Squaring the Strange

First we cover a few things on our radar: Ben is reminded of an old mail-based scam, Celestia gets excited over a few astronomical news items, and we both lament the MAHA report and its seemingly made-up citations. Then Robert Bartholomew joins us to discuss the new book he wrote with Paul Weatherhead, "Social Panics and Phantom Attackers: A Study of Imaginary Assailants." Have you heard of the Mad Gasser, Spring-Heeled Jack, the M...

First we chat about a weird little chupacabra play Ben saw, then discuss the conspiracies that have metastasized from Joe Biden's prostate cancer and the resurgence of our old nemesis the Food Babe. For our main topic, we have esteemed historian of magic Owen Davies, who wrote the book (two, actually) on grimoires. In pop culture we see them in horror movies, comic books and even old children's movies like...

No, Pascual did not get abducted by a UFO ... but neither did three kids in 1969, we're pretty sure. We have Pascual back to explain how his podcasting sabbatical has turned into a retirement, alas. Then we discuss how fluoride is connected to addiction and crime rates, some alternatives to the CDC for accurate public health information, and the viability of reopening Alcatraz as a prison. Our main topic i...

We start off with a first-ever viewer mail taste test! Then our standard report on the state of public health and government functionality (spoiler, it ain't great). Our main topic is acronyms and some specific word-based folklore. Is the term "OK" really the greatest word ever created? And how was it created? Then, whether it's linking a rock band to Satan or lambasting a large bureaucratic organization, ...

After some current events about dire wolves, dire outbreaks of measles, and dire science denial in the White House, we discuss some true (and some not-so-true) tales of people surviving dire circumstances. People have come back alive from the frigid ice of Antarctica, a shipwreck on the bottom of the sea, and the deep jungles of South America. Others have claimed to have survived well-known disasters but been found out as frauds. A...

First we hit on a few current events, including a new monolith outside of Las Vegas and a "shadow" CDC website fake. Sharon Hill joins us again, this time to discuss her new "Pop Cryptid Spectator" and all the delightful cryptidabelia that inspires it. She's noticed a rise in paranormal thinking when it comes to cryptids, as opposed to the old-school zoological framing. How has the internet fed into crypti...

Ben has been on a cruise, and brings back an interesting story on how quickly rumors and conspiracy theories can form in that environment. We pay tribute to Joe Nickell, a truly versatile skeptic and investigator, and go over the Stand Up for Science marches that took place last week. Then we turn to current events wrought by the Trump administration: the kerfuffle over "transgender mice" is more complicat...

First, Ben and Celestia discuss an angler fish and a kayak-curious humpback whale in the news, as well as the measles outbreak, some cryptid legislation in California, and an update on the drone panic. Our main segment guest is Gail De Vos, who discusses the world of furries. Far older than most realize (around for 50 years now!), furries have been built into a political boogeyman and garnered a reputation...

First Ben and Celestia discuss the unending slew of bad news for skeptics, and our hopes that science and public health can survive this onslaught. And, do we all have a spoonful of plastic in our brains? Then we tackle love fortune telling, love languages, and aphrodisiacs. From apple peels to blood type, people just love prognosticating about love. And what is the allure of an aphrodisiac? The notion of a forbidden (or just expen...

We start with some observations (ok, rants) about the press conference on the recent aircraft collision in D.C., the hearings to confirm RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the silencing of vital science and health institutions. Then we talk to eminent psychologist Stuart Vyse about his career and a handful of pop psychology topics. He weighs in on the Telepathy Tapes podcast and facilitated communication, the no...

First Ben and Celestia discuss the LA fires (and a few of the many, many conspiracy theories already cropping up), and remember Jimmy Carter's clear-headed skepticism and humanitarianism. Then, since it's January and we're all trying to work on self-improvement, we talk about BMI -- which happens to be in the news this week for what turns out to be not really news. The Body Mass Index began almost two hund...

For the first show of 2025, Ben and Celestia go over some of their favorite shows, the highlights and lowlights of the past year, and some stories we never got a chance to tell. Ben discusses the men who recently lost their lives on a Bigfoot hunt, and Celestia goes down a rabbit hole about children supposedly getting sex change operations and how different outlets report on that issue. But first, we kick ...

We recap some news items, including Kreskin passing away, a witchcraft-motivated massacre in Haiti, and of course the Drone panic (?) over the Eastern U.S. Then Ben and Celestia dive into tales and urban legends with a Christmas theme. From playful punisher characters who will gleefully slit open German children's bellies to more modern urban legends about Nativity plays gone wrong or a deadly Dad prank. H...

Ben recounts his adventures in Australia at Skepticon, and then Celestia brings up bird flu-infected raw milk, a closing Bigfoot museum, and ghosts that pay rent. Our main guest is esteemed cybersecurity expert, deceptionologist, folklorist, magician, and author Perry Carpenter. He discusses topics from his new book FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation and AI-Generated Deceptions. We talk deepfa...

This week Pascual is back, talking to Celestia about the Onion's purchase of Info Wars, shady testosterone offers, and a list of things we maybe should be worried about as Trump rounds out cabinet picks. Then Ben welcomes Gail de Vos, author of the just-released Watkins Book of Urban Legends, to talk about wildfire conspiracy theories in Canada. The politically charged stories that spring up in her home of...

This is sort of a rush episode, in the wake of this week's election results. While we don't like mixing our skepticism with partisan politics, Trump has been such a unique outlier in the realm of science denial, conspiracy theories, folklore, panics and rumor-mongering that it warrants an episode. Early indications that Robert Kennedy Jr. might be in charge of public health could mean an unthinkable turn a...

Happy Halloween! If we sound like we're on a submarine, apologies--we recorded part of this on a submarine. I mean a small hotel room. After a recap of Skeptoid's Death Valley adventure and CSI Con 2024, Ben and Celestia discuss "pink slime journalism" and phony Catholic newspapers. Then sociologist Joel Best discusses the Halloween sadism urban legend and how the idea that children are being poisoned with...

Fair warning: this episode contains too much Elon Musk, as Ben and Celestia discuss the Optimus mechanical Turk -- er, autonomous robot -- as well as the awesome chop-stick catch performed by SpaceX this past week. Ben also ruminates on eye-witness testimony and a wacky, weedy case being decided by the Supreme Court right now. Then Brian Dunning of Skeptoid fame joins us to talk electric vehicle myths and ...

First a few current events involving a Taylor Swift guitar (or not), the Nazca Lines, a giant naked Trump art piece, and banning solar geoengineering. Then we talk water. Is blood thicker than water -- and what does that even mean? Does water have memory (as homeopaths insist) or feelings (as Masaru Emoto stated)? From alkali water to Black Water to Smart Water, what are all these expensive designer bottled waters available, and ar...