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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Will Global Warming Benefit Civilization?

Will Global Warming Benefit Civilization?

Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt suggests that global warming isn’t necessarily “a bad thing” because “humans have most flourished during times of … warming.” But recent years have been the warmest humans have seen over at least the last millennium.

Ice Caps at Record Low, Not High

Ice Caps at Record Low, Not High

In a recent interview with the British station ITV, President Donald Trump falsely implied the globe’s ice caps are at “record” high levels. But ice caps generally have been declining worldwide.

Cold Facts on the Globe’s Hottest Years

Cold Facts on the Globe’s Hottest Years

Sen. James Inhofe misleadingly claimed that the statistics behind the globe’s likely hottest years on record — 2014, 2015 and 2016 — were “meaningless” because the temperature increases were “well within the margin of error.” Taking into account the margins of error, there’s still a long-term warming trend.

FactChecking Science Claims in 2017

FactChecking Science Claims in 2017

In our roundup of 2016 claims, we hypothesized that SciCheck would have no dearth of false and misleading claims to cover in 2017. That proved true. Politicians kept us busy. As 2017 comes to a close, we present the most notable claims about science from this year.

Sessions Wrong About Drugged Driving

Sessions Wrong About Drugged Driving

Attorney General Jeff Sessions claimed that more car accidents were “caused” by drugs than alcohol for the first time in 2016. But the report his office cited as support didn’t show that.

Smith Wrong About NSF Funding

Smith Wrong About NSF Funding

The head of the House science committee falsely claimed the National Science Foundation funds “more than twice as many graduate students in the social and behavioral sciences as in computer science, mathematics or material science.” 

The Facts on Human-Animal Chimeras

The Facts on Human-Animal Chimeras

Q: Does the National Institutes of Health fund research on human-animal chimeras, or organisms that are part-human, part-other animal? 
A: With some exceptions, the NIH doesn’t fund research on human-animal chimeras. But the agency has proposed a rule to widen the scope of research it funds in this area.

Senator Misleads on ‘Absurd’ Science

Senator Misleads on ‘Absurd’ Science

Sen. Rand Paul misrepresented two studies supported by federal grants, while advocating legislation he introduced to change the federal grant funding process.

Warming to Blame for Western Wildfires?

Warming to Blame for Western Wildfires?

Q: Did climate change cause the wildfires out West?

A: Scientists say a hot and dry summer — conditions more likely in a warmer world — caused widespread wildfires in Western states. But land use changes also have played a role.

Obama’s Record on Toxic Cleanups

Obama’s Record on Toxic Cleanups

Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt criticized former President Barack Obama for leaving “us with more Superfund sites than when he came in.” This is misleading for multiple reasons.