Explained: Why Magnets Stick To Vaccination Sites (Or Your Nose)

[Mick West]

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQT8vfwomvs



Viral videos showing magnets sticking to the skin near a vaccination site are just a new twist on an old carnival trick. Magnets, coins, and other smooth objects will stick to skin if it's just very slightly oily. Remove the oil, and the object will not stick.

 

[omaehamoushindeiru]

This video has been removed for violating YouTube's Community Guidelines.

 

[jarlrmai]

It's a big problem anti conspiracy videos are removed by the same algorithms that detect and remove conspiracy videos.

 

[Mick West]

I'm appealing. That worked with my last strike. The videos are being taken down by AI algorithms, so hopefully a human reviewer will be able to restore it.

 

[JMartJr]

If there is another way to share it in the meantime, I have somebody who needs t see it. And in the addtional meantime, here is good evidence that metal can indeed stick to you without magnetism being involved. Which upon re-noticing the titel of the post may be the example in your video, appologies if I infringe on your bit of humor there! ^ _ ^

 

[Mick West]

I've embedded it in the OP. Also:
Source: https://vimeo.com/548896961

 

[DavidB66]

There could be other reasons for objects sticking to the vaccination site:

a) if a Band-Aid or similar item was put on the arm, when this is removed there may still be some residual adhesive on the skin.

b) the injection site may have exuded blood, serum, pus, etc. This might be sticky enough to hold a small object.

Natural grease on the skin is a more plausible explanation, but I noticed someone on Twitter claiming a magnet only stuck exactly on the injection site, not on other parts of the arm, so alternative mechanisms my sometimes be involved. Or of course they could be making it up.

 

[vandamme]

It's your magnetic personality.

 

[Mick West]

Natural grease on the skin is a more plausible explanation, but I noticed someone on Twitter claiming a magnet only stuck exactly on the injection site, not on other parts of the arm, so alternative mechanisms my sometimes be involved. Or of course they could be making it up.

I think some of them are making it up. But I think theres also a lot of people who are fooling themselves - some kind of confirmation bias.

There are (or were) a few compilation video - really just clickbait - which show a variety of methods.

A neodymium magnet seems the most common.




But also a few lightweight fridge magnets

 

[FatPhil]

I always found that the spoon on the nose "trick" was easier with a cleaner (less oily) nose that was just a little bit moist - a breath on the spoon was usually enough.

Have these people never picked things up flat things on their forearms accidentally after leaning on a table, say? Or never seen a beer glass pick up a beermat? This effect is so 101 it's unbelievable that people don't understanding what's going on.

Wait till these guys find out that the card covering an inverted glass of water and preventing the water from running out is being held there by alien energy beams!

 

[Agent K]

If only it were that easy to test if someone is vaccinated.

 

[April.]

They never face the spot downwards. Always having the arm under the magnet. It's also a viral trend. If it were real, it'd have been censored.

 

[FatPhil]

They never face the spot downwards. Always having the arm under the magnet. It's also a viral trend. If it were real, it'd have been censored.

Adhesion can be way stronger than gravity, so the "under" part is irrelevant. See my post above for several trivial examples you can try at home. The simplest way to put claims that there's something magnetic going on to the test is to request that the body parts be clean and liberally dusted with talcum powder before the experiment. With no moist layer between the surfaces adhesion will be reduced dramatically and can typically be discounted as the reason for any attraction.
Also, please leave your conspiratorial musings at the door, and stick to scientific claims that can be objectively evaluated.

 

[April.]

Adhesion can be way stronger than gravity, so the "under" part is irrelevant. See my post above for several trivial examples you can try at home. The simplest way to put claims that there's something magnetic going on to the test is to request that the body parts be clean and liberally dusted with talcum powder before the experiment. With no moist layer between the surfaces adhesion will be reduced dramatically and can typically be discounted as the reason for any attraction.
Also, please leave your conspiratorial musings at the door, and stick to scientific claims that can be objectively evaluated.

Apologies. I just figured I'd share my view on why it isn't convincing for a conspiracy-minded person. If that's unwelcome I'll refrain from commenting such in the future.

 

[FatPhil]

Apologies. I just figured I'd share my view on why it isn't convincing for a conspiracy-minded person. If that's unwelcome I'll refrain from commenting such in the future.

You're conflating the two parts of your post.
The first part was fine, it's addressing factual claims, but if you felt it was useful to have a "they cheat by using gravity" arrow in your quiver, then I presumed you'd find it even more useful to have a "they cheat by using adhesion" arrow too.
The second part was nebulously ascribing speculative motives to unknown people for doing unevidenced actions, it's a different topic from this thread, and detracts from it.

 

[deirdre]

The second part was nebulously ascribing speculative motives to unknown people for doing unevidenced actions,

oh yea because no debunkers ever do that on Metabunk! lol. (that is sarcasm).

 

[FatPhil]

oh yea because no debunkers ever do that on Metabunk! lol. (that is sarcasm).

And generally it's best to call them on it sooner rather than later. Separate discussions belong in separate threads. And nebulous musings belong in "chat".

Thanks for the thumbs down. Have a thumbs up in return, as you do actually make a good point.

 

[deirdre]

Thanks for the thumbs down.

You were a bit harsh in your wording, (and s/he's right if the government added a magnet property to the vaccine it would be censored. )

 

[April.]

You're conflating the two parts of your post.
The first part was fine, it's addressing factual claims, but if you felt it was useful to have a "they cheat by using gravity" arrow in your quiver, then I presumed you'd find it even more useful to have a "they cheat by using adhesion" arrow too.
The second part was nebulously ascribing speculative motives to unknown people for doing unevidenced actions, it's a different topic from this thread, and detracts from it.

Ah. While I understand that for many people who aren't conspiracy minded, it doesn't quite matter where information comes from, I find it matters a lot. Like the boy who cried wolf kind of thing. And while adhesion is an explanation, it wasn't what I found convincing. After all, some videos feature the magnet only sticking to one arm, or to one person.