Skeptoid

Skeptoid #463: Transgender: Fact or Fiction?

21 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The Internet believes a lot of things about transgender people, but much of it isn't true. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #462: Satanic Ritual Abuse

14 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The history of claims that secret Satanic cults are abusing children. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #461: Cryptids That Turned Out To Be Real

07 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes speculative animals do turn out to be real, but that still doesn't validate cryptozoology as a science. Learn about your ad choices: doveta...

Skeptoid #460: Plastic Bags

31 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Deciding whether you want "paper or plastic" at the supermarket turns out to be a remarkably complex choice. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr...

Skeptoid #459: Listener Feedback: The Environment

24 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Brian responds to listener feedback on past episodes about environmental topics. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #458: Science Fails

17 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Science has let you down time after time, and that's one reason why it gets better and better. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choic...

Skeptoid #457: Forgetting the Alamo

10 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The myths and facts behind the events that made the Alamo famous reveal it may not be worth remembering much. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.p...

Skeptoid #456: Cattle Mutilation

03 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Cow mutilation may have a simpler explanation than alien experimentation. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #455: Ghost Photography

24 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The history of ghost photography and its many problems as evidence. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #454: GMO Facts and Fiction

17 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

See if you know how many of these GMO "facts" are right. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #453: Cooking Myths

10 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As the busiest part of the house, the kitchen has collected more folklore than any other room in it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad...

Skeptoid #452: The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica

03 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In Costa Rica, mysterious stone spheres left behind by the country's previous inhabitants seem to defy explanation. Learn about your ad choices: dove...

Skeptoid #451: Ideomotor Response

27 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The Ideomotor Response underlies a number of occult phenomena and alt-med practices. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #450: Robert Ripley: Believe Him... or Not?

20 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We examine Believe it or Not! and determine if we can believe this stuff. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #449: Ancient Astronauts

13 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Did aliens visit the ancient Earth and inspire human cultures? Some people claim so. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #448: The Columbus Poltergeist

06 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This poltergeist in Columbus Ohio turned out to be, like nearly all such cases, a mischievous teen. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-...

Skeptoid #447: Listener Feedback: Cryptozoology

30 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We respond to questions about cryptids asked by listeners to our recent episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #446: The Fallibility of Memory

23 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We are a story our brain tells itself. And our brains are habitual liars. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #445: Megalodon Myths

16 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The Discovery Channel wants you to think that a giant prehistoric shark may still swim our oceans. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-c...

Skeptoid #444: Myths of Alcatraz

09 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Alcatraz Island is veiled in the fog of myth. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #443: SS Iron Mountain

02 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This large riverboat is said to have vanished without a trace on the Mississippi River in 1872. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...

Skeptoid #442: Griffins

25 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Griffins, considered absurd mythological beasts today, were actually our first attempt to explain fossils. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx....

Skeptoid #441: The Skookum Cast

18 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The first "full body cast" of an alleged Bigfoot left many experts with a different impression. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...

Skeptoid #440: That Elusive Fibromyalgia

11 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Some say fibromyalgia is a real disease, while others question the diagnosis. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #439: A Skeptical Look at the News

04 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

How we look at the news is as important as where we get it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #438: The War of the Worlds Panic Broadcast

28 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles panicked a nation with a single broadcast. Or did he? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #437: Tube Amplifiers

21 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The audiophile preference for tube amps over solid state is based more on emotion than on science. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-c...

Skeptoid #436: Ionithermie

14 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ionithermie is not effective for slimming or cellulite removal -- or, for anything, really. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #435: The St. Clair Triangle UFO

07 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In 2000, Illinois police chased what has come to be known as the St. Clair Triangle UFO. We found out what it was. Learn about your ad choices: dovet...

Skeptoid #434: The Braxton County Monster

30 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A group of 7 West Virginians looked for a crashed UFO in the hills and ended up getting the fright of their lives. Learn about your ad choices: dovet...

Skeptoid #433: The Water Woo of Masaru Emoto

23 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Masaru Emoto invented a New Age mythology in which water crystals reflect human consciousness. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choic...

Skeptoid #432: The Death of Rasputin

16 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Legend says that Grigori Rasputin, the "Mad Monk", was hard to kill; but the truth about his life is the real story. Learn about your ad choices: dov...

Skeptoid #431: Acupuncture

09 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Acupuncture, the safe and effective ancient Chinese medical treatment, turns out to be none of those things. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr...

