The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted countless lives across the globe, but an equally destructive disease has been spreading in its wake: Harmful myths and misconceptions – many of which are rooted in fearmongering and science-denialism – have made recovery and progress far more difficult than they should have been. Unwitting untruths and intentional lies have been passed between millions of at-risk individuals, leading to illnesses and deaths that could have otherwise been avoided. This trend is ongoing, and as it perpetuates itself, life-saving facts are being twisted and eclipsed.At the heart of this phenomenon is the tacit acceptance of misinformation.There’s an old saying – frequently (and ironically) misattributed to Mark Twain – which suggests that a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting its shoes on. It’s undeniably accurate, and it has been since time immemorial: For as long as humans have been communicating with one another, we’ve delighted i...