Skeptoid

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Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Skeptoid #1062: The Floating Mob Bodies of Lake Mead

#28 trending · Social Sciences

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

Oct 13
17 min

Skeptoid #1061: Hunting the Pictish Beast

Did this mysterious carved beast — the most common object on the Pictish standing stones — ever actually live? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 6
14 min

Happy 20th Birthday Skeptoid!

In honor of Skeptoid's 20th birthday, today we're playing episode #1 from October 2006. Enjoy! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 3
6 min

Skeptoid #1060: AI Psychosis: Is It a Moral Panic?

Is the moral panic surrounding artificial intelligence justified? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 29
17 min

Skeptoid #1059: Do You Have Cortisol Belly?

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

Sep 22
18 min

Skeptoid #1058: Tracking the Honey Island Swamp Monster

Does a huge, hairy, ape-like creature roam the swamps of Louisiana? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 15
15 min

Feed Drop! Tales From Aztlantis and "How Conspiracy Theories Undermine Ethnic Studies!"

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

Sep 12
43 min

Skeptoid #1057: The 1973 Mansfield UFO Encounter

Four men in an Air National Guard helicopter had a terrifying UFO encounter in the skies above Ohio. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 8
18 min

Skeptoid #1056: The Mystery of the Nazca Lines

The true origin and purpose of Peru's famous Nazca Lines. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 1
16 min

Skeptoid #1055: Caught in the Feedback Loop

We dive into the Skeptoid mailbag to find your best listener feedback. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Aug 25
16 min

Skeptoid #1054: Let Yourself Get Scammed

It turns out that having zero fraud in society is not necessarily a goal that would serve the general good. Why not? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-cho

Aug 18
15 min

Skeptoid #1053: Recovered Memory Therapy

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? Learn about yo

Aug 11
17 min

Skeptoid #1052: Is CERN Altering Reality?

What's really behind CERN's Large Hadron Collider's third planned shutdown? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Aug 4
16 min

Skeptoid #1051: The Humble Pie Report

Once again, we issue your corrections to errors made in previous Skeptoid episodes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jul 28
15 min

Skeptoid #1050: Does Torture Work?

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? Learn about you

Jul 21
17 min

Skeptoid #1049: The Many Worlds of Reality Shifting

Is this new technique to move your consciousness into another world anything more than just vivid imagination? Maybe. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-ch

Jul 14
17 min

Skeptoid #1048: Are Seed Oils Poisoning Our Food Supply?

Seed oils seem to be the newest food villain. Are they something you truly need to avoid? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jul 7
17 min

Skeptoid #1047: The Pirates of Cozumel

Popular tales claim that pirates used the island of Cozumel as a base of operations. History tells us pretty much the exact opposite. Learn about your ad choices: doveta

Jun 30
16 min

Feed Drop! Tales From Aztlantis and "Remembering the Maya Apocalypse"

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

Jun 27
1 h 26 min

Skeptoid #1046: The Case of the Impossible Satellites

Are alien spacecraft truly the best explanation for "transient" dots found on old telescope photographs? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jun 23
18 min

Chart trend

Position in the Social Sciences chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#10#19JulAugSepOct

all-time peak

days in the top 10 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Skeptoid ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 16, 2026).

#119 ▼ 21 Science US

#16 ▼ 2 Social Sciences US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I’m a long-time fan of the show, but I became a Skeptoid fanboy when I heard the episode on immigration. As the child of immigrants, I am glad that Brian has the courage to speak to the benefits that immigrants bring to the US. Thank you Brian!

Pocho_del_ocho · Jan 2026

I never miss an episode; they’re always well-researched and make me think, even when I disagree.

Jaredroasts · Jun 2025

It is natural to be intrigued by mysteries and entertained by colorful stories, but those instincts betray us when we end up preferring fact-free stories to the truth. The decay of traditional media into machines programmed to feed us stories we’re entertained by has caused a crisis of misinformation that human societies are still struggling to fix. Skeptoid is a paragon of how to report facts concisely, carefully, and honestly. How many other podcasts or news sources feature corrections (even though they’re almost all minor details that don’t affect the main takeaways) as prominently as Skeptoid does? I can’t think of any. That is just one obvious sign of Brian’s scrupulous, responsible approach to his podcast. I taught logic and critical thinking for 26 years and Skeptoid is a model of how we should all conduct ourselves when listening to and evaluating fanciful stories and dubious claims of all kinds.

M.R00ney · Feb 2025

I find almost all of these episodes to be interesting, informative, and fun. But when Brian got into sneering at people about preferences for organic and non-GMO foods, he really annoyed me. But his podcast is well researched and well thought out.

Leyzer eynikl · Nov 2024

I've recently discovered this podcast and I really do appreciate the breadth of topics covered, this is a good podcast to introduce you to a lots of different ideas. assuming that is what this podcast is sent out to do then it fulfills its mission. It is a good survey with minimal research. For the most part, the analysis brings about intelligent approaches to think through these questions however the narrator himself liberally makes assumptions about situations and human behavior to draw conclusions. In this way, by his own logic he often times falls into heuristic traps, and the logic itself becomes the trap.

NathancW7 · Feb 2026

Been a longtime listener, but lately something feels off. The show’s taken a turn toward politics with a pretty clear bias, which seems out of place for a podcast that’s supposed to be about skepticism. Also, the ads—there are so many now. I get that shows need to be supported, but it’s starting to feel like half the episode is just commercials.

Xactoblade · Apr 2025

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.