Skeptoid: Critical Analysis Of Pop Phenomena

Science & Medicine
Banned and driven with stripes from the world of mainstream pop pseudoscience, Skeptoid takes on the toughest challenges to the realm of reason and rationality. From the sublime to the startling, no topic is sacred, politically incorrect though that may be. (Author: Brian Dunning)
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Recent episodes from Skeptoid: Critical Analysis Of Pop Phenomena

  • Skeptoid #107: Spy Radio: Numbers Station
    Published: Jun 30, 08
    Since the cold war, there have been many mysterious shortwave radio broadcasts called numbers stations, transmitted encrypted messages for some unknown purpose. What are they really, and what do they sound like?
     
  • Skeptoid #107: Spy Radio: Numbers Stations
    Published: Jun 30, 08
    Since the cold war, there have been many mysterious shortwave radio broadcasts called numbers stations, transmitted encrypted messages for some unknown purpose. What are they really, and what do they sound like?
     
  • Skeptoid #106: King Tut's Curse!
    Published: Jun 23, 08
    We've all heard the story of King Tut's curse, and we've all heard the popular scientific sounding explanation. Today we look at the real science behind what actually happened.
     
  • Skeptoid #105: When People Talk Backwards
    Published: Jun 16, 08
    Some people think that when you say something and play it backwards, you'll hear what your brain truly intended to say. Somehow the brain is clever (and honest) enough to choose words that, when played backwards, say what you actually meant.
     
  • Skeptoid #104: Yet More Winning Listener Feedback
    Published: Jun 9, 08
    There was just too much Detoxification feedback to pass up, I had to pass along a second batch. Plus, a few other assorted episodes that are also worthy of note.
     
  • Skeptoid #103: Should You Take Your Vitamins?
    Published: Jun 2, 08
    Folk wisdom has long told us that daily megadoses of vitamin C can cure the common cold, and even prevent us from catching one. Megadosing on other vitamins can prolong life, treat or prevent other diseases, and even improve general well being and happiness. Are these stories true? Let's take a look at the science behind them.
     
  • Skeptoid #102: What You Didn't Know About The Stanford Prison Experiment
    Published: May 26, 08
    Dr. Philip Zimbardo's infamous Stanford Prison Experiment is popularly believed to have proven that bad environments produce bad behavior in good people. However, a closer and more critical look at the experiment itself and its methodology shows that it may not have been a valid experiment at all, and merely an illustration of one man's beliefs.
     
  • Skeptoid #101: Things I'm Wrong About
    Published: May 19, 08
    Although you probably naturally assume that I'm always right about everything, in fact I do sometimes get stuff wrong, with my limited resources and all. Here's a look back at a few examples.
     
  • Skeptoid #100: Is Peak Oil The End Of Civilization?
    Published: May 12, 08
    Doomsayer web sites claim that peak oil, the point at which diminishing supply forces oil production to drop and no longer be able to meet demand, will result in a worldwide panic of unprecedented proportions. But peaks like this have always happened throughout history, and we've learned that the nature of market economies is to react and adapt.
     
  • Skeptoid #99: Reassembling Twa Flight 800
    Published: May 5, 08
    Sometimes the NTSB simply can't find the definitive cause of an accident. There isn't always as much hard physical evidence as we're likely to be. Unfortunately, conspiracy theorists believe that whenever this happens, the most reasonable explanation is a massive government coverup of unspeakable proportions.
     
  • Skeptoid #98: The Crystal Skull: Mystical, Or Modern?
    Published: Apr 28, 08
    Believers say the Crystal Skull, and others like it (like the one in the Indiana Jones movie), is of ancient origin and possesses magical powers. The facts tell quite a different story.
     
  • Come Join The Fight!
    Published: Apr 24, 08
    Contribute to the cause by donating some photography or video footage to the new Skeptoid movie. In May of 2008 I will be producing a 45-minute video for free distribution on the Internet, giving a general introduction to critical analysis of pop phenomena to general audiences.
     
  • Skeptoid #97: The Face On Mars Revealed
    Published: Apr 21, 08
    Today we look at the face on Mars in the Cydonia Mensae region. Conspiracy theorist Richard Hoagland believes it's proof of a Martian civilization. But photography, the perceptual phenomenon called pareidolia, and the Law of Large Numbers combine to say that it's simply a natural hill.
     
  • Skeptoid #96: What's Wrong With The Secret
    Published: Apr 14, 08
    The 2006 book and movie "The Secret" teaches tired old self-help motivational concepts wrapped inside a century-old version of New Age metaphysics. This idea has been widely criticized and attacked from all angles, and rightfully so.
     
  • Please Show Your Support For The Skeptologists!
    Published: Apr 8, 08
    Please take a moment to send an email to to help get the new TV pilot The Skeptologists on the air. The Skeptologists stars Michael Shermer, Phil Plait, Steven Novella, Kirsten Sanford, Yau-Man Chan, and Mark Edward.