History

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

Andrew Shail - 15th November 2024

Fake news is nothing new - film promoters have known for over a century that successfully selling a fake news story takes a degree of cunning

History

The 2024 Olympics ceremony raises the spectre of pagan influence on the origins of Christianity

Gabriel Andrade - 7th August 2024

Christians offended by their misinterpretation of the Olympics opening ceremony are clearly ignorant of the pagan influences on their religion

From the archives: Jacques Benoit’s (failed) experiments with telepathic snails

Toby Howard - 23rd July 2024

From the archives in 1988, Toby Howard recounts the 19th Century attempts to create a 'snail telegraph' - based on the notion that snails were telepathic

History

The Satanic Panic and the McMartin pre-school trial

Sean Slater - 19th July 2024

In 1983, lurid and extreme tales of abuse emerged from a pre-school in California; the allegations were false, as was the rest of the Satanic Panic

From the archives: Heaven and Earth – Is the ‘curse of Tutankhamen’ a curse at all?

Mike Hutchinson - 16th July 2024

From the archives in 1988, Mike Hutchinson examines the evidence for and against the supposed curse of Tutankhamen

Bad PR

How many young people deny the Holocaust? The truth might actually surprise you

Michael Marshall - 3rd July 2024

Recent news stories declared that a fifth of all young Americans believe the Holocaust is a myth - however the finding owed more to online polling weaknesses than to antisemitism

History

The history of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations and European Skeptics Congress

Amardeo Sarma, Michael Heap - 13th May 2024

Since 1989, skeptics from across Europe have collaborated to organise the European Skeptics Congress - this year sees the 20th event, in Lyon, France.

History

The strange and deeply unlikely tale of Gef the talking mongoose

Sean Slater - 11th March 2024

Gef the talking mongoose - supernatural resident of an Isle of Man farmhouse - is legendary in skeptical lore... even if he was merely the invention of a 13 year old girl

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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

History

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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