Shows / Skeptoid
Skeptoid
The true science behind our most popular urban legends. Historical mysteries, paranormal claims, popular science myths, aliens and UFO reports, conspiracy theories, and worthless alternative medicine schemes... Skeptoid has you covered. From the sublime to the startling, no topic is sacred. Weekly since 2006.
Episodes
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #840: What Sank the Lusitania?
Many believe that the true cause of the Lusitania's sinking was not the torpedo, but a mysterious second explosion that followed. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #839: Decoding the Carolina Bays
Some say these oval depressions all along the US east coast are craters from an ancient meteor bombardment. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid Is Hiring a Developer
Skeptoid is hiring a web developer. For complete details, see skeptoid.org/jobs Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #838: The Chilean Navy UFO
Amateur Internet researchers figured out in 5 days what the Chilean government UFO group couldn't in two years. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #837: Falling Fish Followup
Some feedback and followups to a raft of previous Skeptoid episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #836: Can You Tell if I'm Lying?
Can watching body language really tell you when someone is lying? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #835: False Flag Attack? The USS Liberty
Officially, Israel's 1967 attack on the USS Liberty was accidental friendly fire; but many claim it was a deliberate conspiracy. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #834: The Haunting of the Stanley Hotel
Colorado's Stanley Hotel is famous not only for its association with The Shining, but also for ghosts of its own. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #833: The Secrets of the Integratron
This white dome in the California desert may house the secrets of the universe, or nothing more than delusions. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Science Friction now available on streaming
Skeptoid Media's first full-length feature documentary movie, Science Friction, is now available to stream on Prime Video. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #832: What Greek Fire Really Was
This ancient weapon of terror struck fear throughout the ancient world, and stokes a number of mysteries today. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #831: Facilitated Communication Isn't
This discredited technique deceives loved ones into believing non-communicative people are able to communicate just fine by hiring one of these facilitators…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #830: The Mystical Death of Jack Parsons
The complicated life of JPL's co-founder meant that his death was almost certain to be cloaked in conspiracy theories. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #829: What ASMR Will Do for You
What is the state of the science behind this online video genre that combines relaxation with chills and shivers? Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #828: Why You Don't Want a Flat-Faced Pet
The science shows that dogs and cats bred to be flat-faced suffer from respiratory distress, but some argue otherwise. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #827: What Really Happened on Easter Island
The popular known history of Easter Island — that deforestation brought about its demise — is not generally accepted. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #826: Why the Fresno Nightcrawler Is So Popular
This relatively new and not-so-famous cryptid manages to have an outsized pop-culture footprint. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #825: How Psychic Readings Work
Whether cold reading, warm reading, or hot, there are simple explanations for even the most impressive psychic performances. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #824: Demystifying the Winchester Mystery House
The unfortunate false narrative of the Winchester Mystery House obscures a wonderful story of one of California's great women pioneers. Learn about your ad…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #823: Hunting the Elusive Rogue Wave
Modern authors say that scientists didn't used to accept the idea of rogue waves. Is that true? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #822: On Washboarded Roads
The real cause of washboarding on dirt roads is very different from the traditionally believed reason. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #821: Forensic (Pseudo) Science
All those fancy-sounding forensic sciences you've come to trust might not be worth very much of your trust after all. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #820: Maury Island: The Government's Alien Artifacts
The origin story of some of the government's alleged alien wreckage is a little bit shaky. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #819: Corrections with Hat in Hands
Some corrections to errors made in recent shows. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #818: On Railroad Tracks and Roman Chariots
The urban legend that train track gauge descends from Roman war chariots falls apart at every link in the chain. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #817: Your Ghostliest Tales, Explained
In which we hear, analyze, and attempt to explain the ghostly personal stories you've sent in. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #816: The Dark Side of Polyvagal Theory
A controversial mental health framework is also being peddled by unqualified coaches. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #815: On the Trail of the Chupacabra
An exploration into the chupacabra, and how that word came to be applied to so many unrelated things. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #814: Nazis and the Occult
Popular tales of the occult underpinnings of the Nazis are largely modern fiction. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #813: Why You Need to Care About Concrete
