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This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute?

During the 2008 presidential election, the Internet became a giant rumor¹ mill. For example, there were the viral e-mails claiming Barack Obama's birth certificate was a fake. Or ones spreading the phony Sarah Palin quote, "God made dinosaurs² 4,000 years ago".

Some political scholars worry the Web could undermine democracy, by misinforming and polarizing voters. But Web sites and blogs don't serve up the most influential³ rumors⁴. Our in-boxes do. So says a study of e-mail in the journal Human Communication Research.

Just after the election, researcher R. Kelly Garrett randomly⁵ surveyed 600 Americans about their online habits, and whether they'd heard—and believed—a number of widespread rumors. He found that the Web does expose us to more rumors. But the Web also delivers more rebuttals, which can even the field.

E-mail's more insidious⁶. Because you're more likely to believe that rumor forwarded by cousin Rob. And the more you believe something, Garrett says, the more you wanna share it with your social network—spawning a nasty cascade⁷ of misperception.

So before you hit SEND to forward e-mail, ask yourself: Do I know the item I'm sharing is true, or do I just want it to be?

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Christopher Intagliata.

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收听单词发音

1 rumor
n.谣言，谣传，传说
参考例句：
The rumor has been traced back to a bad man.那谣言经追查是个坏人造的。 The rumor has taken air.谣言流传开了。

2 dinosaurs
n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西
参考例句：
The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。来自《简明英汉词典》 Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。来自《简明英汉词典》

3 influential
adj.有影响的，有权势的
参考例句：
He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。 He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

4 rumors
n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷
参考例句：
Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。来自《简明英汉词典》 Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。来自《简明英汉词典》

5 randomly
adv.随便地，未加计划地
参考例句：
Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。来自辞典例句 Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。来自辞典例句

6 insidious
adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧
参考例句：
That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。 Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

7 cascade
n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下
参考例句：
She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。 Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。