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Math Says Conspiracies Are Prone To Unravel (bbc.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Who doesn't love a good conspiracy theory? Well, I don't — they're usually annoying daydreams from annoying people. Fortunately, an Oxford mathematician seems to feel the same way. Dr. David Grimes just published research in PLOS One establishing a formula for determining the likelihood of a failed conspiracy — in other words, how likely some of its participants are to spill the beans. There are three main factors: number of conspirators, the amount of time passed since it started, and how often we can expect conspiracies to intrinsically fail (a value he derived by studying actual conspiracies that were exposed). From the article: "He then applied his equation to four famous conspiracy theories: The belief that the Moon landing was faked, the belief that climate change is a fraud, the belief that vaccines cause autism, and the belief that pharmaceutical companies have suppressed a cure for cancer. Dr. Grimes's analysis suggests that if these four conspiracies were real, most are very likely to have been revealed as such by now. Specifically, the Moon landing 'hoax' would have been revealed in 3.7 years, the climate change 'fraud' in 3.7 to 26.8 years, the vaccine-autism 'conspiracy' in 3.2 to 34.8 years, and the cancer 'conspiracy' in 3.2 years."

3 of 303 comments (clear)

  1. Prone to unravel? by IWantMoreSpamPlease · · Score: 5, Funny

    Of course, that's what THEY want you to believe!
    You guys ain't foolin' anyone, I know the truth!

    --
    So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
  2. Ben Franklin said it best by Crash+McBang · · Score: 4, Funny

    Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.

    --
    To put a witty saying into 120 characters, jst rmv ll th vwls.
  3. Re:I have a simpler method ... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Seems like quite a few slashdotters know your nephew.

    Her nephew is Alex Jones.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.