Skeptoid

Today 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 into the jungles of Belize, where a 20th century British adventurer claims to have found the mystical skull carved from pure quartz crystal inside a Maya temple. It’s said to have all kinds of metaphysical powers. And so, if you’re coming with us, you’ll want to know all about the history of this rare and valuable artifact. Visit skeptoid.com/adventures to learn all about the trip, and attend now to learn all about the Crystal Skull.

Some common logical fallacies frequently misused or misdefined — and how to use them properly.

Are all those stories you heard about razor blades hidden in Halloween candy true, or just more urban legends?

These tests that promise to easily detect cancer with a blood test are fraught with profound accuracy errors.

Las 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 nuanced? The NamUs.gov profile for the Hemenway Harbor Doe is here.

Did this mysterious carved beast — the most common object on the Pictish standing stones — ever actually live?

In honor of Skeptoid's 20th birthday, today we're playing episode #1 from October 2006. Enjoy!

Is the moral panic surrounding artificial intelligence justified?

Wellness influencers promise to sell you supplements to reduce your cortisol, and thus reduce your weight — even though it doesn't work that way.

Does a huge, hairy, ape-like creature roam the swamps of Louisiana?

Skeptoid 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, which covered the many ways that conspiracy theories and pseudoarchaeology undermine the goals of ethnic studies programs. Enjoy! And hear more from Kurly on the Tales From Aztlantis podcast: buzzsprout.com/1720405 chimalli.org Learn more about "The Mysteries of the Maya" Skeptoid Adventure at skeptoid.org/adventures

Four men in an Air National Guard helicopter had a terrifying UFO encounter in the skies above Ohio.

The true origin and purpose of Peru's famous Nazca Lines.

We dive into the Skeptoid mailbag to find your best listener feedback.

It turns out that having zero fraud in society is not necessarily a goal that would serve the general good. Why not?

Some say you might have repressed memories that you know nothing about — but that might be discovered and recovered therapeutically. Is this a real thing?

What's really behind CERN's Large Hadron Collider's third planned shutdown?

Once again, we issue your corrections to errors made in previous Skeptoid episodes.

Medieval tales of walking corpses reflect common misunderstandings of death and the era's blurred line between myth and reality.

The question of whether torture is ever justified must take a back seat to the more important question: Is it effective at producing useful intelligence?

Is this new technique to move your consciousness into another world anything more than just vivid imagination? Maybe.

Seed oils seem to be the newest food villain. Are they something you truly need to avoid?

Popular tales claim that pirates used the island of Cozumel as a base of operations. History tells us pretty much the exact opposite.

As 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 Aztlantis podcast that's all about the so-called "Mayan Calender" that was the source of so much hype -- and some real harm -- leading up to December 2012. FUN FACT: Tales From Aztlantis co-host and Indigenous Chicano archaeologist and ethnohistorian Kurly Tlapoyawa will be our guide on "The Mysteries of the Maya" Skeptoid Adventure this December! skeptoid.com/adventures

Are alien spacecraft truly the best explanation for "transient" dots found on old telescope photographs?

The early bird special ends this Monday for BOTH Skeptoid Adventures launching this December!

What was the real cause of the drop in English-speaking literacy rates between 1980 and 2020?

Usually, wellness therapies that claim to treat everything actually treat nothing.

The real story behind the CIA spending $20 million on PROJECT STARGATE to study psychics.

Our 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 that takes us to the heart of Mesoamerica: "Finding the Black Olmec" -- Enjoy! And this Adventure takes place December 6th-13th and links up seamlessly with the New Orleans Escapade for those who are interested! www.skeptoid.com/adventures

From 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 werewolf of the swamps, stepping out of Cajun folklore and into your nightmares. Where can we find the rougarou, and what role will it fill for centuries to come?

In 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 Voodoo. We’ll see how Louisiana Voodoo stacks up against the Hollywood version as we explore the mysterious case of what came to be known as "The Voodoo Ax Murders."

A round-up of plausible-sounding myths about the Moon, most of which you've probably heard, and some of which you might believe.

Some say artificial food dyes are killing us. The truth is a lot more nuanced.

The more years go by, the more Americans believe that ordinary airliners are secretly spraying chemicals for some hidden nefarious purpose.

This Internet legend claims the Earth's gravity will shut off for seven seconds in 2026.

This 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.

Skeptoid is now going into production on our third feature film: Alien Echoes. Get all the details at skeptoid.org/alienechoes

It turns out there's probably no such thing as an alpha wolf.

Popular influencers claim birth rates are declining disastrously. How true is that, and is it a disaster?

The discovery of a Martian sarcophagus in Colorado in 1864: An oddball story, or consistent with the lore of the day?

Supplying some much-needed skepticism to an episode of the BBC podcast Uncanny.

Even today, some people cling to a pre-scientific belief that germs do not cause disease.

Time 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 the Mysteries of the Maya cruise to the Yucatán Peninsula!

An exploration of the validity of the Silurian hypothesis, which posits the existence of a pre-human intelligent race on Earth.

As 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!

This 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.

Is there somewhere on Earth where Sovereign Citizens can actually be free of any nation's laws?

Advertising wants your attention, not your soul; and it’s not nearly as good at getting either as you might think.

Radioactive nuclear generators sit out in the environment, posing a real hazard. They're mostly — but not all — in Russia.

Brian gets questioned while giving blood.

How concerned do you truly need to be about vintage ceramicware leaching lead into your food?

Oh no! Another pop quiz. Take the challenge: 9 questions about space. Think you can get them all?

A century-old hoax takes wing again, proof that good stories never stay buried.

If ghosts don't exist, then how do we account for all the ghost experiences that people have every day?