Skeptoid #430: Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

02 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The clash between the champions of scientific skepticism and supernaturalism. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #429: The Many Voices of Frank's Box

26 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Frank's ghost box is a radio designed to hear communications from ghosts. Here's how it works (or not). Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org...

Skeptoid #428: The Haunted Dybbuk Box

19 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A popular tale tells of a haunted Jewish wine box that brought ill fortune upon its owners... apparently. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.o...

Skeptoid #427: The Legend of the Flying Dutchman

12 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The real source of the ancient nautical legends of the Flying Dutchman ghost ship. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #426: The Baldoon Mystery

05 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The surprising truth behind Canada's most famous ghost story. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Listeners Have Another Say

01 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid supporters reveal the reason they decided to join the team. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #425: Albinism Facts and Fiction

29 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Even in developed countries, myths persist about people who have albinism. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #424: The Santa Barbara Simoom of 1859

22 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Stories of a lethally hot storm wind in Santa Barbara in 1859 persist to this day. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #423: 12 Step Programs

15 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Religious-based twelve step programs are no better at stopping addiction than other programs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...

Skeptoid #422: Lie Detection

08 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Polygraphs are no better than a roll of the dice at determining whether you're lying. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Listeners Have a Say

04 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Giving the Skeptoid listeners a chance to have their say. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #421: Student Questions: Internet Tracking and Plasma Cosmology

01 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid answers another round of questions sent in by students all around the world. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #420: Hillary vs. Mallory: The First to Everest

24 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

From the evidence we have, it seems clear there's no way Mallory could have beaten Hillary to the summit of Everest. Learn about your ad choices: dov...

Skeptoid #419: Slacktivism: Raising Awareness

17 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Clicking a "Like" button on a web site is not only useless, it may actually be counterproductive. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...

Skeptoid #418: Left Brained, Right Brained, or Hare Brained?

10 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Pop psychology tells us we're all either left brain or right brain dominant, a concept with no scientific support. Learn about your ad choices: dovet...

Skeptoid #417: The Riddle of Flight 19

03 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The 1945 disappearance of five fighter planes in the Bermuda Triangle was real, but hardly how it's portrayed. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail....

Skeptoid #416: 5 Conspiracy Theories that Turned Out to Be True... Maybe?

27 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid listeners are always asking for conspiracy theories that turned out to be true. Here are the best I found. Learn about your ad choices: dove...

Skeptoid #415: In Which I Am the Very Picture of Error Personified

20 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid corrects another round of mistakes made in previous episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #414: Killing Princess Diana

13 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Some say the death of Princess Diana in 1997 was actually a murder plotted by her government. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...

Skeptoid #413: 3-7-77: The Montana Vigilance Code

06 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This mysterious code representing vigilante justice has a history steeped in mystery. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #412: Animal Predictors: Psychic, Sensitive, or Silly?

29 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Despite many examples being promoted in the press, animals do not have psychic powers. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #411: Your Body's Alleged Energy Fields

22 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

There is no such thing as your body's energy field. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #410: The Black Eyed Kids

15 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

An urban legend says that children with completely black eyes go around trying to be allowed inside. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad...

Skeptoid #409: Oil Pulling

08 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This New Age alternative health fad is not, in fact, based on ayurveda. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid Media is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity

04 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Donations to Skeptoid Media are now fully tax deductible. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #408: 15 Phreaky Phobias

01 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Phobias are irrational, yet the brain surprisingly has a good reason for creating them. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #407: The Death of Mad King Ludwig

25 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What we do and do not know about the mysterious death of Bavaria's Mad King who built castles like Neuschwanstein. Learn about your ad choices: dovet...

Skeptoid #406: The Disappearance of Glenn Miller

18 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This popular bandleader disappeared over the English Channel during World War II, and here's what happened. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx...

Skeptoid #405: Aromatherapy: Sniffing Essential Oils

11 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

If you're expecting the pleasant aroma of certain flowers and herbs to be a medical treatment, you may be disappointed. Learn about your ad choices: ...

Skeptoid #404: The Boggy Creek Monster

04 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The Boggy Creek Monster captured our imaginations, but its true story is even more fascinating. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choi...

Skeptoid #403: Out of Place Artifacts

25 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Some objects found around the world seem to defy rational explanation. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #402: Listener Feedback: Ancient Mysteries

18 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I respond to questions and feedback sent in by listeners around the world. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #401: Hemp, Hearst, and Prohibition

11 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A popular urban legend claims that William Randolph Hearst conspired to make cannabis illegal in the United States. Learn about your ad choices: dove...

