Skeptoid
Episodes
Skeptoid #949: Hunting the Graveyard of the Elephants
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Does a mythical place where the elephants go to die actually exist? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #948: Medical Error Is Not the Third Leading Cause of Death
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The claim that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US has never been close to true. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.or...
Skeptoid #947: How Your Driving Is Being Tracked
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is your phone really tracking your driving habits and selling the data? Maybe more so than you know. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad...
Skeptoid #946: Strange but True Stories from Space
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The weirdest, creepiest, funniest, and just plain strange stories from the era of crewed space flight. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/...
Skeptoid #945: A Sea of Younger Dryas Woo
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pseudoarchaeologists often will cite the Younger Dryas climatic event as proof of their ancient advanced civilization. Learn about your ad choices: d...
Skeptoid #944: Bullibility and the Cult of Wellness
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Not only is the entire wellness industry BS, it exists because of people who are especially gullible. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/a...
Skeptoid #943: The Aliens Are Not Coming
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fear not; the aliens are not coming to Earth. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Death Valley for Students
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid's Death Valley Adventure is holding 5 tickets for students and active duty military. To apply to get one, visit skeptoid.com/deathvalley Lea...
Skeptoid #942: What the Movies Always Get Wrong
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A roundup of all those things that movies always get wrong and make you mad. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #941: Docu Dangers: Why Science Documentaries Usually Suck
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How we decide what makes a good topic for a skeptical documentary film. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #940: The Stephenville Lights
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This modern UFO case has been declared to be one of the most compelling ever. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #939: A Visit to Lemuria
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The true history of a mythical place. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #938: Vampire Facials
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This procedure promising facial rejuvenation is basically a full face tattoo of your own blood. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...
Skeptoid #937: Helen Keller on Trial
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A bizarre subculture of Helen Keller Truthers believe that she was either faking her deafblindness or even that she didn't exist at all. Learn about ...
Skeptoid #936: Coffee Myths
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A roundup of 15 common myths about coffee. Which ones had you always believed? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #935: Fruitful Feedback and Followups
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid answers another round of listener feedback questions. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid Adventures: Death Valley 2024
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Come join the Skeptoid Adventures trip for 2024, a journey of exploration in Death Valley! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #934: Decoding the Kensington Runestone
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The story goes that this stone covered with Viking runes was found in a Minnesota field in 1898. Its true history is much more interesting. Learn abo...
Snazzy New Store Items
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get the snazzy new Skeptoid Hydro Flask tumbler or radical new Skeptoid coffee mug. Both are engraved so they’ll never fade. Now available at the Sk...
Skeptoid #933: COVID-19 and the Lab Leak
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Was the SARS-CoV-2 virus of natural origin, or was it engineered in a Chinese research lab? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #932: Is Recycling for Real?
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A close look at where recycling of some common materials is actually at these days. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #931: Error Erasure Extravaganza
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time once again for Skeptoid to correct another round of errors in previous shows. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #930: Dr. Crow and the Melon Heads
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some say creepy children with huge balloon heads stalk the woods at night, waiting to attack you. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...
Skeptoid #929: The Trinity UFO Crash of 1945
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The not-so-famous UFO case that caused the US Congress to spend millions of taxpayer dollars. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...
Skeptoid #928: EMDR: Looking Past the Pain
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This controversial treatment for PTSD involves moving the eyes side to side. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #927: I Can't Believe They Did That: Human Guinea Pigs #3
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3 in our roundup of scientists who took the ultimate plunge and experimented on themselves. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...
Skeptoid #926: The Chicago O'Hare Airport UFO
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2006, a flying saucer spent minutes literally hovering right above Chicago's O'Hare International Airport... so the story goes. Learn about your a...
Skeptoid #925: The Conspirituality of Enneagrams
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can everything important about you and those you interact with be boiled down to a single digit? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...
Skeptoid #924: Foo Fighters
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What were these early UFOs that chased and harried World War II fighter pilots? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #923: The Voodoo Ax Murders
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Were two waves of ax murders in the American south in the early 20th century truly associated with Louisiana Voodoo? Learn about your ad choices: dov...
Skeptoid #922: Testing Alcubierre's Warp Drive
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Proponents of alien visitation often claim the Alcubierre drive makes faster than light possible. Here's why it can't exist. Learn about your ad choi...
Institutional Partners for Our New Show
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid is looking for institutional partners and/or title sponsors for a proposed video series. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...
Skeptoid #921: Reconsidering the Seveso Dioxin Disaster
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Was this infamous 1976 dioxin disaster as bad as reported, or might it have been much worse than we thought? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr...
