About this podcast
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
The newest 50 of 1,102 episodes
- Skeptoid #1066: Climate Update 2026 · 19 min · Episode 1066Checking in on how we're doing with major weather events attributed to human-caused climate change.
- Encore! "The Crystal Skulls" · 11 minToday we have a special bonus treat for you: A look back at episode 98 about the most famous of all the world’s crystal skulls. This December, Skeptoid Adventures is taking you…
- Skeptoid #1065: The Most Abused Logical Fallacies · 17 min · Episode 1065Some common logical fallacies frequently misused or misdefined — and how to use them properly.
- Skeptoid #1064: Poisoned Halloween Candy · 12 min · Episode 1064Are all those stories you heard about razor blades hidden in Halloween candy true, or just more urban legends?
- Skeptoid #1063: Multi-Cancer Detection: Panacea or Problem? · 17 min · Episode 1063These tests that promise to easily detect cancer with a blood test are fraught with profound accuracy errors.
- Skeptoid #1062: The Floating Mob Bodies of Lake Mead · 18 min · Episode 1062Las Vegas mob lore clings thick to human remains found as Lake Mead's water level recedes. But is it truly mob secrets that are being revealed or perhaps something a bit more…
- Skeptoid #1061: Hunting the Pictish Beast · 15 min · Episode 1061Did this mysterious carved beast — the most common object on the Pictish standing stones — ever actually live?
- Happy 20th Birthday Skeptoid! · 7 minIn honor of Skeptoid's 20th birthday, today we're playing episode #1 from October 2006. Enjoy!
- Skeptoid #1060: AI Psychosis: Is It a Moral Panic? · 17 min · Episode 1060Is the moral panic surrounding artificial intelligence justified?
- Skeptoid #1059: Do You Have Cortisol Belly? · 19 min · Episode 1059Wellness influencers promise to sell you supplements to reduce your cortisol, and thus reduce your weight — even though it doesn't work that way.
- Skeptoid #1058: Tracking the Honey Island Swamp Monster · 16 min · Episode 1058Does a huge, hairy, ape-like creature roam the swamps of Louisiana?
- Feed Drop! Tales From Aztlantis and "How Conspiracy Theories Undermine Ethnic Studies!" · 43 minSkeptoid Adventures "Mysteries of the Maya" guest expert Kurly Tlapoyawa was invited to speak at the inaugural SkeptiCamp New Mexico, and today we're sharing the lecture he gave…
- Skeptoid #1057: The 1973 Mansfield UFO Encounter · 18 min · Episode 1057Four men in an Air National Guard helicopter had a terrifying UFO encounter in the skies above Ohio.
- Skeptoid #1056: The Mystery of the Nazca Lines · 16 min · Episode 1056The true origin and purpose of Peru's famous Nazca Lines.
- Skeptoid #1055: Caught in the Feedback Loop · 17 min · Episode 1055We dive into the Skeptoid mailbag to find your best listener feedback.
- Skeptoid #1054: Let Yourself Get Scammed · 15 min · Episode 1054It turns out that having zero fraud in society is not necessarily a goal that would serve the general good. Why not?
- Skeptoid #1053: Recovered Memory Therapy · 17 min · Episode 1053Some say you might have repressed memories that you know nothing about — but that might be discovered and recovered therapeutically. Is this a real thing?
- Skeptoid #1052: Is CERN Altering Reality? · 16 min · Episode 1052What's really behind CERN's Large Hadron Collider's third planned shutdown?
- Skeptoid #1051: The Humble Pie Report · 16 min · Episode 1051Once again, we issue your corrections to errors made in previous Skeptoid episodes.
- Skeptoid #1050: Does Torture Work? · 18 min · Episode 1050The question of whether torture is ever justified must take a back seat to the more important question: Is it effective at producing useful intelligence?
- Skeptoid #1049: The Many Worlds of Reality Shifting · 17 min · Episode 1049Is this new technique to move your consciousness into another world anything more than just vivid imagination? Maybe.
- Skeptoid #1048: Are Seed Oils Poisoning Our Food Supply? · 17 min · Episode 1048Seed oils seem to be the newest food villain. Are they something you truly need to avoid?
- Skeptoid #1047: The Pirates of Cozumel · 16 min · Episode 1047Popular tales claim that pirates used the island of Cozumel as a base of operations. History tells us pretty much the exact opposite.
- Feed Drop! Tales From Aztlantis and "Remembering the Maya Apocalypse" · 1 h 26 minAs a thoughtful primer for our Skeptoid Adventure through the Maya World of the Yucatán coast this December, we're dropping an episode from our good friends at the Tales From…
- Skeptoid #1046: The Case of the Impossible Satellites · 19 min · Episode 1046Are alien spacecraft truly the best explanation for "transient" dots found on old telescope photographs?
