Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Science

The fake disease that fooled the internet, and what it says about all of us

Until a few years ago, no one had heard of bixonimania. Then, in 2024, a group of scientists posted findings online announcing the condition, which they claimed affected the eyes after computer use. However, the scientists had made it up—not just the work, but the authors' names, affiliations, locat...

The fake disease that fooled the internet, and what it says about all of us
Image: Phys.org
Until a few years ago, no one had heard of bixonimania. Then, in 2024, a group of scientists posted findings online announcing the condition, which they claimed affected the eyes after computer use. However, the scientists had made it up—not just the work, but the authors' names, affiliations, locations and funding, which was the University of Fellowship of the Ring and the Galactic Triad.

Originally published at Phys.org

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