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: Recovering memories: The truth is, the Satanic Panic never really went away by Chris French, from August 2021 The climate change deni...

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: History is written by the victors, and the losers, and by everyone else as well by Victoria Stiles, from December 2020 Recovering mem...

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: Did earthquake guru Frank Hoogerbeets really foresee the disaster in Turkey and Syria? by Frank Visser, from February 2023 Recovering...

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: Are the claims for using coffee waste in the garden well grounded? by Sarah Hearne, from September 2021 The Overton window of conspir...

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: Contorium: how a conspiracy narrative embraced a Turkish parody crystal by Serdar Basegmez, from February 2025 Don't Be A Dick: r...

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: Conspiracy theorists cry betrayal at Trump's selective approach to immigration by Dave Hahn, from February 2025 Cannibalism: The...

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: Netflix's Seaspiracy, and how to spot misinformation in glossy documentaries by Sarah Hearne, from June 2021 John Robison, the Il...

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 American Culture War: Coming to a politics near you by Aaron Rabinowitz, from June 2021 Time to ‘drop the crop’ - why cutting off...

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: As a teacher, I wish I'd handled the conspiracy theorist in my class differently by Brian Montgomery, from March 2023 Closed coff...

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: Andrew Tate's misogynistic BRUV political party is a joke we should take seriously by Abi Kennedy from February 2025 The Truth of...

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 Tartarian Conspiracy: a silly pseudo-archaeology for our serious times by Dave Hahn from April 2025 In the face of AI-driven ency...

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: Attempts to "bring back" the woolly mammoth distract us from vital conservationist goals by Sarah Hearne from November 2021...

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: Conclave raises fascinating questions about hypothetical scenarios within the Catholic Church , by Gabriel Andrade, from January 2025...

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 3: The value of adversarial collaborations , by Chris French, from January 2026 Rachel Elnau...

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 2: The plot thickens , by Chris French, from November 2025 Cheap talk skepticism: why we nee...

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-...

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 Tru...

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 ,...

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...

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 unconv...

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 pandemi...

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 Holoc...

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...

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: &qu...

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 s...