Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories – history, news, commentary, extreme beliefs and the factors that shape them

Conspiracy Theories

Plagues and plots: throughout history, epidemics and conspiracy theories have gone hand-in-hand

Deborah Hyde - 9th November 2020

From the anti-Semitic Flagellants of the Black Death to modern day 5G-hating COVID deniers, epidemics have always driven conspiracy theories.

Alternative Medicine

One small step at a time, the alternative medicine industry is radicalising people

Michael Marshall - 4th November 2020

The alternative medicine industry has built up an ecosystem that efficiently radicalises its devotees into extreme positions

Conspiracy Theories

Facebook’s efforts to curb QAnon and anti-vax conspiracies are too little, and much too late

Michael Marshall - 20th October 2020

Facebook's bans on anti-vax adverts and QAnon groups fail to deal with how misinformation really spreads on their platform

Conspiracy Theories

The Curse of Monster Island: a four year experiment in unmoderated free speech

Aaron Rabinowitz - 14th October 2020

A forum for unmoderated free speech quickly became a place to showcase the worst aspects of human nature, with grim consequences.

Conspiracy Theories

An unhealthy dose of viral conspiracy

Hayley Stevens - 9th October 2020

As conspiracy theories flood social media and users struggle to tell fact from fiction, we need to find better ways to stop misinformation from spreading.

Skepticism

Coronavirus, conspiracy, challenges and compassion

Michael Marshall - 3rd September 2020

Our new editor Michael Marshall talks about the challenge of countering coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theory, and why compassion is such an important aspect of skepticism.

‘Legal Name Fraud’ – The Truth? It’s hogwash

Geoff Whelan - 1st April 2016

In 2016, we covered the series of strange billboards which began to crop up across the UK, promoting the Freedom of the Land conspiracy theory.

9/11

Nostradamus and 9/11: picking apart the proposed prophecy

David Hambling - 1st October 2001

From the archives, David Hambling takes a look at the predictions of Nostradamus in relation to the tragic events that took place in America on September 11th 2001

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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

Menstrual masking: the inadvisable trend of treating acne… with period blood

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

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

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

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

When it comes to science, the standard has to be truth and accuracy – not false balance

From the archives: UFOs Over Russia

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

Med Beds: the futuristic health devices promising to cure you with undefined energy

The meaning crisis, and how we rescue young men from reactionary politics

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

Faking the faking of fake news, 1910 style: the ‘death’ of film star Florence Lawrence

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

Exploding the myth of the longevity “Blue Zones”, where people live beyond the age of 100

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

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

Conspiracy Theories

Latest news

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

The meaning crisis, and how we rescue young men from reactionary politics

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

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

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