Distortion field guide
Date or context mismatch
Real material from one time or place presented as another.
How it enters the chain
Old footage resurfaces during a new event; a real statistic from one country gets attached to a story about a different one.
How to spot it
Ask when and where the underlying material is actually from. Reverse image search and original timestamps settle this quickly.
Specimens on record (16)
TS-5EE7363115 Sept 2026Walking provides aerobic and cardiovascular benefits but does not produce the same muscular adaptations as resistance training, and therefore cannot replace it. Public health guidelines recommend…TS-3B5FF33C15 Sept 2026Potassium bromate, a flour treatment agent used in baking, produced kidney and thyroid tumors in rat carcinogenicity studies. It is prohibited as a food additive in the European Union, United…TS-2EAE4EF810 Sept 2026A Babraham Institute team reported that transient (partial) expression of reprogramming factors in cultured human skin fibroblasts reversed several molecular and epigenetic markers of age while the…TS-4BFCB32010 Sept 2026Approximately 27,000 individual packages of a white rice product were subject to a recall in the United States because of the possible presence of foreign material.TS-8263EDEF9 Sept 2026An experimental compound called ISRIB improved memory performance in mice with learning impairments or brain injuries, with a measured improvement of up to 70 percent within 48 hours of treatment, as…TS-6FF61F2A9 Sept 2026A high-power microwave counter-drone system disabled 61 of 61 drones during a demonstration, including a group of 49 drones defeated with one pulse.TS-BD48B7185 Sept 2026One or more qualified nutrition professionals have stated that a slice of pizza can compare favorably to some high-sugar breakfast cereals on protein content, sugar content, and macronutrient balance.TS-CB0D07631 Sept 2026Egyptian government and motorsport officials have discussed the possibility of hosting a Formula 1 race in Egypt, no contract exists, and the claim specifies a Giza Pyramids location and a 2027…TS-7A11C6261 Sept 2026Texas enacted a law prohibiting the sale of cell-cultured meat, making it the seventh U.S. state to enact such a prohibition, after Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Montana, Nebraska, and Indiana.TS-A02AB90C29 Aug 2026A 1960 paper by a scientist working in the United States used a mathematical extrapolation of human population growth that reaches a singularity on 13 November 2026.TS-17E5EBDC23 Aug 2026Aggregate positioning data shows institutional futures traders holding a record net short position of approximately $18 billion in Nasdaq 100 futures as of mid-August 2026.TS-AC4A104820 Aug 2026Approximately 35 percent of the U.S. population sleeps fewer than seven hours per night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.TS-6332D6A819 Aug 2026In-N-Out Burger has substituted natural colorants for the synthetic dyes Yellow 5 and Red 40 in certain menu items, and has removed high-fructose corn syrup and cottonseed oil from certain products.TS-E01A64FE14 Aug 2026Researchers at Tarleton State University conducted a study finding that compounds in tamarind seeds remove up to 90% of microplastics from the human body, tested in people against a control group.TS-089D58E16 Aug 2026A published clinical trial reported that approximately half of cancer patients with major depressive disorder who received one supervised 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with psychological support…TS-7B0639BA4 Aug 2026Hip stiffness in adults is caused by disuse rather than aging, and holding a deep squat for one minute daily improves hip mobility, ankle flexibility, and posture, decompresses the spine, and this is…