The Lancet MMR-Autism Study (Wakefield, 1998)

No single study has done more to undermine global public health than Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent 1998 paper linking the MMR vaccine to autism. Retracted by The Lancet in 2010 after an investigation uncovered data manipulation and undisclosed conflicts of interest, Wakefield was subsequently stripped of his medical license. Despite being thoroughly debunked by over 25 large-scale epidemiological studies involving millions of children, the paper launched the modern anti-vaccine movement and continues to fuel vaccine hesitancy worldwide, with U.S. measles cases rising 300% in 2019 compared to the previous year. This study remains the most damaging example of scientific misconduct, outpacing even the controversial claims of the Stanford Prison Experiment in its real-world harm.