Scott Carney Investigates

Scott Carney Investigates

By Scott CarneyScienceSocial Sciences
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Scott Carney Investigates episodes

  • Cursing Peter Thiel

    I recently traveled to Ireland to the site of an ancient megalithic cursing site to lay a curse on the billionaire oligarch and techno fascist Peter Thiel. Before you turn the page to another story in your feed, I would like to disabuse you of the notion that this was an idle vacation side quest - a silly stunt perfected for the Halloween season.

    Because curses are real.

    And I know that with a little help from my friends here on the Internet that we can absolutely cause Peter Thiel to develop an itch that will never go away.

    Let’s talk about the science of my little incantation. Curses are one of the most studied cultural practices in anthropology since the founding of the discipline with cases of lethal curses going back at least to the 1500s.

    The most famous scholarly article on the subject was written by Walter Cannon in 1942 titled “Voodoo” Death.

    In it Cannon discussed dozens of accounts of lethal black magic that resulted in people actually dying from curses. He referred to autopsies of the victims and posited the likely mechanism of action was a over-stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system leading to a cascade of physiological changes leading to organ failure. Notably, Cannon wrote that the cases of “Voodoo Death” he documented were nearly identical to soldiers in World War I who died of a condition that was then known as “shell shock.”

    Cannon was hardly the only anthropologist to write about it. Notable works on cursing and the mechanisms of magic were penned by Claude Levi-Strauss, Malinowski, E.E. Evans-Pritchard as well as more contemporary accounts by Wade Davis and my former professor Neil Whitehead. In Whitehead’s case, some people have suggested that a curse he picked up in Guyana from Kanaima Shaman may have contributed to his own early death by colorectal cancer in 2012.

    To boil it down to its most basic components: curses work because people believe in them in the same way that they believe in the placebo effect to help them heal from illness (this is called the “nocebo effect” in medical literature). And, just like with the placebo effect, curses work even if you know that what you are getting is “just a nocebo”.

    All of that to say, when I traveled to Ireland to visit the site of the Killinagh Bullaun Stone my plan was not to kill Peter Thiel, but to cause him to develop an uncontrollable itch that would never go away. And I have reason to think that if somehow this video actually reaches him, there is chance that it actually works.

    This isn’t because of whatever magical powers exist in the stone (if such powers exist on earth at all) but because the collective power of the people invested in the idea that Thiel is curse-able will seep into his superstitious mind.

    I’m posting this video for free on Substack a few days before I launch it officially on YouTube. I hope it prompts you to get into the fine spirit of the season. Perhaps you can help spread the word so we can worm our way onto Thiel’s skin.


    31 min
  • I changed my mind about peptides

    Over the past four months, I tested GLP-1 peptides to document my personal weight-loss journey, navigated compounding pharmacies, sudden side effects, and had unexpected setbacks. Along the way, the experiment completely transformed my view on the rising peptide craze and the clash between big pharma and grey-market alternatives. Watch until the end to see the real results, the hidden risks, and why the outcome wasn't what I expected.Tirzepatide on Iron Peptides: https://bit.ly/4z0vwlTCode: scottcarneyGet Early Access on Substackhttps://sgcarney.substack.com/Donate to This Channel (tip) https://donateopen.com/@scott_carneyPaypal: https://www.paypal.biz/scottcarney176Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/sgcarney

    30 min
  • The Grounding Grift

    Will Touching Grass make you healthier?


    SPONSOR: Get 60% Off Incogni Code: scottcCheck out Kati Rae's "The Healing Delusion" Get Early Access on Substack

    33 min
  • AI Designed a Lethal Virus Never before seen in Nature. . . Now What?



    00:00 – Intro: AI-Designed Viruses and the Stanford Breakthrough02:10 – The Dual-Use Dilemma & Biosecurity Frontiers04:15 – Recreating Pathogens: Horse Pox & Smallpox Precedents06:25 – Anthropic Report: AI Exploits and Bioweapon Risks08:38 – Gain of Function, Geopolitics, and Asymmetric Threats11:35 – Interview Begins: Kevin Esvelt on CRISPR Gene Drives14:00 – The Inventor's Dilemma & Countering Gene Drives17:10 – Eradicating Malaria vs. Regulatory Challenges19:07 – Analyzing the Stanford Bacteriophage Experiment22:38 – The Threat of Limitless AI-Generated Pandemic Variants24:14 – Ordering 1918 Flu DNA: Testing Gene Synthesis Screening30:26 – Regulatory Loopholes in Select Agent Screening33:35 – Legislative Solutions & DNA Fragment Oversight35:50 – Designing Competent Bioweapons vs. Natural Pathogens38:28 – State Actors, Biopreparat, and "Dead Hand" Switches42:30 – Targeted Pathogens & The Probability of AI/Bio Catastrophe (p(doom))47:20 – Biodefense Solutions: PPE, Hadrien Project, and Critical Infrastructure51:24 – Far-UVC Lighting & Glycol Misting to End Airborne Disease57:42 – Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Kevin Esvelt's Work