Skeptoid #920: The Headless Goats of the Chattahoochee
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The carcasses of headless goats are floating in the Chattahoochee River; too many for a prosaic explanation. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr...
Skeptoid #919: Looking Back on the Chronovisor
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A Benedictine monk is said to have built a device allowing him to see and hear historical events. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...
Skeptoid #918: Martin Luther King Jr. Myths
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We break down four popular myths about Martin Luther King Jr. that just won't go away. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #917: DDT, 13 Years Later
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A failure mode analysis of my most-hated episode ever: #230 on the use of DDT to fight malaria. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...
Skeptoid #916: Ask Me Anything, 2023 Edition, Part 2
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid rapid fires a bunch of mini-episodes in answer to your questions. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #915: Ask Me Anything, 2023 Edition, Part 1
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A year-end Ask Me Anything session to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Skeptoid and more. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx....
Say Goodbye to 2023
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Help us say goodbye to 2023, Skeptoid style. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #914: Stopping Hiccups with Science
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does science have a way to reliably cure the hiccups? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #913: Surviving Brazil's Snake Island
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This Brazilian island is said to be too dangerous to visit due to countless venomous snakes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #912: Kambo: Let It Go
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some believe that taking a deadly frog poison confers a vast array of New Age wellness benefits. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...
Skeptoid #911: How to Escape Nibiru
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some believe this speculative rogue planet is on a collision course with the Earth. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #910: How to Spot Misinformation
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Much content online is designed for high engagement, not for accuracy. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #909: Fixing Former Fumbles
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid corrects another round of errors in past episodes pointed out by listeners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #908: Your Creepiest Halloween Stories
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrating Halloween with the creepiest ghost stories sent in by you, our listeners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #907: The Science of the 27 Club
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do lots of famous pop musicians really die at the age of 27, or is there something in science that just makes us think so? Learn about your ad choice...
Skeptoid #906: Unraveling the Myth of Nazareth
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did the village of Nazareth exist at the time of Jesus, making it possible for there to have been a Jesus of Nazareth? Learn about your ad choices: d...
Skeptoid #905: Artificial Turf: Poisonous Pitches?
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some claim that artificial turf sports fields emit poisonous chemicals, making them dangerous for children. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx...
Skeptoid #904: Pop quiz: 17 for 17
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What better way to celebrate 17 years of the Skeptoid podcast than a 17-question pop quiz! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #903: Tracking California's Monster Salamander
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does a monster salamander the size of Asia's largest live undiscovered in the Pacific Northwest? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...
Skeptoid Flashmob!
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're going to be at CSICon 2023, join the Skeptoid Flashmob! skeptoid.com/store Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #902: Focusing in on Eye Exercises
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can you really make your eyesight better with a simple series of eye movements and exercises? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...
Skeptoid #901: The Mystery of the Severed Feet
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Severed feet have been washing up on the shores of the Salish Sea since 2007. What could be the cause? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/...
Skeptoid #900: Mussolini's Aliens
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How an old Italian UFO hoax became proof of alien visitation to the US Congress Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #899: Berberine: Thin Body, or Thin Evidence?
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This supplement is claimed by social media influencers to be Nature's Ozempic. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #898: Finding the Third Man
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Reports from some extreme adventurers say that a benevolent presence sometimes appears to provide comfort. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx....
Skeptoid #897: The Secret of the Norden Bombsight
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pop culture tells us the famous Norden bombsight from World War II was actually terribly inaccurate. Was it? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr...
Skeptoid #896: The Treasures of the Copper Scroll
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This greatest of all imaginable treasures from the Dead Sea Scrolls probably never existed. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #895: The Hottest Temperature on Earth
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is the world record highest air temperature a solid measurement, or might it be invalid? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #894: The Klerksdorp Spheres
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are these remarkable stones natural, or proof of an ancient advanced civilization? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #893: Finding the Lost Tribesmen: Aure and Aura
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Were these two men from an Amazon tribe that had been massacred, or could their story be explained more simply? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail...
Skeptoid #892: The UFO That Wasn't Swamp Gas
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A look into the origin story of swamp gas as the explanation for UFOs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #891: How to Change a Conspiracy Theorist's Mind
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A roundup of the ways that work — and that don't work — to help a conspiracy theorist free himself from the rabbit hole. Learn about your ad ch...
Skeptoid #890: Skeptoid Scared Straight
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In which I issue yet another round of corrections to past episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #889: Handling Fentanyl: A Touchy Topic
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Popular wisdom tells us that just touching fentanyl can produce a lethal overdose. What's the fact and what's the fiction? Learn about your ad choice...
