Skeptics with a K

Skeptics with a K

Episode #431

September 11, 2025

The pervasive marketing of seasonal trends and wellness fads, particularly in free supermarket magazines, can exploit anxieties and trivialize genuine health concerns, contributing to burnout and a sense of personal failure.

Episode #430

September 4, 2025

The podcast "Skeptics with a K" critically examines "Neuralocked.com," a company selling pseudoscientific "bioelectrical neural network firewall" products and courses, which appears to be a scam preying on vulnerable individuals with anxieties about technology and mental health.

Episode #429

August 28, 2025

Ben Shapiro's critique of the new Superman film is based on a narrow, 1978-centric view of the character, failing to acknowledge the evolution and diverse interpretations of Superman in comics and other media.

Episode #428

August 21, 2025

Women are at a higher risk of being misdiagnosed with heart attacks than men, not because they have different symptoms, but due to systemic bias and a lack of awareness in medical research and education that is often based on male physiology.

Episode #427

August 14, 2025

The supplement industry is experiencing a significant boom, driven by trendy products like mushroom-based powders and aggressive online marketing, which often overshadows older alternative medicine practices.

Episode #426

At-home LED face masks, while potentially safe, lack robust scientific evidence for efficacy in skin rejuvenation and aging prevention, with most supporting research using professional-grade laser devices or being based on animal/cell models.

Episode #425

The UK's Online Safety Act, intended to protect children, faces significant challenges due to the inaccuracy and bias of age verification technologies, the ease of circumvention, and the potential for driving users to less regulated platforms.

Episode #424

Despite widespread belief and marketing claims, there is no concrete evidence that major tech companies or advertising groups are systematically recording and analyzing private conversations for targeted advertising.

Episode #423

The UK is experiencing increasingly normalized extreme temperatures and rainfall due to climate change, with recent years being among the warmest and wettest on record, leading to significant mortality and infrastructure challenges.

Episode #422

Ozempic, a brand name for semaglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist originally approved for type 2 diabetes, but its effectiveness in weight management has led to widespread off-label use and shortages for diabetic patients.

Episode #421

The increasing sophistication of AI and digital manipulation makes it harder than ever to trust visual and auditory evidence online, necessitating a heightened level of critical thinking.

Episode #420

The podcast "Skeptics with a K" critically examines pseudoscientific claims, starting with a debunking of a viral TikTok story about Russian scientists discovering the soul's destination after death, which was revealed to be a deliberate prank.

Episode #419

The discussion highlights the evolving landscape of recipe discovery, shifting from traditional blogs to social media platforms like TikTok, which favor short-form, accessible content and micro-trends.

Episode #418

Attending 'woo' events firsthand provides skeptics with invaluable, firsthand experience of pseudoscience and its appeal, making them more informed and effective.

Episode #417

Open-label placebo studies, while aiming to bypass ethical concerns of deception, are criticized for introducing significant priming bias and lack of blinding, potentially invalidating their findings.

Episode #416

The podcast "Skeptics with a K" is shifting its focus from traditional skeptical topics like ghost stories and homeopathy to contemporary issues such as the rise of conspiracism, radicalization, and the alt-right, particularly as they intersect with online disinformation and political ideologies.

Episode #415

Water 2, a UK-based water filter company, employs alarmist marketing tactics and celebrity endorsements, including Bear Grylls, to sell products by exaggerating the risks associated with UK tap water, which is demonstrably safe and clean according to official data.

Episode #414

The concept of telegyny, the pseudoscientific idea that a woman's offspring can inherit traits from previous sexual partners, is being revived and used by the alt-right and manosphere to control women's sexuality and assert paternal certainty.

Episode #413

A common misconception among Doctor Who fans that the Doctor is allergic to aspirin originated from a misremembered line in a John Pertwee story and was amplified by a 1993 documentary, not from an actual on-screen event or a William Hartnell statement.

Episode #412

The Joe Rogan Experience's immense reach and influence, particularly among a male audience seeking engagement with masculinity, makes it a significant platform for the dissemination of both information and misinformation, including potentially dangerous health claims.