20 years ago, a doctor published a study. It was completely made up, and it made us all sicker.

The entire study was fabricated.

Once upon a time, a scientist named Dr. Andrew Wakefield published in the medical journal The Lancet that he had discovered a link between autism and vaccines.

After years of controversy and making parents mistrust vaccines, along with collecting $674,000 from lawyers who would benefit from suing vaccine makers, it was discovered he had made the whole thing up. The Lancet publicly apologized and reported that further investigation led to the discovery that he had fabricated everything.


In the intervening years, millions have been spent on studying this further to see if there was anything that could connect autism and vaccines. This is what they found.

If you think science is a real thing, you could share this. I’ll owe you one.

Education

A Pittsburgh school went from 130 fights per year to 10, using an idea from ‘Harry Potter’

Climate

U.K. heatwaves are baking the grass and revealing 300-year-old secret gardens

Pop Culture

Tiffany Haddish broke down in tears on stage after spotting the woman who rescued her from the foster system

Parenting

Her 5-year-old wished his stomach were flatter. Instead of ‘you’re perfect,’ she posed a gentle question.