How health problems after COVID-19 vaccination are sometimes used to feed misinformation narratives

— 28 Feb 2024

SUMMARY Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists have acquired ample evidence showing that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. While COVID-19 vaccines are associate...

“Disease X”: How pandemic preparedness talks spawned conspiracy theories online

— 14 Feb 2024

On 17 January 2024, public health experts including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), held a roundtable titled “Preparing f...

Variations on a theme: The evidence refuting the false claim that vaccines cause autism

— 11 Dec 2023

Introduction One of the most enduring narratives about vaccine safety is the alleged link between childhood vaccination and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A study published in 202...

What do we know about the safety of COVID-19 vaccine mRNA in breast milk?

— 03 Oct 2023

Introduction A study by Hanna et al. published in September 2023 reported the presence of mRNA from COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in the breast milk of some lactating women[1]. This study...

Are phthalates causing a decline in male fertility?

— 13 Sep 2023

Introduction According to an estimate published by the World Health Organization in April 2023, infertility affects roughly one in six (17.5%) adults of reproductive age worldwide....

Can mistletoe cure cancer?

— 16 May 2023

Introduction Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. In 2020, an estimated 19.3 million new cancers were diagnosed and about 10 million people died from the disease[1]. B...

Can you achieve a balanced diet by eating only meat? A look at the scientific evidence

— 11 Apr 2023

Introduction A diet that involves eating meat all the time sounds like a meat-lover’s dream. And you may have heard various social media influencers tout the health benefits of s...

What we know about the safety of mifepristone for medical abortions and the effectiveness of progesterone for “abortion reversal”

— 24 Feb 2023

Introduction The World Health Organization considers access to safe and affordable abortion services as important for the good health and well-being of women and girls. Unsafe abor...

Misinformation superspreaders are thriving on Musk-owned Twitter

— 22 Feb 2023

Key results 1. A study of 490 “misinformation superspreaders” (here defined as accounts that have repeatedly published popular tweets linking to known misinformation) shows tha...

What do we know about the safety of bisphenol A in food packaging?

— 13 Feb 2023

SUMMARY Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical that has been used for decades to make certain plastics and resins. These materials are used as a coating in food and drink cans and r...