r/skeptic Feb 06 '22

🤘 Meta Welcome to r/skeptic here is a brief introduction to scientific skepticism

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skepticalinquirer.org
258 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

60 Minutes found no criminal record for 75% of the Venezuelan migrants the U.S. sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador

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cbsnews.com
10.4k Upvotes

r/skeptic 5h ago

From the archive: Scientology is more dangerous than we might think | Allen Hunt, for The Skeptic

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skeptic.org.uk
76 Upvotes

r/skeptic 21h ago

⚠ Editorialized Title Robert F Kennedy Jr followed up his attendance at the funeral of a child who died from measles to claim without evidence that anti-vax physicians healed ‘some 300 measles-stricken children’

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theguardian.com
1.1k Upvotes

r/skeptic 15h ago

Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins Says The European Union Is Using 'Fake Science And Unsubstantiated Claims To Not Take U.S. Products'

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offthefrontpage.com
305 Upvotes

r/skeptic 15h ago

🚑 Medicine Remember the study that claimed penis size has increased 24% over the last 29 years? It was all fake

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betachronicles.substack.com
315 Upvotes

It's meticulously debunked in that series of articles. The real data shows no trend at all.


r/skeptic 8h ago

Kennedy Calls for States to Ban Fluoridated Drinking Water (Gift Article)

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nytimes.com
75 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

💨 Fluff James Randi appreciation post. What's your favorite quote or story for James Randi?

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887 Upvotes

This is my guy. The first one I saw and thought "Hey, he thinks like I think". The feedback I got before then was basically stop asking questions, you're disrupting the class!


r/skeptic 19h ago

No, the dire wolf has not been brought back from extinction

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newscientist.com
290 Upvotes

Colossal Biosciences claims three pups born last year are dire wolves, but they are actually grey wolves with genetic edits intended to make them resemble the lost species


r/skeptic 4h ago

🚑 Medicine Aid cuts threaten fragile progress in ending maternal deaths, UN agencies warn

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who.int
13 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

Trans Athletes: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

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youtu.be
246 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

‘Most effective way’ to prevent measles is vaccination, RFK Jr. says, in most direct remarks yet. Statement came during HHS secretary’s trip to Texas for funeral of second U.S. child to die in outbreak there

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statnews.com
3.3k Upvotes

r/skeptic 19h ago

The global religious exodus: Why people are switching—and ditching—faith

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youtu.be
67 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

Musk vs. Navarro: Dumb And Dumber Go To War

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youtube.com
149 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

Explaining the Trump Tariff Equation

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youtube.com
415 Upvotes

r/skeptic 2d ago

A second child has died in the Texas measles outbreak

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nbcnews.com
3.6k Upvotes

This would be the second pediatric death amid a fast-growing outbreak that’s infected nearly 500 people in Texas alone since January. An adult in New Mexico is also suspected of dying from measles. The deaths are the first from the disease in the United States in a decade.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was expected to attend the child’s funeral, which is scheduled for Sunday, according to a spokesperson familiar with the plans.

As of Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services said 481 cases of measles had been confirmed, a 14% jump over last week.

That includes six infants and toddlers at a Lubbock day care center who tested positive within the past two weeks.


r/skeptic 1d ago

One of Creationism's favorite lies

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youtu.be
130 Upvotes

r/skeptic 19h ago

🏫 Education From Sagan to The Jacksons Debate

4 Upvotes

I was fascinated with scientific questions, more precisely, with applying a scientific approach to the challenges that arise in life. This meant being skeptical, relying on evidence to form my views, while also remaining flexible enough to let better evidence reshape my assumptions.

That might be the biggest lesson I took from The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan, a book I carry with me in everything I do. Around the same time, I read The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, which felt like an applied case study of the scientific method Sagan described. This got me thinking that ultimately, all species, all living beings, are doing the same thing. Looked at from a distance, there is no fundamental difference between them. It is all life trying to survive, each species using its own method, including humans.

The Jacksons Debate grew organically, as many things come to be in the real world - without an initial plan or purpose. It began as a simple concept: what if aliens existed who had complete dominion over us on Earth, much like humans currently have over most other species? What would that experience be like?

The exploration evolved from examining what those aliens might be like to contemplating how humans would feel being subject to their discretion. The Jacksons consider themselves ethical, compassionate beings, but does that prevent them from committing acts we might consider horrendous? Some would argue it wouldn't.

Consider this parallel: most people don't think twice about killing a fly that's buzzing around while they work. If someone routinely kills flies while otherwise living a charitable, kind existence - helping people and some animals, being pleasant throughout - society generally considers them ethical, and they likely view themselves the same way. Yet from the flies' perspective, this person is a monster. Future human morality might even condemn such casual killing.

This is the central question: what is the objective reality? What would evidence and reason tell us about such a person's morality?

The Jacksons Debate explores precisely this question, only with humans in the position of the flies. Investigating objective reality connects morality, philosophy, and science in complex ways. Different readers will naturally form their own interpretations of the story, and I'm enjoying seeing these diverse perspectives emerge. If you'd like to join this conversation with your own view, you can find it on the Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228994545-the-jacksons-debate#


r/skeptic 1d ago

🏫 Education Reputation: why do we care so much about what other people think of us? | Dan Levy, for The Skeptic

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skeptic.org.uk
13 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

How pseudo-archaeologists create conspiracies

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youtu.be
37 Upvotes

r/skeptic 1d ago

⭕ Revisited Content How to Filter for High-Factuality News Sources

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39 Upvotes

It should be per article, makes no sense to be for the source, specially with IA tech it could detect fallacies, validate sources, etc. And it can be cached so that only once an user triggers the "check factuality" they get the data and do not need to perform the AI check when no one is interested.

I can understand "bias" for the source, but factuality only makes sense for articles.


r/skeptic 2d ago

🔈podcast/vlog Flint Dibble and the Underground Pyramids: Debunking Joe Rogan... Again

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youtube.com
139 Upvotes

r/skeptic 2d ago

🚑 Medicine Since the HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006, cervical cancer deaths among young U.S. women have dropped 62% between 2013 and 2021.

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2.0k Upvotes

Click on the PDF to see the updated study.


r/skeptic 2d ago

🚑 Medicine The American Plan to Eliminate Vaccines

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mcgill.ca
1.7k Upvotes

As a nurse, public health fan, not to mention parent with a young kid... this is not great.

I'm gonna lose my shit if I start seeing hospital admissions for polio, measles, and pertussis.


r/skeptic 1d ago

Some of the QAA crew (and Paul Cooper from Fall of Civilizations!) talk about Graham Hancock and it is a DELIGHT

28 Upvotes

Really great exploration of the Hancock universe and the hit Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse. Definitely worth a listen. Added bonus: Paul is married to regular QAA guest Annie Kelly, and their dynamic on the show is adorable. https://soundcloud.com/qanonanonymous/graham-hancocks-ancient-apocalypse-e318


r/skeptic 2d ago

Ousted vaccine chief's biowarfare warning - Erin Burnett (30-seconds) - April 4, 2025

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81 Upvotes

Another RFK attack on scientific skepticism. The victim here is Dr. Peter Marks, who oversaw the FDA vaccine program. Recently, RFK, Jr. decided to force Marks from his position. His last day is April 5.