AUTHOR

David Mountain

3 Articles

David Mountain is a freelance writer based in Edinburgh. He is fascinated by history, science and all things sceptical. He is the author of Past Mistakes: How We Misinterpret History and Why It Matters (Icon, 2020).

https://www.davidmountain.info/

Paranormal

The mystery of the Gedriya: Unexplained lights over the Arabian Desert

David Mountain - 6th October 2021

When a mysterious light appeared over the Hadhramaut desert, Bedouins agreed it must be the Gedriya - said to grant wishes during Ramadan

Cryptozoology

What links the Flatwoods Monster, the Kelly–Hopkinsville alien encounter, and Mothman?

David Mountain - 23rd April 2021

The connection between three legendary paranormal sightings tells us a lot about why we see what isn't there... and miss what's really there

History

Are you smarter than an 800 year-old? Our ancestors were more skeptical than you think

David Mountain - 29th March 2021

As historians continue to deconstruct the myth of the Dark Ages, we shouldn't be so fast to write off the intelligence of our ancestors.

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Lemme Purr: the celebrity-backed wellness gummies trading on intimate insecurities

First do no harm? Treatments don’t need to be harmless, as long they do good

Moroccan Argan oil is an interesting traditional product, but it’s certainly no panacea

Animals, acupuncture and alt-med: the Brazilian penguin being subjected to Enya

Wim Hof: the self-described ‘Ice man’ whose extreme health claims leave many cold

Does pill packet branding change the placebo response, or is this just another placebo myth?

Studying the promotion of health misinformation by the Bolsonaro government

It’s far to soon too tell patients platelet-rich plasma injections can treat infertility

First do no harm? Treatments don’t need to be harmless, as long they do good

Pacemakers don’t work when they’re switched off – we should doubt studies that say otherwise

From the archive: The man who invented the flying saucer

From the archive: Memory, fantasy and past lives – reflections on past life regressions

From the archive: Many Happy Returns – Are past-life regressions evidence for reincarnation?

From the archives: The Art of Fakery – Fakes and forgeries at the British Museum

From the archives: A skeptical look at astrology

Left-wing conspiracy theories and ‘missing’ votes in the wake of Trump’s election win

Comparing misinformation to a virus is both accurate and useful in preventing its spread

2000 mules: why many Americans are convinced Trump won the 2020 election

Welcome to the modern American Right – the world that high weirdness built

Donald Trump’s debate performance proved he has mainstreamed extreme conspiracy theories

Ho Ho Holy Man? Why Santa technically doesn’t quite count as a god

Spotify Trapped? The algorithm is not what’s keeping you from new music

From the archive: A former Scientologist explains what the cult is all about

Huge social media accounts glorify ancient architecture, while whitewashing the past

From the archive: The man who invented the flying saucer

Will we soon face AI-related risks? Maybe, but they are probably overestimated

Scientific publication is now fully digital – so who is responsible for preserving our archives?

HADD its day: there’s no evidence for an inherited hyperactive agency detection device

Unborn in the USA: being honest about IUDs could help us fight the anti-abortion movement

The evidence for pill colour impacting placebo effects gets flimsier the more you examine it

David Mountain

Latest news

Ho Ho Holy Man? Why Santa technically doesn’t quite count as a god

Spotify Trapped? The algorithm is not what’s keeping you from new music

Lemme Purr: the celebrity-backed wellness gummies trading on intimate insecurities

From the archive: A former Scientologist explains what the cult is all about

Does pill packet branding change the placebo response, or is this just another placebo myth?

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