SCIENCE

Tiktok video revives mermaid claims with footage from fictionalised documentary

Published on 05/10/2022 at 10:06

A viral video on TikTok features an extract from a morning show on South Africa’s national television promoting a broadcast purportedly confirming the existence of mermaids. While some users expressed their disbelief at the footage, others took it at face value. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check found that the morning show segment was part of an April Fool’s Day joke in 2014 and incorporated a fake documentary created by Animal Planet.

Photo shows naturally-formed Faroe Islands mountains, not 'Russian pyramids older than Egypt's'

Published on 30/09/2022 at 08:57

Old footage of stranded elephant seal resurfaces after Hurricane Ian

Published on 29/09/2022 at 21:40

British meteorologist falsely blames climate change on sun, moon

Published on 27/09/2022 at 22:39

Posts misrepresent 2007 video as protest at queen's funeral

Published on 26/09/2022 at 22:50

Long-tailed critter is a replica of a prop from the movie 'Alien', not a real arthropod

Published on 21/09/2022 at 17:43

Video of Japanese model falsely shared as 'lifelike robot greeting passengers at Tokyo airport'

Updated on 14/09/2022 at 08:33

Video of 'android' actor at Tokyo Game Show misrepresented as 'real robot'

Updated on 02/09/2022 at 10:36

Photo of Japan's indigenous Ainu woman misrepresented as 'Chinese pirate queen Ching Shih'

Updated on 05/09/2022 at 08:39

Manipulated post shows Zuckerberg saying '9/11 never happened' in metaverse

Published on 24/08/2022 at 17:50

Clickbait post lures Ethiopians with false story about student inventing maths formula and mobile app

Updated on 19/08/2022 at 17:40

'Melting candy' dental treatment has no merit

Published on 09/08/2022 at 20:06

Misleading claims about weather, electric vehicles spread online

Published on 03/08/2022 at 17:30

Atlantic Ocean has not lost 90% of plankton

Published on 01/08/2022 at 21:44

Posts misrepresent South Korea culture ministry's plans for demolished colonial governor residence

Published on 01/08/2022 at 07:25