrome) is a name given to a date stated, as part of a publicity campaign by Sky Travel, to be the most depressing day of the year.
Blue Monday (also known in Japan as Sazae-san syndrome) is a name given to a date stated, as part of a publicity campaign by Sky Travel, to be the most depressing day of the year.
Bogdanov Affair
The Bogdanov Affair is an academic dispute regarding the legitimacy of a series of theoretical physics papers written by French twins Igor and Grichka Bogdanov.
The Bogdanov Affair is an academic dispute regarding the legitimacy of a series of theoretical physics papers written by French twins Igor and Grichka Bogdanov.
Bonsai Kitten
Bonsai Kitten was a satirical website which contained instructions on how to grow a kitten in a jar, so as to mold the bones of the kitten into the shape of the jar as the cat grew, much like a ...
Bonsai Kitten was a satirical website which contained instructions on how to grow a kitten in a jar, so as to mold the bones of the kitten into the shape of the jar as the cat grew, much like a ...
Calaveras Skull
The Calaveras Skull was a human skull found by miners in Calaveras County, California which purported to prove that humans, mastodons, and elephants had coexisted in California.
The Calaveras Skull was a human skull found by miners in Calaveras County, California which purported to prove that humans, mastodons, and elephants had coexisted in California.
Charles Redheffer
Charles Redheffer was an American inventor who claimed to have invented a perpetual motion machine.
Charles Redheffer was an American inventor who claimed to have invented a perpetual motion machine.
Claude Émile Jean-Baptiste Litre
Claude Émile Jean-Baptiste Litre is a fictional character created in 1978 by Kenneth Woolner of the University of Waterloo in order to justify the use of a capital L to denote litres.
Claude Émile Jean-Baptiste Litre is a fictional character created in 1978 by Kenneth Woolner of the University of Waterloo in order to justify the use of a capital L to denote litres.
Derbisol
Derbisol is a fictitious drug used in questionnaires by some academic surveys to test the reliability of answers received from students.
Derbisol is a fictitious drug used in questionnaires by some academic surveys to test the reliability of answers received from students.
Dihydrogen monoxide ban parody
The dihydrogen monoxide ban parody is an example of parody science in the form of a petition begging people to support a ban of ordinary water portrayed satirically as a dangerous environmental ...
The dihydrogen monoxide ban parody is an example of parody science in the form of a petition begging people to support a ban of ordinary water portrayed satirically as a dangerous environmental ...
Dihydrogen monoxide hoax
In the dihydrogen monoxide hoax, water is called by an unfamiliar name, "dihydrogen monoxide", followed by a listing of real effects of this chemical, in an attempt to convince people that it sh...
In the dihydrogen monoxide hoax, water is called by an unfamiliar name, "dihydrogen monoxide", followed by a listing of real effects of this chemical, in an attempt to convince people that it sh...
Dihydrogen monoxide petition
The dihydrogen monoxide petition is an example of parody science, claiming that ordinary water is a dangerous environmental toxin.
The dihydrogen monoxide petition is an example of parody science, claiming that ordinary water is a dangerous environmental toxin.
Dipak K. Das
Dipak K. Das (born 1947) is a professor of surgery and the director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.
Dipak K. Das (born 1947) is a professor of surgery and the director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.
Disappearing blonde gene
The disappearing blonde gene refers to false reports that a scientific study had estimated that natural blonds would become extinct, which were reported as fact in reputable media such as the BB...
The disappearing blonde gene refers to false reports that a scientific study had estimated that natural blonds would become extinct, which were reported as fact in reputable media such as the BB...
Eoörnis Pterovelox Gobiensis
Eoörnis pterovelox gobiensis is a fictional bird, a humorous hoax by Lester W. Sharp, professor of botany, Cornell University, United States.
Eoörnis pterovelox gobiensis is a fictional bird, a humorous hoax by Lester W. Sharp, professor of botany, Cornell University, United States.
Fatu-liva
The Fatu-liva is a fictional species of bird invented by George S. Chappell in his travel parody The Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas, by Walter E. Traprock.
The Fatu-liva is a fictional species of bird invented by George S. Chappell in his travel parody The Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas, by Walter E. Traprock.
Flying penguins
Flying penguins or Miracles of Evolution is a BBC film trailer made in 2008 as an April Fools' Day hoax.
Flying penguins or Miracles of Evolution is a BBC film trailer made in 2008 as an April Fools' Day hoax.
Fur-bearing trout
The fur-bearing trout is a fictional creature native to the northern regions of North America, particularly Canada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Great Lakes.
The fur-bearing trout is a fictional creature native to the northern regions of North America, particularly Canada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Great Lakes.
Hastings Rarities
The Hastings Rarities affair is a case of putative ornithological fraud.
The Hastings Rarities affair is a case of putative ornithological fraud.
