Skeptoid
Episodes
Skeptoid #1035: How Disastrous Are Declining Birth Rates?
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Popular influencers claim birth rates are declining disastrously. How true is that, and is it a disaster? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.o...
Skeptoid #1034: The Colorado Martian
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The discovery of a Martian sarcophagus in Colorado in 1864: An oddball story, or consistent with the lore of the day? Learn about your ad choices: do...
Skeptoid #1033: Skeptifying BBC's Uncanny
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Supplying some much-needed skepticism to an episode of the BBC podcast Uncanny. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1032: Is Germ Theory a Myth?
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Even today, some people cling to a pre-scientific belief that germs do not cause disease. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sailing the Skeptical Seas! New Orleans Escapade! Mysteries of the Maya Cruise!
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Time is running out to grab one of the few remaining cabins for Málaga, Spain to Nice, France on the SV Royal Clipper AND announcing our next adventu...
Skeptoid #1031: Unearthing Ancient Advanced Civilizations
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
An exploration of the validity of the Silurian hypothesis, which posits the existence of a pre-human intelligent race on Earth. Learn about your ad c...
Gentle Reminder: Daylight Saving Time Starts Tomorrow
07 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As a gentle reminder that you will have an hour of sleep robbed from you tonight, enjoy this episode on Daylight Saving Time Myths from the archives! ...
Skeptoid #1030: Testing the Rossi E-Cat
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This secretive device has been promising to deliver clean, free energy for more than 15 years — but so far nobody's been allowed to examine it. Lea...
Skeptoid #1029: How to Become a Sovereign Citizen
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is there somewhere on Earth where Sovereign Citizens can actually be free of any nation's laws? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...
Skeptoid #1028: Manipulative Advertising
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Advertising wants your attention, not your soul; and it’s not nearly as good at getting either as you might think. Learn about your ad choices: dov...
Skeptoid #1027: Radioactive Relics: The Missing RTGs
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Radioactive nuclear generators sit out in the environment, posing a real hazard. They're mostly — but not all — in Russia. Learn about your ad ch...
Mic'd Up: Brian's Blood Donation Interview
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brian gets questioned while giving blood. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1026: Vintage Ceramics: Decorative or Deadly?
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How concerned do you truly need to be about vintage ceramicware leaching lead into your food? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...
Skeptoid #1025: Pop Quiz: Space Quandaries
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Oh no! Another pop quiz. Take the challenge: 9 questions about space. Think you can get them all? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...
Skeptoid #1024: The Van Meter Visitors
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A century-old hoax takes wing again, proof that good stories never stay buried. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1023: What Accounts for Ghost Encounters?
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If ghosts don't exist, then how do we account for all the ghost experiences that people have every day? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org...
Dr. Flint Dibble Interview: Our Resident Expert for Málaga to Nice!
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mediterranean archaeologist Dr. Flint Dibble will be our resident expert on the real history (and the fake history) at our ports of call when Skeptoid...
Skeptoid #1022: Blood Donation Myths
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The myths and misconceptions surrounding blood donation and why you might consider donating.Links to resources from Bloodworks Northwest:Blood Donatio...
Skeptoid #1021: The First Middle Finger
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The history and pseudohistory of this infamous and ubiquitous obscene gesture. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Your Donation Is Being Matched This Holiday Season!
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Double your generosity by donating to Skeptoid before the end of the year! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1020: Yule Logs
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From fireplace to folklore, how the Yule log got its fake pagan backstory. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1019: Testing the Thunderstorm Generator
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This device claims to be able to dramatically improve the efficiency and emissions of any internal combustion engine. Learn about your ad choices: do...
Skeptoid #1018: Might Ghosts Exist?
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An exploration of all the scientific possibilities by which ghosts might actually exist in this universe. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.o...
Skeptoid #1017: The Bell that Tolls for the K-129
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It should have been impossible for the CIA's Glomar Explorer to obtain the ship's bell from the K-129 submarine... but they did. How? Learn about you...
