“Fake News of Baby Booms 9 Months After Major Sporting Events Distorts the Public’s Understanding of Early Human Development Science”, 2017-12-01 ():
A tweet suggested a baby boom in following England’s defeat by Iceland.
This pertained to football in June 2016 and the media hyped this widely.
No medical or scientific corroboration was sought-tweet was incorrect.
It is crucial for scientists to correct public misperceptions.
And to avoid this if possible in the first instance.
Background: In France on 2016-06-27, Iceland’s men’s national football team won 2–1, knocking England out of the 2016 UEFA European Championship.
Result: 9 months after this momentous Icelandic victory, Ásgeir Pétur Þorvaldsson, a medical doctor in Iceland, posted a tweet in jest suggesting that a baby boom had occurred as a result of increased celebratory coital activity following the win. The media covered this widely but statistical analysis shows otherwise and this was confirmed by the original tweet source.
Discussion: Given the increase in fake scientific news, it is especially important for scientists to correct misinformation lest the public lose trust in science or gain a distorted understanding of known facts.
[Keywords: humans, public opinion, science, social media]