The Download: busting weather myths, and AI heart attack prediction

It was October 2024, and Hurricane Helene had just devastated the US Southeast. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia found an abstract target on which to pin the blame: "Yes they can control the weather," she posted on X. "It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done." She was repeating what's by now a pretty familiar and popular conspiracy theory: that shadowy forces are out there, wielding technology to control the weather and wreak havoc on their enemies. This preposterous claim has grown louder and more common in recent years, especially after extreme weather strikes. But here's the thing: While Greene and other believers are not correct, this conspiracy theory--like so many others--holds a kernel of much more modest truth. This story is part of's series "The New Conspiracy Age," on how the present boom in conspiracy theories is reshaping science and technology.