The news stories that LSD causes chromosome damage and birth defects were:

• A. Verified by research conducted in the 1960s
• B. A complete media invention — no article published in the scientific literature reported such a finding
• C. An urban legend that was circulated during the 1960s
• D. Disconfirmed by later scientific research

Answer: (B)

Differentiating media reports from scientific evidence about drug effects. In the 1960s, there were sensational headlines claiming that LSD caused chromosome damage and birth defects. But those claims did not come from peer‑reviewed scientific articles reporting such findings. There were no scientific studies in the literature documenting chromosome damage or teratogenic effects from LSD, so there was nothing for later research to disprove. The stories were products of media sensationalism rather than science, and when researchers later looked for solid evidence, none supported those claims. The most accurate framing is that these stories were a complete media invention, not a finding backed by scientific literature.