- This is the famous Blue Marble photo taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972. It's the first to show the Earth in full view. This is a time lapse of Earth taken by the Deep Space Climate Observatory during the total solar eclipse of 2016. Stunning for sure. But also not flat. Which, if you happen to believe in Flat Earth theory, means that these photos were faked by NASA to make it look like the Earth is a rotating sphere when in reality the Earth is a flat disk surrounded by ice. Flat Earth theory is one of dozens of conspiracy theories floating around out there that can range from the highly unlikely to the oh my god, that's crazy, how can you possibly believe in that? Conspiracy theories are nothing new. In the U.S., there's one for just about everybody. There are the classics, J.F.K. was assassinated by his own government, the moon landing was faked, or my personal favorite, Tupac faked his own death and is currently living in Cuba, where he still records albums to this day. If those conspiracy theories are a little too tame, trust me, we got one for you. Some people actually believe that the world is run by shape-shifting alien reptiles. Nah, like, I'm serious. A 2013 survey found that 4% of registered U.S. voters were totally fine telling pollsters that they believe lizard people control politics. With the internet and the rise of social media, conspiracy theories are getting in front of a lot of eyeballs. Look at this Google Trends graph. Searches for the term flat earth have more than doubled over the past two years. But have you ever sat down and tried to argue with someone who believes in a conspiracy theory? Can you change a conspiracy theorist's mind? A conspiracy theory is a belief that an organization is working in secret to achieve some sinister goal. I may think there is a global conspiracy to leave me with an odd number of socks every time I finish a load of laundry, but that doesn't really fit the sinister part. Though I do have reason to suspect that Russia is interested in developing a secret weapon derived from my socks. Also, conspiracy theories aren't by definition false. They usually are, but they can be true. For example, there was a conspiracy theory claiming that the CIA performed mind control experiments on unsuspecting U.S. citizens back in the 1950s and '60s. Plot by a powerful organization? Check. Sinister goal? Check. Well, guess what? It turned out to be true. An investigation by Congress in the late '70s proved that the CIA used drugs and hypnosis on thousands of people in an attempt to manipulate their thoughts and behavior. Now if you're thinking, I'm not even the type of person to believe in a conspiracy theory, like, that's totally crazy, well, don't be so sure. Research shows that conspiracy theorists can be conservative or liberal, male or female, rich or poor, well educated or poorly educated. To some extent, the human brain is wired to find conspiracy theories appealing. We're constantly taking in information all day long, and our brains seek out patterns in order to make sense of it all. This happens pretty much automatically, and most of the time, this is a good thing. Like when I'm driving and maybe I'm a little zoned out and not paying attention, and then all of a sudden, the green light ahead switches to yellow. My brain knows red comes next, so I get ready to stop. Our brains are almost too good at recognizing patterns, and so sometimes we get what researchers call illusory pattern perception, which is when your brain perceives a pattern when one doesn't actually exist. Like have you ever looked up at the clouds and been like, wow, look at that cat wearing boots. Mm. Well, that's illusory pattern perception in action. Some researchers believe that illusory pattern perception is a major reason why people believe in conspiracy theories, which are really just big, intricate patterns that some people think they see. Basically, the world is pretty random and chaotic, and for some, conspiracy theories can be a way to create order and structure. Research shows that illusory pattern perception is stronger in people who feel a lack of control or a loss of power in their lives. We see this happen with members of a political party that just lost an election or with people who recently lost their job. They're more likely to believe in conspiracy theories as a way to explain their new negative circumstance. So how do you begin to change a conspiracy theorist's mind? Well, it's not easy, because conspiracy theories are almost never based on facts or evidence. They're almost always based on belief, and belief isn't falsifiable, meaning it can't be proven false. Falsifiability is the cornerstone of any scientific theory. Take the universally accepted cell theory, which states that all living organisms are made up of cells. If at some point in the future scientists come along and show that life is made up of something other than cells, then cell theory has been proven wrong. Theories get challenged all the time. That's how science works. Do you guys know what a stomach ulcer is? They're these really painful sores in the lining of your stomach. Well, back in the day, a bunch of people were getting 'em, and the leading scientific theory to explain why this was happening was stress. The more stress you have, the greater the chance you'll develop an ulcer. Well, in the 1980s, an Australian researcher discovered that it was actually a specific kind of bacteria that was causing the ulcers. The discovery won him a Nobel Prize for medicine in 2005 and proved the stress ulcer theory was false. Before you get in too deep arguing with a conspiracy theorist, you need to find out if the theory is falsifiable. Let's try it out.

- Bro, the Earth is flat. I just spent three hours on YouTube learning all about it. NASA's been lying to us for decades. Wake up, man. It's so obvious.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's slow down. Flat Earth? What are you even talking about?

- Bro, the Earth is flat. NASA's just a scam faking space travel to further America's militaristic dominance of space.

- So wait, hold on. So if I showed you, say, interviews of astronauts who've been to space, videos of Earth taken by satellites, none of that would convince you that the Earth isn't flat?

- No, it just further proves the conspiracy.

- Okay, but can you provide me with any evidence to support what you're saying?

- That's not my job. It's your job to prove me wrong.

- And there you have it, folks. Any attempt to disprove the conspiracy theory is further evidence of the conspiracy. What that means is the theory is not falsifiable, and many times, conspiracy theorists won't offer any evidence of their own. Instead, they put it on you to disprove it. That's literally the opposite of how science works. So to recap, the next time you're talking with someone who believes in a conspiracy theory, first figure out if their theory is falsifiable. If it's not, you're dealing with a theory that's based on belief. If you still want to have that conversation, check out our episode on confirmation bias that we did a while back. It gives you some tips on how to deal with the fact that our brains seek out information that confirms what we already believe. Very relevant when talking about conspiracy theories. Okay, guys. Tell us your favorite conspiracy theory or the craziest one you've ever heard. Is that theory falsifiable? Let us know in the comments below. Yeah, this one, this one should be fun. I can already tell.

- Okay, conspiracy theories are lazy. When you meet somebody with an extraordinary worldview like astrology, a haunted house, there's a deep state of, you know, 60 people running things, it takes them about two years, chem trails, it takes them about two years of being exposed to the evidence before they come around.

- And that is conspiracy theories with Bill Nye, yes, the Bill Nye the Science Guy.

- So remember guys, subscribe to our YouTube channel, watch our show every other Wednesday, and remember, cut through the hype.

- And we'll take you Above the Noise. ♪ Ah ♪