The Skeptic Podcast

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

Exploring the limits of skepticism. Part 1: We need an Epilogue, by Chris French, from September 2025

Those who define as 'post-tribal' forget that we all have communities - and biases, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from November 2021

From the outset, chiropractors have held anti-vax views – sadly, not much has changed, by Edzard Ernst, from October 2020

Rapa Nui: European myths mask the reason for societal collapse on Easter Island - colonialism, by Sarah Hearne, from August 2021

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

Animals, acupuncture and alt-med: the Brazilian penguin being subjected to Enya, by Natalia Pasternak, from November 2024

Donald Trump's survival was no miracle - unlikely things happen, without supernatural interference, by Gabriel Andrade, from July 2024

Another mass shooting in America cites the Great Replacement conspiracy theory as motivation, by Dave Hahn, from June 2022

The assisted dying conversation requires sensitive and compassionate debate, by Brian Eggo, from January 2025

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

The shaky evidence for medical cannabis, by Dave Hahn, from June 2023

Paul McCartney and The Bates Method of eyesight restoration, by Mark Horne, from July 2021

Brazil's bogus "Covid kit" represents a failure of private healthcare regulation, by Natália Pasternak, from April 2021

From the archives: Fact checking the decibels at Wimbledon, by Wendy Grossman, from April 2012

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

How Religion Trumped Science in America's Coronavirus Response, by Noah Lugeons, from November 2020

If we're going to convince the vaccine hesitant, we need to tackle conspiratorial thinking, by Dave Hahn, from May 2021

Spotify Trapped? The algorithm is not what's keeping you from new music, by Nick Garrett, from December 2024

The Cost of Loving: falling birthrates, and the increased role of personal choice in procreation, by Deborah Hyde, from July 2022

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

Birdfeeders are very popular, but are they what's best for our feathered friends?, by Sarah Hearne, from December 2021

An unconvincing 'psychic' night in Hamilton with medium Elaine Claire, by Brian Eggo, from June 2024

Beware the 'They': once we believe in hidden, evil cabals, we can be convinced of anything, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from February 2021

I will eat the bugs: the latest insect-eating meme from conspiracy theorists doesn't scare me, by Dave Hahn, from May 2024

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

When it comes to conspiracy theories, even the small stuff matters, by Dave Hahn, from July 2021

The life vest uprising, and pandemic science communication, by Natalia Pasternak, from May 2023

Netflix's Ancient Apocalypse with Graham Hancock: from alien conspiracies to antisemitism, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from February 2023

Activated charcoal is increasingly popular, so let's talk about what makes for a good toothpaste, by Shaun Sellars, from March 2021

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

Understanding conspiracy theory tactics: moving the goalposts, by Dave Hahn, from December 2021

How many young people deny the Holocaust? The truth might actually surprise you, by Michael Marshall, from July 2024

ASMR: the emerging scientific quest to understand brain 'tingles', by Sarah Hearne, from October 2021

From the archives: Romancing the Stone - The lure of alchemy continues, by Tom Ruffles, from January 1990

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

A Mystery to Ourselves': from the Witches of Worboys, to an epidemic of Tik Tok tics, by Deborah Hyde, from October 2021

Species, Individual, Gender – biology and taxonomy don't deal in black and white, by Sarah Hearne, from March 2021

The paradox of progress: how some social improvements paper over unfairness and inequality, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from October 2021

From the archives: UFOs Over Russia, by Tom Ruffles, from March 1990

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

The real-world harm of nutritional misinformation, by Maeve Hanan, from October 2024

More wishful thinking than medical reality: "Placebos" by Kathryn T. Hall, by Dave Hahn, from December 2022

Toby Young's Daily Sceptic and Free Speech Union are no allies of critical thinkers, by Michael Marshall, from June 2024

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.

On this episode:

"Who decides?": how fair questions can derail meaningful action, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from March 2021

From the archives: Twitching sticks - the (pseudo)science of dowsing, by Anthony Garrett, from October 1989

Racism is a real phenomenon, but that doesn't mean that the idea of "biological race" is real, by Natalia Pasternak, from August 2024

Monkey Business: humans aren't alone in recognising a good bargain, by Deborah Hyde, from February 2021

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic