The science influencers going viral on TikTok to fight misinformation
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nature Video images courtesy of (clockwise from top left): Adam Levy, DM Operations,Simon Clark and The Gut Health Doctor. Hands: Ulyana Moskalchuk/iStock via Getty One of Simon Clark’s most popular TikTok videos begins with him playing the part of a clueless climate contrarian. Adopting the overconfident tone that is common among social-media influencers, he proclaims: “Renewables are a scam!” The ‘PhD influencers’ logging lab life on TikTok and Instagram Cut to the real Clark, who has a PhD in stratospheric dynamics and uses the handle @simonoxfphys, as he dismantles several myths about renewable energy using a deadpan style and a torrent of charts. The video, with almost 180,000 views, is an effort to fight misinformation by meeting people where they are, he says.
Published: February 17, 2026 11:11 am
Source: Nature — Read original