End of the Year Matching!
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Now through the end of the year, all Skeptoid donations will be matched up to $27,500. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1016: The Case for Carbon Dating
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A roundup of evidence supporting the use of radiocarbon dating to assess the age of organic matter from 500 to 55,000 years old. Learn about your ad ...
Skeptoid #1015: The Alaska Triangle
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stories claim that this region of Alaska is home to a huge number of unexplained disappearances. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...
Skeptoid #1014: The Giant of Kandahar
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did US Special Forces battle a 15-foot-tall red-haired giant in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2002? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/a...
Skeptoid #1013: Medbeds: Sleeping in Bunk
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A conspiracy theory claims the Hollywood and Deep State elitists have a magical bed that allows them to remain forever young and healthy. Learn about...
Skeptoid #1012: The Rake That Comes for You in the Night
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is the Rake mere creepypasta, or do more recent events prove it to be a real creature? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1011: The Not-Deer and Weird Appalachian Lore
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When ordinary deer turn grotesque, Appalachia’s forests whisper of the Not-Deer — unnatural predators lurking somewhere between folklore and night...
Skeptoid #1010: Pop Quiz: 19 Years of Skeptoid
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A pop quiz of trivia from the previous 19 years of Skeptoid shows! Can you beat the masters? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1009: Facts and Fiction of Polynesian Navigation, Part 2
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The actual wayfinding methods used by the ancient Polynesians to navigate between islands and settle the entire Pacific Ocean. Learn about your ad ch...
Skeptoid Adventures Sets Sail! Malaga, Spain to Nice, France 2026
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid Adventures will set sail on the world's largest sailing vessel, the SV Royal Clipper, from Malaga, Spain, to Nice, France this April. We'll h...
Skeptoid #1008: Facts and Fiction of Polynesian Navigation, Part 1
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly as much mythology as science surrounds the wayfinding techniques used by early Polynesians to navigate the South Pacific. Learn about your ad ...
Skeptoid #1007: The Pilots Who Landed at Area 51
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
True stories of the pilots who have tried to land at Area 51 — and what happened to them. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1006: Deconstructing Structured Water
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all enjoy a nice crisp glass of water when we're feeling dehydrated — which makes sense, because our bodies need it most of all, so enjoying it i...
Skeptoid #1005: Debugging Done Diligently
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Another round of corrections of errors from past episodes, keeping your Skeptoid archive tidy and accurate. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx...
Skeptoid #1004: Dating the White Sands Footprints
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ancient footprints in New Mexico are forcing scientists to rewrite the story of when humans first set foot in the Americas, and the debate is shaking ...
Skeptoid #1003: History's Weirdest Science Findings
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fourteen of the most unexpected and counterintuitive science findings. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #1002: A Feast of Feedback
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Once again we go through some of your feedback to past episodes — all the good stuff that enhances and improves the presentation. Learn about your ...
Skeptoid #1001: The Phantom Clown Panic
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clowns have a habit of terrifying many of us. So why shouldn't we be surprised to see mass clown panics? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.or...
Skeptoid #1000: Candle on the Water
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today marks the 1000th Skeptoid episode. And it's time to raise the question: What are you going to do for it? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail....
Skeptoid #999: Day of the Medieval Dead
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Medieval tales of walking corpses reflect common misunderstandings of death and the era's blurred line between myth and reality. Learn about your ad ...
Skeptoid #998: The Manifestation Trap: OCD and the Law of Attraction
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What began as 19th-century mind-cure mysticism has morphed into a billion-dollar culture that may be hurting more minds than it helps. Learn about yo...
Skeptoid #997: Sounds of the Aurora
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Using real science to investigate the question of whether some people can "hear" the aurora. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #996: Murder in Hex Hollow
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The 1928 murder of a folk healer ignited a media frenzy and moral panic, revealing how superstition and magical thinking can fuel real-world tragedy. ...