- Skeptoid Adventures Early Bird Special · 2 minThe early bird special ends this Monday for BOTH Skeptoid Adventures launching this December!
- Skeptoid #1045: Balanced Literacy and the Reading Wars · 17 min · Episode 1045What was the real cause of the drop in English-speaking literacy rates between 1980 and 2020?
- Skeptoid #1044: Red Light Therapy · 15 min · Episode 1044Usually, wellness therapies that claim to treat everything actually treat nothing.
- Skeptoid #1043: The Men Who Walk Through Walls · 17 min · Episode 1043The real story behind the CIA spending $20 million on PROJECT STARGATE to study psychics.
- Encore! "Finding the Black Olmec" · 17 minOur final Skeptoid Adventure of 2026 takes us to the Yucatán coast to explore the Mysteries of the Maya. So, in anticipation of that, we're playing an episode from the archive…
- Skeptoid #1042: On the Trail of the Rougarou · 16 min · Episode 1042From 17th century France to Nova Scotia and all the way to the bayous of Louisiana, one particular cryptid has had a far longer run than most. The rougarou is said to be the…
- Encore! "The Voodoo Ax Murders" · 16 minIn preparation for our Skeptoid Adventure to New Orleans, we’re playing an encore edition of an episode that takes us to the heart of the Big Easy and dives into Louisiana…
- Skeptoid #1041: Full Moon Myths · 17 min · Episode 1041A round-up of plausible-sounding myths about the Moon, most of which you've probably heard, and some of which you might believe.
- Skeptoid #1040: Food Dyes · 17 min · Episode 1040Some say artificial food dyes are killing us. The truth is a lot more nuanced.
- Skeptoid #1039: Chemtrails: Still Haven't Blown Away · 18 min · Episode 1039The more years go by, the more Americans believe that ordinary airliners are secretly spraying chemicals for some hidden nefarious purpose.
- Skeptoid #1038: Project Anchor: Anatomy of a Hoax · 17 min · Episode 1038This Internet legend claims the Earth's gravity will shut off for seven seconds in 2026.
- Skeptoid #1037: A Skeptic's Guide to Sleepmaxxing · 17 min · Episode 1037This social media fad promises to supercharge your sleep and make you healthier than healthy, when in fact it probably does significantly more harm than good.
- New Skeptoid Movie: Alien Echoes · 5 minSkeptoid is now going into production on our third feature film: Alien Echoes. Get all the details at skeptoid.org/alienechoes
- Skeptoid #1036: The Myth of the Alpha Wolf · 16 min · Episode 1036It turns out there's probably no such thing as an alpha wolf.
- Skeptoid #1035: How Disastrous Are Declining Birth Rates? · 19 min · Episode 1035Popular influencers claim birth rates are declining disastrously. How true is that, and is it a disaster?
- Skeptoid #1034: The Colorado Martian · 15 min · Episode 1034The discovery of a Martian sarcophagus in Colorado in 1864: An oddball story, or consistent with the lore of the day?
- Skeptoid #1033: Skeptifying BBC's Uncanny · 20 min · Episode 1033Supplying some much-needed skepticism to an episode of the BBC podcast Uncanny.
- Skeptoid #1032: Is Germ Theory a Myth? · 18 min · Episode 1032Even today, some people cling to a pre-scientific belief that germs do not cause disease.
- Sailing the Skeptical Seas! New Orleans Escapade! Mysteries of the Maya Cruise! · 2 minTime is running out to grab one of the few remaining cabins for Málaga, Spain to Nice, France on the SV Royal Clipper AND announcing our next adventure to New Orleans followed by…
- Skeptoid #1031: Unearthing Ancient Advanced Civilizations · 17 min · Episode 1031An exploration of the validity of the Silurian hypothesis, which posits the existence of a pre-human intelligent race on Earth.
- Gentle Reminder: Daylight Saving Time Starts Tomorrow · 12 minAs a gentle reminder that you will have an hour of sleep robbed from you tonight, enjoy this episode on Daylight Saving Time Myths from the archives!
- Skeptoid #1030: Testing the Rossi E-Cat · 15 min · Episode 1030This secretive device has been promising to deliver clean, free energy for more than 15 years — but so far nobody's been allowed to examine it.
- Skeptoid #1029: How to Become a Sovereign Citizen · 16 min · Episode 1029Is there somewhere on Earth where Sovereign Citizens can actually be free of any nation's laws?
- Skeptoid #1028: Manipulative Advertising · 18 min · Episode 1028Advertising wants your attention, not your soul; and it’s not nearly as good at getting either as you might think.
- Skeptoid #1027: Radioactive Relics: The Missing RTGs · 18 min · Episode 1027Radioactive nuclear generators sit out in the environment, posing a real hazard. They're mostly — but not all — in Russia.
