Skeptoid

Europe sterilizes much of its food with irradiation, as a cheap and safe way to sterilize it. In the United States, people fear irradiation, in many cases believing sterilized food to be radioactive. Who has the safer philosophy?

The whole pop culture phenomenon that states plastic water bottles leech toxic chemicals into your water appears to have been started by a single grad student's poorly performed thesis. Pop media picked up the alarming headline, and we have history.

Raelians are a new atheist sect who believe that a benevolent race of aliens created humanity. They also practice free love and nudism, along with supporting just about every type of scientific advancement and genetics research.

How true are the popular claims that fluoridation of water causes cancer and other illnesses? How true is the medical research that indicates its total safety and overwhelming dental benefits? Skeptoid looks at one community in California that recently fought this battle.

Email has made it very easy to spread information - but is that information always reliable? Most of the chain emails you receive are probably bogus.

Whether you're interested in ghost stories, scientific curiosities, or just plan weird wild stuff, California should be high on your list of destinations.

Celebrity activists tell us that vaccinating your child can cause autism. What is this tragic misinformation based on? What are the real causes? What are the real benefits of vaccination? And, should chelation therapy be used on every child who has been vaccinated?

The Oakland freeway collapse in April 2007 appears consistent with the official version of what brought down the Twin Towers on 9/11. But conspiracy theorists charge that the government staged the freeway collapse in order to bolster their official version of 9/11. Which is true?

Borley Rectory is widely regarded as the most haunted house in England, and probably in the world. Or, was it all the creation of Harry Price, a professional magician, hoaxster, and author?

Popular magazines like Scientific American and Popular Science claim to be advancing science, but at the same time, they publish material from third party advertisers that shoots that mission down. Should they, or shouldn't they?

Ethanol is a perfect example of politics distracting progress. Because of misplaced interest in ethanol, time, energy, and money is being spent in a useless direction instead of on true next generation power and fuel systems.

When debating, your opponent will often throw research at you that was "published in a peer reviewed scientific journal". This episode gives you the tools to tell a reputable journal from a non-reputable one.

Dean Radin says that collective consciousness has a direct measurable effect on the output of his random number generators. Others say that his methodology is fatally flawed, and that he only find specific results that he wants using whatever questionable method is needed to achieve each desired result.

During the tumultuous Middle East peace process of the mid 1990's, Michael Drosnin predicted that Yitzhak Rabin would be assassinated, and missed it by a year. Many other psychics predicted it much more closely. Why was Drosnin the one who went on Oprah?

Before you can apply to win the James Randi Educational Foundation's One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, you must first qualify by having a media presence. Skeptoid is pleased to announce that it is now a qualifying media outlet.