Skeptoid #400: It's Just Science

04 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Some pseudoscience promoters attack the messenger rather than the evidence. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #399: The Moving Coffins of Barbados

28 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

An old tale tells of coffins that jumbled themselves up in a crypt in Barbados. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #398: Solving the Lead Masks of Vintem Hill

21 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Two dead bodies were found in Brazil in 1966 with mysterious masks made of lead. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #397: Fukushima vs Chernobyl vs Three Mile Island

14 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Years after the disaster, some claim that Fukushima radiation is still going to cause widespread death. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org...

Skeptoid #396: The Biggest, the Oldest, and the Baddest

07 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A tour of the Earth's biggest, oldest, and most lethal living creatures. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #395: Student Questions: Food Woo, Food Woo, and More Food Woo

31 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid answers questions sent in by students, all of them this week pertaining to popular food pseudoscience. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail...

Skeptoid #394: Finding Butch and Sundance

24 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Stories that outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid might have made it back from South America don't hold up. Learn about your ad choices: doveta...

Skeptoid #393: The Hair of Samson

17 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Hold onto your hats: Growing your hair long will not confer super strength or vitality upon you. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...

Skeptoid #392: Listener Feedback: Consumer Ripoffs

10 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid responds to comments sent in by listeners who don't accept that they've been ripped off. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...

Skeptoid #391: 8 Secret Bases: Real or Fictional?

03 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Guess which of these secret military bases around the world are real. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #390: The Red Haired Giants of Lovelock Cave

26 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Some say that an early Native American tribe were giant cannibals. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #389: The JFK Assassination

19 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

After so many decades, the number of incompatible conspiracy theories about the death of JFK continues to grow. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail...

Skeptoid #388: 6 Problems with Wind Turbine Syndrome

12 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Despite activist claims, wind turbines are not making anybody sick. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #387: Who Discovered the New World?

05 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the many claims of Europeans being first to the New World, only one is true. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #386: Tracking the Tasmanian Tiger

29 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Some say this extinct Tasmanian marsupial may still roam the forests. The evidence is against them. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-...

Skeptoid #385: The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich

22 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A young pilot who disappeared in 1978 might have been having a little fun, Spielberg style. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #384: Asking the Socratic Questions

15 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A line of reasoning named for Socrates helps us help believers in the strange re-examine their beliefs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org...

Skeptoid #383: 5 False Arguments for Raw Milk

08 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Some people who enjoy raw milk also make up false claims that regular milk is more dangerous. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...

Skeptoid #382: Into the Maelstrom (or Not)

01 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A look into the plausibility and historicity of the ferocious maelstrom of legend. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #381: An Enthusiast's Primer on Study Types

24 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A quick look at many of the most common scientific study types. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #380: The Riddle of the L-8 Blimp

17 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The crew of a blimp mysteriously vanished in 1942, but their blimp came back OK... without them. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...

Skeptoid #379: I Think, Therefore I Err

10 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid corrects a bunch of errors made in previous episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #378: Legendary Places: Real or Fictional?

03 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

We look at twelve legendary places that you've heard of, but may not know whether they're real or not. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/...

Skeptoid #377: Student Questions: Hangovers, Manuka Honey, and Probiotics

27 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid answers another round of questions sent in by students all around the world. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #376: Salt Therapies

20 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A new trend in spas is to let people relax in salt caves, and it's based on solid pseudoscience. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...

Skeptoid #375: The Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film

13 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The true history behind the iconic Bigfoot film that launched the legend. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #374: Listener Feedback: Alternative Medicine

06 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid answers a raft of listener emails pertaining to alternative medicine. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #373: The Secrets of MKULTRA

30 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The urban legend that the CIA conducted unethical mind control experiments has a grain of truth. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho...

Skeptoid #372: Prove Your Supernatural Power and Get Rich

23 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

If you can demonstrate a power unknown to science, there are people looking to write you a check. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch...

Skeptoid #371: The Vanishing Village of Angikuni Lake

16 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The legend of the disappearing Eskimo village of Angikuni Lake turns out to be simple pulp fiction. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-...

Skeptoid #370: The Science of Muzak

09 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Background music really can influence our buying decisions in a shopping environment. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #369: Student Questions: Magic Wristbands, Laser Danger, and ManBearPig

02 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Skeptoid answers another round of questions sent in by students all around the world. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #368: Legislating Pseudoscience

25 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Lawmakers are often pressured by ideologues to pass laws based on bad science. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skeptoid #367: Who Is the Grinning Man?

18 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A mysterious "grinning man" is said to appear and terrorize UFO witnesses. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices