The Skeptic Podcast

Episode #086

The Skeptic Podcast

Show Notes

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020. On this episode: "It's in our DNA": the clichés that only confuse the public about genetics and essentialism by Carlos Orsi from March 2024

The 'raw feeding' fad can cause real harm to your pets - and to you by Danny Chambers & Robyn Lowe from March 2022

The UK's plan to please India by promoting Ayurvedic medicine puts politics ahead of science by Edzard Ernst from July 2021

Papaya and milk – the traditional Asian solution to breast augmentation by Rachel Ooi from August 2024

Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

More from The Skeptic Podcast

Oct 23, 2026

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020. On this episode: Black Pope, Bad Omen? Apocalyptic fears, Nostradamus, and the Papal succession by Gabriel Andrade, from April 2025

Oct 9, 2026

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020. On this episode: MSG and the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome: the persistence of a nutritional myth by Elissar Gerges from August 2022

Oct 2, 2026

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020. On this episode: Joe Nickell, legendary skeptical investigator, dies at the age of 80 by Blake Smith from March 2025

Sep 25, 2026

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020. On this episode: The Beecher story, the origin of the placebo effect myth, likely didn't happen, by Mike Hall from February 2025

Sep 18, 2026

From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine's expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020. On this episode: Irredeemably Flawed: The IPP prisoner scandal, and the death of Matthew Price, by Emma McClure from April 2024 Psychics and mediums: Mad, bad, or dangerous to know?, by Chris French from March 2021 King Charles appoints alt-med fan Dr Michael Dixon as Head of the Royal Medical Household, by Edzard Ernst from May 2023 Reptoids and lizard-like rulers: who truly owns a conspiracy theory? by Dave Hahn from August 2026 Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic

See all episodes →