The Skeptic

Learning about science and statistics through pseudoscience | Hj Hornbeck Evaluating claims of ESP and other psi abilities can provide the perfect opportunity to grapple with some counterintuitive, but incredibly important, maths. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/learni…

Smoke and mirrors: violent media, cigarettes, and shaky statistics | Jim Cliff Is violent media as closely linked to aggression as smoking is to lung cancer? Only if you take at face value heavily cherry-picked research. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/smoke-…

The Skeptic Podcast – Episode 064 Featuring articles from Brian Montgomery (March 2023), Ang Kai Randall (July 2023), Aaron Rabinowitz (March 2022), and Dave Hahn (November 2023). skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/the-sk…

Gen Z don’t really think they’re psychic – at least, no more so than their elders | Michael Marshall New "research" suggests that a third of Gen Z believe they have psychic intuition – based on an online survey with deep methodological flaws. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/gen-z-…

The demons of Varginha: The cultural context behind Brazil’s famous UFO case | João Lucas da Silva In 1996, three girls claimed to see a strange creature in the Jardim Andere neighbourhood of Varginha, Brazil, kicking off a now-legendary UFO story. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/the-de…

From the archives: A Test for Reincarnation | Val Dobson From the archives in 1993, Val Dobson proposes a practical method for checking whether claims of past lives and reincarnation really stand up. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/from-t…

How a very wrong Royal horoscope put astrology on the map in Britain | Carlos Orsi Astrology really found its foothold in Britain in 1930, when the Sunday Express began to publish astrological predictions for the new-born Princess Margaret. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/how-a-…

The Skeptic Podcast: Episode #063 Featuring articles from Abi Kennedy (February 2025), Nick Garratt (April 2025), Edzard Ernst (November 2020), and Aaron Rabinowitz (August 2023). skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/the-sk…

Richard Dawkins and AI: the lights are on, but nobody’s home | Mike Hall When Richard Dawkins claims AI may have consciousness, he's committing the same cognitive blunder as the creationists he has long argued against. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/richar…

‘God: The Science, The Evidence, The Dawn of a Revolution’… and underwhelming apologetics | Aaron Rabinowitz Despite lofty ambition, the latest from Michel-Yves Bollore and Olivier Bonnassies is nothing more than an Intelligent Design bait-and-switch. skeptic.org.uk/2026/05/god-th…

Remembering Nick Pope, “the UK’s top UFO expert” (1965-2026) | Chris French Nick Pope was the former civil servant who became one of the most prominent figures in ufology on both sides of the pond. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/rememb…

From the archives: Quackupuncture – A question of medical ethics | H.B. Gibson From the archive in 1992, HB Gibson looks at the rise and fall - and rise again - of medical acupuncture in Western society. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/from-t…

For all the claims of governments and Big Tech, cybersecurity is far from scientific | Andy Farnell Rather than accept at face value claims that cybersecurity measures make us safer and more secure, we need to ask for proof before we hand over our data. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/for-al…

No, artificial sweeteners do not cause cognitive decline | Mauro Proença A Brazilian cohort study made headlines with claims artificial sweeteners cause cognitive decline, but the evidence it presents is weak at best. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/no-art…

From the archives: The controversial phenomenon of ball lightning | Steuart Campbell From the archive in 1992, Steuart Campbell questions whether 'ball lightning' is a real phenomenon, or a series of misattributions. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/from-t…

In a world of eight billion unique minds, what even is ‘neurotypical’, anyway? | Richard Glover Rather than attaching labels to each facet of neurodiversity, we could be identifying what support people need for their best chance of success. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/in-a-w…

The Skeptic Podcast – Episode 060 Featuring articles from Gabriel Andrade (January 2025), Sarah Hearne (May 2021), Sean Slater (February 2024), and Natalia Pasternak (June 2021). skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/the-sk…

‘Capturing Bigfoot’ may yet offer definitive proof that Bigfoot was nothing but a hoax | Blake Smith If the upcoming film 'Capturing Bigfoot' proves the famous Bigfoot footage was a hoax, it should put an end to belief in Bigfoot – but don't count on it. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/captur…

The ancient alien legacy of the late pseudo-archaeologist, Erich Von Däniken | Dave Hahn The death of Erich Von Däniken earlier this year leaves behind a pseudohistorical ancient-alien legacy tinged with its author's racist views. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/the-an…

From the archives: Cold Comfort for Cold Fusion  | Malcolm Glasse From the archives in 1992, Malcolm Glasse reports on the bogus cold fusion claims of Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann. skeptic.org.uk/2026/04/from-t…