    1 hr
  • Big Tech's Civil War

    An Interview with Gil Duran on his new book "The Nerd Reich"SPONSOR LINK: PlaudAI 10% code code: CARNEY

    Notepro Amazon: See the PlaudAI Summary of this video: Get Gil Duran's "The Nerd Reich"

    1 hr 13 min
  • Is the AI Drone War Inevitable?

    From Palmer Luckey to Google's Eric Schmidt, the Murderbot Revolution is already here. TAKE ACTION: https://safe.ai/CORRECTION: The indicator “Land Now” was incorrectly identified as part of a drone’s targeting system. It is in fact an indicator of low battery life. I regret the error. Get Early Access on Substackhttps://sgcarney.substack.com/Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/gz2fFkj6MwJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3PyxGKt94kLzVqkkjEgRFw/joinScott Carney Homepage:https://www.scottcarney.comPatreon: https://patreon.com/sgcarneySPONSOR THIS CHANNEL:(Rate Sheet) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LOz25S7rwCUI8pf6_-LKnTd9IywCCOMw/view?usp=sharingDISCLAIMER: (Updated Mar 2026): All content herein constitutes commentary and opinion based on investigative journalism conducted with (i) publicly available documents, (ii) interviews, and (iii) other verifiable sources. References to “scams,” “fraud,” “theft,” or related terms should not be taken as definitive findings of fact or legal conclusions. Facts, evidence, and independent analysis are used in this program to draw strongly opinionated conclusions, but it is important to draw a sharp distinction between the facts and evidence presented, and the opinions drawn based on such material. No statement can or should be interpreted as a categorical declaration that any person has violated civil or criminal law unless a court has so ruled. Viewers are encouraged to examine the cited materials and reach their own conclusions.Anyone featured who believes a statement is inaccurate or incomplete may contact us at our business email with supporting documentation under the SUBJECT: “CORRECTION REQUEST”. We will promptly review substantiated concerns and, where appropriate, issue corrections or updates. ©Foxtopus, Inc (2026)ALTERNATE TITLESExposing the $1 Trillion AI Drone GriftWho's Getting Rich Off Killer Drones?I Investigated The Murderbot EconomyThe Dark Reality Of The Murderbot EconomyThe Hidden Murderbot EconomyWho's Getting Rich Off Killer Drones?Who's Getting Rich Off Murderbots?AI Killer Drones Are Worse Than You ThinkAI Drones Are Worse Than You ThinkKiller AI Drones Are Worse Than You ThinkAI Drones Are TerrifyingAI Drones Should Terrify YouHow Murderbots Became Big BusinessKiller AI Drones Are Getting CheaperHow To Make a Killing From AI DronesThe Killer AI Drone Goldrush Has StartedThe Killer Drone Goldrush Has Started4 in 5 War Deaths Are Now Drone StrikesThe Billionaires Quietly Getting Rich Off SlaughterbotsDrones Now Kill 5x More People Than FentanylEric Trump Is Building Killer Robots for the PentagonPeter Thiel and Eric Trump are Getting Rich Off MurderbotsThe Dark Reality Of The Killer Robot EconomyThe Hidden Slaughterbot EconomyWho's Quietly Getting Rich Off Killer Drones?The Truth About Killer Drone Billionaires

    27 min
  • Did I witness a miracle?

    Late last month I came across an elderly man in an alley who was in serious distress. He’d been collapsed on the ground in the middle of a thunder storm for at least an hour and no one was coming to help him. The only reason I was there was because my cat lost his collar in a tussle with another cat and I decided to go looking for it. This is a video about the strange synchronicities in life that resist rational explanations.

    40 min

About Scott Carney Investigates

From the publisher's feed

Investigative journalist Scott Carney explores true crime, cult psychology, biohacking, fitness revolutions, climate change calamities, organ trafficking and a whole lot more. Get exclusive access and bonus material at Patreon https://patreon.com/sgcarney

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