The viral video Plandemic might have been debunked, but its coronavirus conspiracy theories offer something that science can't: An explanation.
While medical experts admit much remains unknown about the virus, which first emerged late last year, peddlers of bogus information have no such constraints.
Over the course of 26 minutes in Plandemic, former Reno-area scientist Judy Mikovits points fingers at pharmaceutical companies, vaccines, and federal infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Mikovits has a controversial past that includes the failure of research claims to withstand scrutiny and allegations of theft. Yet Plandemic had more than 7 million views on YouTube before it was pulled.
"There are a lot of features that make conspiracy theories and videos like Plandemic quite compelling," UNLV Professor Emma Frances Bloomfield, an expert on science skepticism, told State of Nevada.
"Conspiracy theories, in general, are very persuasive because they give us answers," she said. "They fill in gaps and provide a sense of comfort when we don't have a full explanation of what's going on."
Bloomfield is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at UNLV, where she studies science skepticism, how misinformation is spread, and what can be done to fight it.
Emma Frances Bloomfield, assistant professor of Communication Studies, UNLV