Skeptoid is a weekly science podcast dedicated to furthering knowledge by blasting away the widespread pseudosciences that infect popular culture, and replacing them with way cooler reality.

Each weekly episode focuses on a single phenomenon — an urban legend, a paranormal claim, alternative therapy, or something just plain stupid — that you've heard of, and that you probably believe in. Skeptoid attempts to expose the folly of belief in non-evidence based phenomena, and more importantly, explains the factual scientific reality.

From the sublime to the startling, no topic is sacred, politically incorrect though that may be. 164,000 weekly downloads. Read what people are saying.

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Latest Skeptoid Episodes...

#455, Feb 24, 2015 - Ghost Photography - A short history of ghost photographs and a categorization of the different kinds of errors and fraud which can produce the images.

#454, Feb 17, 2015 - GMO Facts and Fiction - GMO misinformation continues to spread in the media and online. We've collected a number of beliefs about GMOs; how many of them can you get right?

#453, Feb 10, 2015 - Cooking Myths - How much of what "everybody knows" about food preparation is science, how much is myth, and how much is a bit of both?

#452, Feb 3, 2015 - The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica - Southwestern Costa Rica is home to over 300 carved stone spheres left behind by the country's previous inhabitants. There are some fantastical claims surrounding their origin and purpose, but what can science tell us about their true nature?

#451, Jan 27, 2015 - Ideomotor Response - Though first defined in the 1850s, the Ideomotor Response, a quirk of physiology, is still misused to bamboozle the credulous with bogus claims.

#450, Jan 20, 2015 - Robert Ripley: Believe Him... or Not? - The Believe it or Not! series of cartoons makes some extraordinary claims. Is there extraordinary evidence to back them up? Let's take a look.

#449, Jan 13, 2015 - Ancient Astronauts - Did aliens visit the ancient Earth and inspire human cultures to build great works? Some people claim that they did. But is there really any reason to hypothesize that ancient astronauts existed?

#448, Jan 6, 2015 - The Columbus Poltergeist - When mysterious phenomena is reported in a Columbus, Ohio home, paranormal researchers and media collide with skeptical investigators of the true cause.

#447, Dec 30, 2014 - Listener Feedback: Cryptozoology - Brian opens up the mailbag and responds to some interesting questions asked by listeners to recent episodes on cryptozoological topics.

#446, Dec 23, 2014 - The Fallibility of Memory - A look at how our memory works and the many things that can go awry with it. Are our brains like hard drives, or more like easily-smudged chalk boards?

#445, Dec 16, 2014 - Megalodon - The Discovery Channel put out a 'docufiction' suggesting that the gigantic shark C. megalodon might still be alive in our oceans, but what does science have to say on the matter?

#444, Dec 9, 2014 - Myths of Alcatraz - Alcatraz Island harbors ruins, restless spirits and many myths. Skeptoid traveled to The Rock to see the sights and bust some ghosts.

#443, Dec 2, 2014 - SS Iron Mountain - The SS Iron Mountain is a famous missing ship, said to have vanished from the middle of the Mississippi River without a trace. Was there a ship called the SS Iron Mountain and did she actually vanish? Skeptoid investigates.

#442, Nov 25, 2014 - Griffins - Griffins, considered an absurd mythological beast by us today, were actually humanity's first known attempt to describe an animal based solely on fossils.

#441, Nov 18, 2014 - The Skookum Cast - In 2000 a group of BFRO researchers found what they claimed to be a full body impression of a Bigfoot. A more probable explanation is that it was made by an elk. Confirmation bias is discussed.

#440, Nov 11, 2014 - That Elusive Fibromyalgia - Some say fibromyalgia is a real disease, while others question the diagnosis. Is either side right? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the middle?

#439, Nov 4, 2014 - A Skeptical Look at the News - Just as being skeptical about medical claims can help us stay well, applying critical thinking skills to the news can help us make informed choices.

#438, Oct 28, 2014 - The War of the Worlds Panic Broadcast - On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre panicked millions of Americans with a radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds. Or did they? Let's take a look at what really happened on that Halloween eve in 1938.

#437, Oct 21, 2014 - Tube Amplifiers - Vacuum tubes have been technologically surpassed by solid state, but tube amplifiers still enjoy the loyally of musicians and audiophiles alike.

#436, Oct 14, 2014 - Ionithermie - Ionithermie is a popular spa treatment especially on cruise ships. It promises instant slimming up to eight inches, and the removal of "toxins that cause cellulite." How does it work, and does it live up to its claims? We investigate.

#435, Oct 7, 2014 - The St. Clair Triangle UFO - Early on January 5, 2000 in St. Clair County, Illinois, police officers from four different towns chased what has come to be known as the St. Clair Triangle UFO. The incident has had UFOlogists scratching their heads ever since. But what was really in the sky that day?

#434, Sep 30, 2014 - The Braxton County Monster - A group of 7 West Virginians looked for a crashed UFO in the hills and ended up getting the fright of their lives. Did they really encounter an alien spaceship and its occupant? Or does a more skeptical approach reveal a different tale?

#433, Sep 23, 2014 - The Water Woo of Masaru Emoto - Masaru Emoto believes in 'hado' -- the notion that water somehow entagles with human consciousness and emotion. According to Emoto, water can actually be imbued with good or bad energy. Is there anything behind Emoto's water woo? Skeptoid looks at the claims.

#432, Sep 16, 2014 - The Death of Rasputin - Legend says that Grigori Rasputin, the "Mad Monk" who played a part in the last days of the Russian monarchy, was hard to kill. They say he had to be poisoned, shot, beaten, and drowned before he finally succumbed to death. But does the history agree with the legend?

#431, Sep 9, 2014 - Acupuncture - Acupuncture is one of the most popular "alternative" therapies in the world. Where did it come from, and what does it do?

© 2015 Skeptoid.com

 

Ghost Photography

Skeptoid #455, Feb 24 2015
Read | Listen (15:30)
 

GMO Facts and Fiction

Skeptoid #454, Feb 17 2015
Read | Listen (13:15)
 

Cooking Myths

Skeptoid #453, Feb 10 2015
Read | Listen (14:35)
 

The Stone Spheres of Costa Rica

Skeptoid #452, Feb 3 2015
Read | Listen (08:56)
 

Ideomotor Response

Skeptoid #451, Jan 27 2015
Read | Listen (13:55)
 

#1 -	Read | Listen
#2 -	The Baldoon Mystery Read | Listen
#3 -	Listeners Have Another Say Read | Listen
#4 -	Tube Amplifiers Read | Listen
#5 -	Aromatherapy: Sniffing Essential Oils Read | Listen
#6 -	5 Conspiracy Theories that Turned Out to Be True... Maybe? Read | Listen
#7 -	The Legend of the Flying Dutchman Read | Listen
#8 -	The Boggy Creek Monster Read | Listen

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