Do Spiders Run Towards People When They Sense Danger

A video shared to TikTok on Feb. 17, 2025, suggested spiders could be more sentient than previously thought. Claim: When spiders sense danger, they run toward people for protection. An on-screen text read, “Spiders run at you because they sense danger and think you’re there to protect them, but in our minds, we’re terrified and […]

Do Goats Have Rectangular Pupils?

Claim: Goats have rectangular pupils. On Sept. 10, 2024, a claim spread on social media about the shape of goats’ pupils. One Facebook user posted a meme that asked: “Have you ever noticed that goats have rectangular pupils?” The caption read: “Goats are [grazing] herbivores and need to be able to protect themselves when a […]

Coffee Was Discovered Thanks to Dancing Goats?

The story that the first human to consume coffee was inspired by witnessing goats dancing after eating coffee berries has been told since at least the 17th century. The earliest known version of the claim was published in 1671. However, because no primary-source records describing the origin of the human consumption of coffee are known […]