The Skeptic
@TheSkepticMag
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Expert skeptical analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal, since 1987. Reason with compassion.
Liverpool, England
Joined March 2009
RT @merseyskeptics: You can sign up to an ad-free version of the show and support us at Plus you can donate to the…
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RT @merseyskeptics: Skeptics with a K: Episode #401 Alice looks at the wellness trend of Castor Oil Packs, what they are, and whether they…
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Andrew Tate’s misogynistic BRUV political party is a joke we should take seriously | Abigail Kennedy Andrew Tate's proposed run for election may seem like a joke, but we should be wary of writing off the seductive appeal of his toxic masculinty
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From the archive: when The Skeptic met an immortality cult, live on TV | Wendy M. Grossman From the archives in 1991, founder of The Skeptic Wendy Grossman recounts her encounter with the CBJ immortality cult
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New Year, New You, New Woo: 2025’s health and beauty ‘microtrends’ | Alice Howarth Every new year comes with a fresh list of do's and don'ts from beauty and wellness influencers, as social media speeds up 'microtrends'
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The Southport attack wasn’t ideologically motivated; the misinformation around it is | Michael Marshall Why is the British public more likely to believe misinformation about the Southport killer now than they did at the time of the attack?
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Understanding the origins of the 15-Minute City panic takes just 30 minutes | Tim Jokl 15-Minute Cities, where amenities are within easy reach of your home, are nothing new. Yet they became the bête noire of conspiracy theorists
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From the archive: fears over hidden Satanism in Proctor & Gamble’s logo | Toby Howard From the archives in 1991, is Satan lurking in the logo of Proctor & Gamble, or is there a more plausible explanation?
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An overdose on placebo pills can cause adverse reactions… but not because of the nocebo effect | Mike Hall A man who overdosed on experimental pills felt sure he was dying, until he found out he was in the placebo arm... but it was not a nocebo effect.
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The Telepathy Tapes is wrong – autistic children don’t have supernatural powers | Michael Marshall The Telepathy Tapes podcast claims non-verbal children have remarkable supernatural powers, based on flawed experiments and unconstrained belief
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People with Alzheimer’s deserve care and dignity – not false hope of miracle cures | Lena Bohman Millions of dollars wasted on retracted studies promising Alzheimer's cures could instead have been spent improving the lives of people with dementia
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From the archive: Martian waterways – the story of the canals of Mars | Sean O'Brian From the archives in 1991, Sean O'Brian examines the historical basis for claims that Mars was overrun with canalways and waterways
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The abuse of the scientific method in so-called alternative medicine | Edzard Ernst @EdzardErnst Good science relies on testing and falsifying hypotheses – in alternative medicine, too often researchers seek to confirm what they think they know
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The anti-fluoridation movement is born of public health mistrust and misinformation | Elissar Gerges With the rise to power of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the anti-flouridation movement has a champion who could push back dental health by decades
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How genuine is cultural commentators’ ‘concern’ for OnlyFans model Lily Phillips? | Abigail Kennedy Lily Phillips slept with 100 men in a day - the performative concern for her from some quarters speaks volumes about a media that has commodified virality
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From the archive: Analysing handwriting analysis and graphology | Barrie Whitaker From the archive in 1991, Barrie Whitaker looks at graphology's claims that handwriting analysis provides information on personality
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Placebo surgery: why performing fake operations doesn’t actually help anyone | Mike Hall Placebo surgeries do not work – if a surgery performs no better than placebo, it means that operation doesn't work, not that placebos are powerful
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Madmonq, or how not even video gamers are safe from the nutritional supplement industry | Alice Howarth As Esports becomes big business, wellness industry companies like Madmonq want in on the act, claiming to provide optimal nutrition for the pro gamer
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The recent New Jersey drone scare tells us a lot about how panics spread | Dave Hahn The New Jersey drone scare is a perfect case study in how panics seize on oddities and unfounded speculation in order to spread fear
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