Mediterranean archaeologist Dr. Flint Dibble will be our resident expert on the real history (and the fake history) at our ports of call when Skeptoid Adventures sails from Málaga, Spain to Nice, France this April. He is perhaps best known for his 2024 destruction of pseudo-archaeologist Graham Hancock on the Joe Rogan Experience.

The myths and misconceptions surrounding blood donation and why you might consider donating. Links to resources from Bloodworks Northwest: Blood Donation Need to Know Eligibility Guidelines Eligibility Checker

The history and pseudohistory of this infamous and ubiquitous obscene gesture.

From fireplace to folklore, how the Yule log got its fake pagan backstory.

This device claims to be able to dramatically improve the efficiency and emissions of any internal combustion engine.

An exploration of all the scientific possibilities by which ghosts might actually exist in this universe.

It should have been impossible for the CIA's Glomar Explorer to obtain the ship's bell from the K-129 submarine... but they did. How?

A roundup of evidence supporting the use of radiocarbon dating to assess the age of organic matter from 500 to 55,000 years old.

Stories claim that this region of Alaska is home to a huge number of unexplained disappearances.

Did US Special Forces battle a 15-foot-tall red-haired giant in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2002?

A conspiracy theory claims the Hollywood and Deep State elitists have a magical bed that allows them to remain forever young and healthy.

Is the Rake mere creepypasta, or do more recent events prove it to be a real creature?

When ordinary deer turn grotesque, Appalachia’s forests whisper of the Not-Deer — unnatural predators lurking somewhere between folklore and nightmare.

A pop quiz of trivia from the previous 19 years of Skeptoid shows! Can you beat the masters?

The actual wayfinding methods used by the ancient Polynesians to navigate between islands and settle the entire Pacific Ocean.

Skeptoid Adventures will set sail on the world's largest sailing vessel, the SV Royal Clipper, from Malaga, Spain, to Nice, France this April. We'll have a mini-conference aboard and we'll stop at amazing ports of call -- all while on the coolest full-rigged sailing ship you've ever seen. Take a look at skeptoid.com/adventures.  Please note: This ship often sells out by the end of October, so reserve your cabin soon. All deposits are fully refundable.

Nearly as much mythology as science surrounds the wayfinding techniques used by early Polynesians to navigate the South Pacific.

True stories of the pilots who have tried to land at Area 51 — and what happened to them.

We all enjoy a nice crisp glass of water when we're feeling dehydrated — which makes sense, because our bodies need it most of all, so enjoying it is an evolved behavior. However, some people — notably wellness influencers — have determined that good old H2O is actually not a good thing at all (who knew?); and that what you really need is their own concoction that's actually an entirely different molecule: structured water.

Another round of corrections of errors from past episodes, keeping your Skeptoid archive tidy and accurate.

Ancient footprints in New Mexico are forcing scientists to rewrite the story of when humans first set foot in the Americas, and the debate is shaking paleoanthropology to its core.

Fourteen of the most unexpected and counterintuitive science findings.

Once again we go through some of your feedback to past episodes — all the good stuff that enhances and improves the presentation.

Clowns have a habit of terrifying many of us. So why shouldn't we be surprised to see mass clown panics?

Today marks the 1000th Skeptoid episode. And it's time to raise the question: What are you going to do for it?

What began as 19th-century mind-cure mysticism has morphed into a billion-dollar culture that may be hurting more minds than it helps.

Using real science to investigate the question of whether some people can "hear" the aurora.

The 1928 murder of a folk healer ignited a media frenzy and moral panic, revealing how superstition and magical thinking can fuel real-world tragedy.

We’re sharing a preview of a new audiobook, Douglas Adams: The Ends of the Earth, which celebrates the wit and wisdom of the legendary science fiction author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Douglas Adams was someone who thought deeply about the biggest problems in the world, from the internet, to artificial intelligence, to space exploration, politics, and conservation—he was a sharp critic and a profoundly disruptive thinker of the way we do things. Written and narrated by Arvind Ethan David, Adams’ former protégé, this one-of-a-kind audiobook includes rare archival material from the Adams Estate, interviews with Adams’ personal friends like Griff Rhys Jones and David Baddiel, and reenactments of his work to form an immersive journey through the mind of one of the most visionary writers of our time. Get Douglas Adams: The Ends of the Earth now at Audible, Spotify, pushkin.fm/audiobooks, or wherever audiobooks are sold.

Is there good science backing up the idea that you should eat based upon which of three body types you have?

Will our improvements to AI's voracious appetite for electricity keep pace with the exploding demand?

Do you really need to pay quite so much attention to which foods you eat, and which you avoid?

Since psychic abilities do not exist outside the delusions of true believers, involving psychics in searches for missing persons is worse than useless.

A roundup of all the biggest and scariest real sea monsters — from today and from prehistoric times.

How one special moment redefined how a science teacher does her job.

Their exciting nature, combined with the fact nobody's ever won one, make paranormal challenge prizes important educational tools.

Here are many popular myths about chocolate. How many can you tell are true or not?

She may have gotten her start as Houdini's sidekick, but Rose Mackenberg became a giant of unmasking fraudulent mediums.

You're going to get to enjoy some new guest hosts for a month or two on Skeptoid.

Super mushrooms are claimed by some to provide vague health benefits beyond their known nutritional values.

A roundup of the world's riskiest volcanoes and fault zones — and they're not necessarily the most hazardous.

Some people try to feed their dogs the same alternative diet they eat themselves... not necessarily so good for the dog.

Many of our preconceived notions about immigrants likely bear very little resemblance to the facts.

All of the ways you've heard that deep space wants to kill us — and how plausible or likely each scenario is.