Holly Oak gorget
The Holly Oak Gorget is an artifact made from a section of shell that is engraved with the image of an extinct woolly mammoth reportedly found in Holly Oak, Delaware and initially identified as ...
The Holly Oak Gorget is an artifact made from a section of shell that is engraved with the image of an extinct woolly mammoth reportedly found in Holly Oak, Delaware and initially identified as ...
Huemul Project
The Huemul Project was a secret project proposed by the German scientist of Austrian origin Ronald Richter to the government of Argentina during the first presidency of Juan Domingo Perón.
The Huemul Project was a secret project proposed by the German scientist of Austrian origin Ronald Richter to the government of Argentina during the first presidency of Juan Domingo Perón.
Hundredth monkey effect
The hundredth monkey effect is a supposed phenomenon in which a learned behavior spreads instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number is reached.
The hundredth monkey effect is a supposed phenomenon in which a learned behavior spreads instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number is reached.
Isadore Nabi
Isadore Nabi (sometimes Isidore Nabi or Isador Nabi) was a pseudonym used by a group of scientists including Richard Lewontin, Richard Levins, Robert MacArthur, and Leigh van Valen in th...
Isadore Nabi (sometimes Isidore Nabi or Isador Nabi) was a pseudonym used by a group of scientists including Richard Lewontin, Richard Levins, Robert MacArthur, and Leigh van Valen in th...
Journal for Geoclimatic Studies
The Journal for Geoclimatic Studies is the name given to a nonexistent journal which published a fabricated global warming study in November 2007 entitled, "Carbon dioxide production by bent...
The Journal for Geoclimatic Studies is the name given to a nonexistent journal which published a fabricated global warming study in November 2007 entitled, "Carbon dioxide production by bent...
Kensington Runestone
The Kensington Runestone is a 200-pound slab of greywacke covered in runes on its face and side, most probably created in modern times to claim that Scandinavian explorers reached the middle of ...
The Kensington Runestone is a 200-pound slab of greywacke covered in runes on its face and side, most probably created in modern times to claim that Scandinavian explorers reached the middle of ...
Legrand G. Capers
Legrand G. Capers (April 16, 1834 – December 2, 1877) was an American physician, best known for his 1874 spurious case report of bullet-mediated impregnation of a young woman.
Legrand G. Capers (April 16, 1834 – December 2, 1877) was an American physician, best known for his 1874 spurious case report of bullet-mediated impregnation of a young woman.
LoveLump
The LoveLump was an Internet hoax perpetrated by digital artist Christopher Ryan Moses.
The LoveLump was an Internet hoax perpetrated by digital artist Christopher Ryan Moses.
Mars hoax
The Mars hoax was an e-mail-circulated hoax that originated in 2003, claiming that Mars will look as large as the full Moon to the naked eye on August 27, 2003.
The Mars hoax was an e-mail-circulated hoax that originated in 2003, claiming that Mars will look as large as the full Moon to the naked eye on August 27, 2003.
Mel's Hole
Mel's Hole is a supposed geographic anomaly discovered by Mel Waters on his land near Ellensburg, Washington.
Mel's Hole is a supposed geographic anomaly discovered by Mel Waters on his land near Ellensburg, Washington.
Mephisto (automaton)
Mephisto was the name given to a chess-playing 'pseudo-automaton' built in 1876.
Mephisto was the name given to a chess-playing 'pseudo-automaton' built in 1876.
Metabene
Derbisol is a fictitious drug used in questionnaires by some academic surveys to test the reliability of answers received from students.
Derbisol is a fictitious drug used in questionnaires by some academic surveys to test the reliability of answers received from students.
Nacirema
Various anthropologists and sociologists have used the term Nacirema to examine (with a degree/pretense of anthropological self-distancing) aspects of the behavior and society of American...
Various anthropologists and sociologists have used the term Nacirema to examine (with a degree/pretense of anthropological self-distancing) aspects of the behavior and society of American...
Ompax spatuloides
The Ompax spatuloides was a hoax fish "discovered" in Australia in August, 1872.
The Ompax spatuloides was a hoax fish "discovered" in Australia in August, 1872.
Orgueil (meteorite)
Orgueil is a scientifically important carbonaceous chondrite meteorite that fell in southwestern France in 1864.
Orgueil is a scientifically important carbonaceous chondrite meteorite that fell in southwestern France in 1864.
Pacific Northwest tree octopus
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is an internet hoax created in 1998 by Lyle Zapato.
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is an internet hoax created in 1998 by Lyle Zapato.
Piltdown Man
The Piltdown Man was a hoax in which bone fragments were presented as the fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human.
The Piltdown Man was a hoax in which bone fragments were presented as the fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human.
Recapitulation theory
The theory of recapitulation, also called the biogenetic law or embryological parallelism—and often expressed as "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"—is a disproven h...