Preview — Douglas Adams: The Ends of the Earth on The Internet We Didn’t Get
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re sharing a preview of a new audiobook, Douglas Adams: The Ends of the Earth, which celebrates the wit and wisdom of the legendary science ficti...
Skeptoid #995: The Eugenic History of the Body Type Diet
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is there good science backing up the idea that you should eat based upon which of three body types you have? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr...
Skeptoid #994: Making AI Environmentally Friendly
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Will our improvements to AI's voracious appetite for electricity keep pace with the exploding demand? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/a...
Skeptoid #993: How to Decide What to Eat
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you really need to pay quite so much attention to which foods you eat, and which you avoid? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choic...
Skeptoid #992: The Case of the Missing Beaumont Children
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since psychic abilities do not exist outside the delusions of true believers, involving psychics in searches for missing persons is worse than useless...
Skeptoid #991: Real Sea Monsters
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A roundup of all the biggest and scariest real sea monsters — from today and from prehistoric times. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/...
Skeptoid #990: Rethinking Science Education
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How one special moment redefined how a science teacher does her job. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #989: Are $1,000,000 Paranormal Challenges Effective?
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Their exciting nature, combined with the fact nobody's ever won one, make paranormal challenge prizes important educational tools. Learn about your a...
Skeptoid #988: Chocolate Myths
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here are many popular myths about chocolate. How many can you tell are true or not? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #987: More than a Magician's Assistant
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
She may have gotten her start as Houdini's sidekick, but Rose Mackenberg became a giant of unmasking fraudulent mediums. Learn about your ad choices:...
A Brief Shake-Up at Skeptoid
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You're going to get to enjoy some new guest hosts for a month or two on Skeptoid. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #986: Do Functional Mushrooms Function?
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Super mushrooms are claimed by some to provide vague health benefits beyond their known nutritional values. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx...
Skeptoid #985: Supervolcanoes and Super Earthquakes
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A roundup of the world's riskiest volcanoes and fault zones — and they're not necessarily the most hazardous. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail...
Skeptoid #984: Should You Feed Your Dog That?
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some people try to feed their dogs the same alternative diet they eat themselves... not necessarily so good for the dog. Learn about your ad choices:...
Skeptoid #983: Immigration Myths
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many of our preconceived notions about immigrants likely bear very little resemblance to the facts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-...
Skeptoid #982: Defending Against the Planet Killers
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All of the ways you've heard that deep space wants to kill us — and how plausible or likely each scenario is. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail...
Skeptoid #981: Vaccines: Success Story of the Century
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vaccines are history's great medical success story, having saved more lives than anything else. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...
Skeptoid #980: How to Find Atlantis
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ten of the places where Atlantis true believers think the mythical city might actually be. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #979: Crusades Imagery and White Nationalism
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many of the Christian symbols created in the aftermath of the First Crusade have been adopted by White Nationalists. Why? Learn about your ad choices...
Skeptoid #978: Leaded Gasoline and Mental Health
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A look at recent studies finding leaded gasoline caused 151 million mental health illnesses in the United States. Learn about your ad choices: doveta...
Skeptoid #977: A Dingo Ate My Baby
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This catchphrase has become popular with comedians. Is that in line with its true origin? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #976: The Spanish Gold of Neahkahnie Mountain
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some believe a fabulous Spanish treasure is buried on the slopes of Oregon's Neahkahnie Mountain. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...
Skeptoid #975: How We Verify Our Sources
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A few of your favorite experts weigh in on how you can make sure your information comes from the very best sources. Learn about your ad choices: dove...
Skeptoid #974: Salt Typhoon: The Chinese Phone Hack
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What really happened — and what didn't — in the 2024 telecom cyberattack. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid Adventures: Bermuda Triangle 2025
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for our 2nd Annual Skeptoid Adventure, this time to the Bermuda Triangle! Early bird pricing ends this Friday, don't miss the boat! Learn abo...
Skeptoid #973: Cows and Global Warming
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just as important as the question of how much the livestock industry contributes to global warming is whether your giving up meat will have any real i...
Skeptoid #972: Agent Orange on Trial
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The newer the data, and the longer we've had to study the epidemiology, the less harm we find that Agent Orange caused. Learn about your ad choices: ...
Skeptoid #971: Cloud Seeding
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cloud seeding would seem like an easy and obvious way to create rain where none existed before. Is it really that simple? Learn about your ad choices...
Skeptoid #970: Economic Nationalism: Bounty or Bust?
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Economic nationalism, while attractive to many populists, is not the path to economic success some believe it to be. Learn about your ad choices: dov...
Skeptoid #969: Listener Feedback: Bats and Pyramids
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid answers another round of feedback emails sent in by listeners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #968: Waldorf Schools
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
These schools combine an atypical education with a New Age spirituality called anthroposophy. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...
Skeptoid #967: Cryonics: A Chilling Prospect
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cryonics promises an opportunity for you to be frozen and revived at some distant point in the future — though with plenty of controversy. Learn ab...
Skeptoid #966: Student Questions
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid answers another round of questions from students all around the world. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #965: The Legend of the Dover Demon
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What could explain a strange creature living in the suburbs, but only ever witnessed once? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Giving Tuesday!
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this Giving Tuesday, please consider supporting Skeptoid Media (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) and our mission of cultivating critical thinkin...
Skeptoid #964: Fixing a Flood of Flaws
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid corrects another round of errors in previous episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #963: Hunting the Gloucester Sea Serpent
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This alleged sea serpent terrorized a New England fishing village for two years in the 19th century. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad...
Skeptoid #962: Bats and Rabies
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bats are scary and rabies is deadly, but do you need to worry about you or your pets catching the disease from them? Learn about your ad choices: dov...
Report from Death Valley, and the Bermuda Triangle
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A report from the recent Skeptoid Adventures trip to Death Valley, including how many brave souls we lost in the desert and how they met their fate; a...
Skeptoid #961: The Man from Taured
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A mysterious man is said to have arrived in Japan in 1959 from a country that never existed. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #960: I Know What Scares You
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seven creepy stories from seven listeners, and seven guesses by me. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #959: Finding the Black Olmec
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A thoroughly discredited idea, that the Mesoamerican Olmec people were Black Africans, continues to gain traction. Learn about your ad choices: dovet...
Skeptoid #958: The Rock Wall of Texas
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This buried rock wall found throughout Rockwall County has people wondering about its origin. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...
It's Skeptoid's 18th Birthday!
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's Skeptoid's 18th birthday! Won't you help us celebrate by giving us a little birthday present? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-c...
Skeptoid #957: Dogs Who Type
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can dogs be taught to speak intelligently using floor buttons that represent words? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #956: 18 for 18
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from 18 years of the Skeptoid podcast. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #955: Pop Quiz: Astonishing Aviation Tales
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fifteen trivia questions from previous aviation themed episodes of Skeptoid. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #954: 15 Sleep Myths
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
15 popular myths about sleeping, debunked. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid Flash Mob at CSICon 2024
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join the Skeptoid Flash Mob at CSICon 2024 in Las Vegas. Visit skeptoid.com/store to get your shirts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/a...
Skeptoid #953: Pet Pheromone Products
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of companies sell pheromone products claiming to calm down your dog or cat, but there's a very big problem with that basic claim. Learn about yo...
Skeptoid #952: Finding Slumach's Gold
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is this just another in a long line of legendary lost mines that never produced a speck of gold, or is there more to it this time? Learn about your a...
Skeptoid #951: Dying of Excited Delirium
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Turns out that the cause of death known as excited delirium is not an actual cause of death at all. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-...
Skeptoid #950: A Modern Skeptic Podcast Host
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If I were to summarize how and why I do what I do, I might put it this way. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices