Skeptoid

There are many popular anecdotes about how and why some people are left-handed. The true facts are even more interesting: differences in aptitudes, health, and even longevity.

Global warming is the poster boy for failed science communication. What went wrong? It was presented to the public as a political issue, and not as a science.

The classic book and movie is believed by some to be fact, others to be fiction, and still others a combination. What's the truth behind the tale?

In 1989, Russian scientists are said to have drilled a borehole in Siberia that broke into hell and released the screams of the damned. But did it ever actually happen?

Once again, Skeptoid dips into the feedback mailbag to respond to comments from listeners.

Sometimes, ethical considerations or a lack of knowledge have prevented certain experiments from being tested on other people, and scientists have had to put their own bodies on the line.

Many theories surround the identity of Jack the Ripper, history's most infamous serial killer. Is there truly any evidence that supports any of these theories?

Many audio aficionados split into two camps, those supporting modern digital audio, and those supporting vinyl records. Is either truly or superior format, and can humans really even tell?

In the early 20th century, oil company geologist Francois de Loys took a famous photograph of what he says was a new species of ape. Does the photograph have a different history than he claimed?

Treasure hunters comb Virginia search for a legendary hoard of gold and silver, known only from a few encoded documents, the most important of which remain undeciphered.

In which a little girl saves her kingdom when she is the only one who does not fall for the pop pseudoscience of the day.

A big milestone...

For centuries, jellylike blobs have been reported to fall from the sky during meteor showers. Are they really from outer space, or is there a more Earthly explanation?

Skeptoid answers student questions about the efficacy of drinking coffee, whether you should go swimming 30 minutes after eating, amber teething rings for babies, neutrinos that travel faster than light, the E-Cat cold fusion device, and whether the consumption of certain foods causes inflammation.

Four common types of analytical errors in reasoning are made every day, by people trying to deceive us, by people unintentionally deceiving us, and by ourselves.