The theory of recapitulation, also called the biogenetic law or embryological parallelism—and often expressed as "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"—is a disproven h...
Red mercury
Red mercury is a 19th-century term for protiodide or iodide of mercury.
Red mercury is a 19th-century term for protiodide or iodide of mercury.
Schön scandal
Jan Hendrik Schön is a German physicist who briefly rose to prominence after a series of apparent breakthroughs with semiconductors that were later discovered to be fraudulent.
Jan Hendrik Schön is a German physicist who briefly rose to prominence after a series of apparent breakthroughs with semiconductors that were later discovered to be fraudulent.
Scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research.
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research.
SCIgen
SCIgen is a program that randomly generates nonsense in the form of computer science research papers, including graphs, diagrams, and citations.
SCIgen is a program that randomly generates nonsense in the form of computer science research papers, including graphs, diagrams, and citations.
Scott Reuben
Scott S. Reuben (born 1958) of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts was Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts before being sentenced to...
Scott S. Reuben (born 1958) of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts was Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts before being sentenced to...
Shimeron
Derbisol is a fictitious drug used in questionnaires by some academic surveys to test the reliability of answers received from students.
Derbisol is a fictitious drug used in questionnaires by some academic surveys to test the reliability of answers received from students.
Skvader
The skvader is a Swedish fictional creature that was constructed in 1918 by the taxidermist Rudolf Granberg and is permanently displayed at the museum at Norra Berget in Sundsvall.
The skvader is a Swedish fictional creature that was constructed in 1918 by the taxidermist Rudolf Granberg and is permanently displayed at the museum at Norra Berget in Sundsvall.
snarXiv
snarXiv is a website spoofing the high-energy physics section (hep-th) of the popular electronic scientific paper repository arXiv.
snarXiv is a website spoofing the high-energy physics section (hep-th) of the popular electronic scientific paper repository arXiv.
Sokal affair
The Sokal affair, also known as the Sokal hoax, was a publishing hoax perpetrated by Alan Sokal, a physics professor at New York University.
The Sokal affair, also known as the Sokal hoax, was a publishing hoax perpetrated by Alan Sokal, a physics professor at New York University.
Tasaday
The Tasaday are an indigenous people of the Philippine island of Mindanao.
The Tasaday are an indigenous people of the Philippine island of Mindanao.
Tasaday people
The Tasaday are an indigenous people of the Philippine island of Mindanao.
The Tasaday are an indigenous people of the Philippine island of Mindanao.
Tesla electric car
The Tesla electric car anecdote refers to a supposed Tesla invention described by a Peter Savo (who claimed to be a nephew of Tesla), to one Derek Ahers on September 16, 1967. Savo...
The Tesla electric car anecdote refers to a supposed Tesla invention described by a Peter Savo (who claimed to be a nephew of Tesla), to one Derek Ahers on September 16, 1967. Savo...
The Turk
The Turk, also known as the Mechanical Turk or Automaton Chess Player, was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century.
The Turk, also known as the Mechanical Turk or Automaton Chess Player, was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century.
Time travel urban legends
Time travel urban legends are accounts of persons who allegedly traveled through time, reported by the press or circulated on the Internet.
Time travel urban legends are accounts of persons who allegedly traveled through time, reported by the press or circulated on the Internet.
Trixolan
Trixolan (TX) is a purportedly therapeutic agent based on Viroxan, a citronella-based substance used by Stephen Herman, a Californian doctor who used it to treat AIDS patients.
Trixolan (TX) is a purportedly therapeutic agent based on Viroxan, a citronella-based substance used by Stephen Herman, a Californian doctor who used it to treat AIDS patients.
Turboencabulator
The Turboencabulator or turbo-encabulator is a fictional machine whose alleged existence became an in-joke and subject of professional humor among engineers.
The Turboencabulator or turbo-encabulator is a fictional machine whose alleged existence became an in-joke and subject of professional humor among engineers.
Villejuif leaflet
The Villejuif leaflet , also known as the Villejuif flyer and the Villejuif list, was a scientifically inaccurate false document and possible hoax that was passed on in an urban lege...
The Villejuif leaflet , also known as the Villejuif flyer and the Villejuif list, was a scientifically inaccurate false document and possible hoax that was passed on in an urban lege...
Well to Hell hoax
The "Well to Hell" is a putative borehole in Russia which was purportedly drilled so deep that it broke through to hell.
The "Well to Hell" is a putative borehole in Russia which was purportedly drilled so deep that it broke through to hell.
ZeoSync
ZeoSync is a company that in 2002 announced a lossless data compression product they claimed could achieve a compression ratio of 100:1 on random data.
ZeoSync is a company that in 2002 announced a lossless data compression product they claimed could achieve a compression ratio of 100:1 on random data.