Concrete will remain one of our most important materials for decades — but there's a big problem with it. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #812: 20 Years of Data from Portugal: Drug Decriminalization
20 years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drugs in an effort to reduce addiction, incarceration, and negative health impacts. How has it worked? Learn about…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #811: Radon Therapy
Trying to treat pain or cancer by exposing yourself to a radioactive carcinogen provides only risk without the benefit. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #810: Frida Sofia, the Victim Who Wasn't
After the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, rescuers dug through the rubble for a little girl named Frida Sofia — who never existed. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #809: The Avro Arrow Conspiracies
Conspiracy theories surround the cancellation of this advanced Canadian aircraft from the 1950s. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #808: Followups and Extras
Some new facts and extra information on six previous episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #807: Huna: New Age on an Island
Huna blends generic New Age spiritualism with a concocted version of Hawaiian tradition. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #806: Environmental Microplastics
This manmade debris permeates our bodies and our planet, but what's the harm? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #805: The Cottingley Fairies: Analysis of a Famous Hoax
The true and weird history of the two girls who fooled the world with their fairy photographs in 1917. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #804: Unmasking the Old Stinker: The Hull Werewolf
This modern sighting of a strange beast is claimed to have been a resurgence of a legendary medieval monster. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #803: What Really Happened at Tunguska
The true cause of one of history's most violent cataclysms remains a mystery... to a degree. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #802: Pop Quiz: 15 for 15
It's 15 trivia questions from 15 Skeptoid episodes, to celebrate our 15th anniversary! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #801: Probiotics Fact and Fiction
Some people promote probiotics as a miracle cure for just about anything. What can they really do? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #800: To the Stars
A strange radio broadcast from a very unique group of VIPs being whisked away on a UFO. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #799: On the Authorship of the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
The most famous organ work in history has a surprising mystery -- we're not really sure who composed it! Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #798: Tracking the Wild Big Cats of Britain
A close look at the tales of large black predatory cats stalking Britain for centuries. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #797: Why You Need to Care About Methane
We focus a lot on carbon dioxide when talking about climate change. Should we be talking more about methane? Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #796: 9/11 Truthers, 20 Years Later
20 years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, the conspiracy theories are still thriving -- just as we should expect. Learn about your ad…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #795: What Made the Shroud of Turin Immortal
A close look at what true science and true history can tell us about this most sacred Catholic relic. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #794: Why You Needn't Worry About the Missing 411
A popular conspiracy theory claims that lots of people disappear under unexplainable circumstances in America's national parks. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #793: Your Turn Yet Again
Skeptoid gives our take on some spooky experiences sent in by listeners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #792: Your Turn Again
In which I take a shot at trying to explain some of the weirdest stories sent in by listeners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #791: Dowsing: Water Witchcraft
If you need to find ground water, ask a hydrologist, not an occult magician. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #790: Is the Existence of Billionaires Inherently Harmful?
Pop culture tells us that the existence of billionaires is harmful to the economy. Is that so? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #789: All About Clearcutting
Is clearcutting of forests for logging a public nuisance or a public benefit? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #788: The UFO Rogues Gallery Takes Over America - Part 2
An unlikely group of paranormalists has persuaded the American public that the government takes UFOs seriously. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #787: The UFO Rogues Gallery Takes Over America - Part 1
An unlikely group of paranormalists has persuaded the American public that the government takes UFOs seriously. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #786: Horses in Pre-Columbian America
Horses went extinct in North America at the end of the last ice age, but oddly some are now saying they didn't. Learn about your ad choices…
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #785: Desalination vs. A National Water Grid
A comparison of two popular ways to help cope with the new water reality of global warming. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #784: Head Transplants
The facts and fiction of what's possible and what's already been tried in switching human heads. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
- Skeptoid
Skeptoid #783: The Legend of Barsa-Kelmes
The story behind the story of the many paranormal events associated with this former island in the Aral Sea. Learn about your ad choices…