Skeptoid #888: On the Trail of the Mapinguari
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are ground sloths that somehow survived their extinction responsible for cryptid sightings in the Amazon? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.o...
Skeptoid #887: The Hard Fall of the Nephilim
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did giants really walk the Earth in our recent past? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #886: Student Questions: College of Central Florida, Part 2
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid answers a round of student questions recorded during a visit to the College of Central Florida. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.or...
Skeptoid #885: Student Questions: College of Central Florida, Part 1
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid answers a round of student questions recorded during a visit to the College of Central Florida. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.or...
Skeptoid #884: Hunting the Florida Skunk Ape
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This Bigfoot-like cryptid is said to haunt the swamps of Florida. But has the story been around as long as people think? Learn about your ad choices:...
Skeptoid #883: Lies, Damned Lies, and Polls
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Watch out next time you take a poll... is someone trying to learn about you, or manipulate you? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...
Skeptoid #882: The Treasure of Victorio Peak, Part 3
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hunt for the greatest treasure of gold ever imagined. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #881: The Treasure of Victorio Peak, Part 2
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hunt for the greatest treasure of gold ever imagined. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #880: The Treasure of Victorio Peak, Part 1
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hunt for the greatest treasure of gold ever imagined. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #879: Alien Octopi
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A popular Internet claim asserts that the DNA of the octopus is literally alien in origin. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #878: Reining In the Expanding Earth
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Although the Expanding Earth may seem like a silly conjecture, it was actually one of the leading geophysical models quite recently. Learn about your...
Skeptoid #877: What the Oil Companies Really Knew, Part 2
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it true that the oil companies knew how much harm they were doing as far back as the 1970s? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choic...
Skeptoid #876: What the Oil Companies Really Knew, Part 1
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it true that the oil companies knew how much harm they were doing as far back as the 1970s? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choic...
Skeptoid #875: Pop Quiz: St. Patrick's Day
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's quiz tests whether you've been skeptical of what you think you know about St. Patrick's Day. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad...
Skeptoid #874: The Devil's Tramping Ground
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Popular tales claim no plants at all will grow inside this round clearing in North Carolina, said to have been made by the Devil himself. Learn about...
Skeptoid #873: Earthquake Prediction
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After every earthquake, there's always someone who claims to have predicted it. Is earthquake prediction possible? Learn about your ad choices: dovet...
Skeptoid #872: Climate Change Checkup: 2023 Edition
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The state of the climate so far... how we're doing, and what do we need to work on the most. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #871: 7 Valentine's Day Myths
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
See if you can tell whether each of these popular beliefs about Valentine's Day are true or false. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-c...
Skeptoid #870: The Dirty Secret of Dirty Electricity
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is there such a thing as a type of electricity running through your home's wiring that delivers horrific health impacts to anyone living there? Learn...
Skeptoid #869: The Goat Man of Pope Lick Bridge
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stories of goat men are all over the world. Why is the Pope Lick goat man disproportionately famous? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad...
Skeptoid #868: Top 10 Most Harmful Anti-Experts: 2023 Edition
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Once again we round up the people working hardest to spread misinformation. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #867: Student Questions: Guidestones and Tachyons
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Skeptoid answers another round of questions sent in by friendly folks all over the world. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #866: What THEY Don't Want You to Know About UFOs
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some great ways to think about all the current UFO craze. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #865: The Non-Mystery of Nan Madol
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Was this megalithic site in the South Pacific built by the people who lived there at the time, or by aliens? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr...
Skeptoid #864: Ask Me Anything, 2022 Edition
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In which we wrap up 2022 by letting Skeptoid premium members Ask Me Anything. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #863: Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Woo
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The latest form of magnet therapy promises to cure everything from headaches to cancer. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #862: Human Mosquito Magnets
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is it true that mosquitoes like some people better than others? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #861: Marketing with Logical Fallacies
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A look at some of the logically fallacious statements used to sell many of today's most popular products. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.o...
The Big UFO Update!
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The latest news, and some clips, from my indie documentary The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad...
Skeptoid #860: Illuminating the Hornet Spooklight
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Legend has it this ghost light has been spooking people in Missouri for hundreds of years. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Skeptoid #859: How to Spot Fake News
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A roundup of easy techniques anyone can employ to better discern accurate news reports from false ones. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org...
Skeptoid #858: Resignation Syndrome
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this bizarre psychiatric condition, healthy children lapse into a coma that may last for years. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-c...
Skeptoid #857: On the Health Benefits of Drinking Alcohol
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some say that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol actually has certain health benefits. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices