Are frequent small earthquakes a precursor to larger earthquakes? Can Mabaloxavir prevent influenza? Here comes the list of scientific rumors in January 2025 →

1.Do frequent small earthquakes indicate a major earthquake?

Rumor : As the saying goes, "small earthquakes cause noise, big earthquakes are coming", frequent small earthquakes are precursors to big earthquakes, so early warning is necessary.

The truth : There is no scientific basis for this statement. On average, tens of thousands of earthquakes occur on Earth every day, of which only about 1% can be felt by humans, and the proportion of earthquakes that cause serious damage is even smaller. For example, in mainland China, earthquakes above magnitude 7 occur twice every three years on average. Statistics show that although a small earthquake has been followed by a large earthquake in a few cases, there is no significant necessary connection between small earthquake activities and large earthquakes, and they cannot be used as an accurate forecasting method. In fact, the relationship between small earthquake activities and large earthquakes is a cutting-edge topic in the field of earthquake prediction, and there is no scientific conclusion yet. Moreover, there is currently no reliable method to accurately predict the specific time, location and magnitude of a large earthquake. In addition, it is not the earthquake that hurts people, but the earthquake-resistant buildings! Instead of worrying about whether a small earthquake is a precursor to a large earthquake, it is better to improve the earthquake resistance of buildings and learn emergency risk avoidance knowledge and self-rescue and mutual rescue skills. These are things we can do now and can do well. Multiple earthquake practices have also proved that these measures have significant disaster reduction effects.

Source: Science Refutes Rumors

2. Can the antiviral drug Mabaloxavir prevent influenza?

Rumor : Taking the antiviral drug mabaloxavir when you are not infected can effectively prevent influenza.

The truth : This statement is wrong. Mabaloxavir is an antiviral drug used to treat influenza. Its main function is to inhibit the replication of influenza viruses, thereby alleviating symptoms and shortening the course of the disease. Mabaloxavir has been approved in China for indications limited to influenza patients, not prevention. Its mechanism of action requires the virus to enter the body to take effect. Therefore, **for ordinary healthy people, it is useless to take it before infection. **For the general public, blindly using mabaloxavir may cause side effects on the one hand, and on the other hand may lead to increased viral resistance, which is not beneficial to individuals. Patients should follow the doctor's instructions when using mabaloxavir, avoid self-medication or abuse, to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the drug.

Source: People's Daily Health Client

3. The hollow strawberries are because they have been injected with growth enhancers. Is it harmful to the body if eaten?

Rumor : Strawberries are hollow because they have been injected with growth enhancers, which are harmful to the body and should not be eaten.

The truth : This statement lacks scientific basis. The hollowness of strawberries is mainly caused by variety characteristics, cultivation management and other reasons. For example, varieties such as Sweet Charlie have a low flesh density, which may cause hollowness. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer during the fruiting period, lack of boron, insufficient nutrient supply or harvesting too late can also cause hollowness, which has nothing to do with the use of growth enhancers. Growth enhancers (such as chlorpyrifos) are plant growth regulators approved by the state and are harmless to the human body when used reasonably. In the production process of strawberries that are formally produced and sold, the amount of growth enhancers used usually meets safety standards and will not be overused. In fact, the moderate use of growth enhancers helps fruit growth, while excessive use will lead to poor development of strawberry fruits and increase costs.

Source: Science Refutes Rumors

4. Antihypertensive drugs damage the liver and kidneys. Should I stop taking them once blood pressure returns to normal?

Rumor : All medicines are poisonous. Taking antihypertensive drugs for a long time will damage the liver and kidneys. You can stop taking the drugs once your blood pressure returns to normal.

The truth : This approach is wrong. All drugs undergo a lot of clinical research and multiple rounds of verification before they are put on the market. Only after ensuring safety and effectiveness will they be put on the market for patients to use. Especially for those drugs that have been used for a long time, their side effects are basically within the controllable range. When choosing drugs, doctors will also try to minimize drug side effects and interactions between drugs based on the patient's liver and kidney function, underlying diseases and other medication conditions. When blood pressure or blood lipid control is stable, it means that the drug treatment is effective. However, chronic diseases such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids will continue to exist with age, and these indicators need to be stably and continuously controlled. If the drug is discontinued, blood pressure and blood lipids will inevitably rebound . This has been confirmed in a large number of clinical studies before the drug was put on the market. Patients do not need to experiment with their own health. Therefore, even if blood pressure and blood lipid control meet the standards, you still need to insist on taking the drug, and there is no need to worry too much about the side effects of the drug.

Source: Tencent

5. Will taking insulin be "addictive" and you can't stop once you start?

Rumor : Insulin injections will cause dependence, and once you start, you can never stop taking them for the rest of your life.

The truth : This statement is not correct. Insulin itself is not addictive. Whether to use insulin for a long time depends on the condition of diabetes. When treating diabetes, you can first improve blood sugar levels by adjusting your lifestyle. If the standard is still not met, the doctor will decide whether to use medication based on the condition. If oral medications cannot effectively control blood sugar, insulin treatment should be considered. With age, the body's secretion of insulin is gradually insufficient, the sensitivity of insulin receptors decreases, and the treatment effect will gradually weaken. Therefore, the use of insulin is to supplement the insufficient insulin in the body, not because of "addiction."

Currently, diabetes cannot be completely cured. Long-term use of insulin is to control blood sugar to avoid damage to important organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys, and even cause serious complications such as blindness. Therefore, everyone should break the misconception of insulin "addiction" and follow the doctor's advice to adhere to long-term treatment to ensure that blood sugar is within a reasonable range, thereby avoiding complications and maintaining health.

Source: Tencent

6. Can a vegetarian diet lower blood lipids?

Rumor : If you have high blood lipids, don’t eat meat. Eat vegetarian meals every day and your blood lipids will naturally drop.

The truth : This statement is incorrect. Increased blood lipids are not only related to diet, but also mainly depend on the body's metabolic function. Vegetarianism only controls about 30% of blood lipids, and the remaining 70% depends on the regulation of metabolism in the body. As we age, the activity of the enzyme responsible for metabolizing blood lipids weakens, making it difficult to maintain blood lipids at normal levels. This is why many elderly people still have high blood lipids even if they eat a light diet.

Blood lipid levels are not directly related to body weight. Many thin people may also have high blood lipids, which is usually a manifestation of decreased metabolic function. To control blood lipids, dietary adjustments are helpful in the early stages, but when blood lipids are too high, dietary adjustments alone have limited effects, especially for elderly people who are completely vegetarian. They may suffer from malnutrition or sarcopenia due to lack of protein. Therefore, it is neither scientific nor recommended to control blood lipids by eating vegetarian food alone.

Source: Tencent

About the Science Rumors List

Released by the China Association for Science and Technology, the list is reviewed by experts every month. Based on criteria such as timeliness and harmfulness, hot rumors are selected for special interpretation and pushed across the entire network.

Jointly published: Scientific rumor-busting platform, China Internet Joint Rumor-busting Platform, "Study to Strengthen the Country" learning platform

Supported platforms: Weibo rumor refutation, Toutiao rumor refutation, Tencent Jiuzhen, NetEase Health, Toutiao Health, Baidu Knows, Douyin

Scientific rumor debunking: Sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other ministries and commissions, guided by the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, and jointly created by national societies, authoritative media, social organizations and scientific and technological workers, it aims to effectively improve the dissemination, guidance and influence of rumor debunking information, so that rumors can stop at the wise and let science outrun rumors.

List of review experts

(In order of the number of strokes of surname)

Bi Xuemei , Senior Engineer, Jiangsu Provincial Earthquake Administration, Deputy Head of the Information and Emergency Technology Coordination Group, China Earthquake Administration

Liu Ziqi, Chief Pharmacist, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Xu Chong, Researcher, National Institute of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Ministry of Emergency Management, Director of the Center for Geological Hazard Research

Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Zhang Yu, researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert

Chen Peng, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Nankai University

Gu Lei, PhD in Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor, Capital Normal University

This article is produced by "Science Facts" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.