The Skeptic
LightNews LightNews
banner
skeptic.org.uk
The Skeptic
@skeptic.org.uk
1.2K followers 41 following 1.2K posts
Expert skeptical analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal, since 1987. Reason with compassion.

🌐 https://www.skeptic.org.uk/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
skeptic.org.uk
The Skeptic @skeptic.org.uk · Nov 13
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/359825...

Or pitch us a story - we publish all manner of topics, if you can bring an approach of compassionate skepticism. Details here:
www.skeptic.org.uk/about/write-...

And you can support us at: www.patreon.com/theskeptic
Newsletter signup
dashboard.mailerlite.com
skeptic.org.uk
What little you know about Jack the Ripper's victims is almost certainly wrong - The Skeptic
Despite all of the sensationalised coverage of the murders of Jack the Ripper, his victims are seldom more than an afterthought in history
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
From the archives: Are New Age ideas damaging the feminist viewpoint? - The Skeptic
From the archives in 1992, Lucy Fisher looks at the New Age movement, and its targeting and exploiting of female empowerment
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Why billionaire Peter Thiel is suddenly talking about the antichrist - The Skeptic
Billionaire Peter Thiel has the ear of top politicians in the US - so his recent lecture series on the antichrist ought to be concerning
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 24, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
The Skeptic Podcast: Episode #039

Featuring articles from Brian Eggo (September 2021), Chris French (November 2024), Marcel Hulspas (September 1988), and Mark Horne (June 2022).

www.skeptic.org.uk/2025/11/the-...
The Skeptic Podcast: Episode #039 - The Skeptic
Featuring articles from Brian Eggo (Sept 2021), Chris French (Nov 2024), Marcel Hulspas (Sept 1988), and Mark Horne (June 2022).
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 11:08 AM
skeptic.org.uk
The Skeptic Podcast: Episode #039 - The Skeptic
Featuring articles from Brian Eggo (Sept 2021), Chris French (Nov 2024), Marcel Hulspas (Sept 1988), and Mark Horne (June 2022).
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness: How do we measure happy countries? - The Skeptic
Instead of measuring the success of countries by GDP, we should pay attention to how happy they are, and what contributes to that happiness
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Has Elon Musk invented a magic device to reduce your electricity bill? (No) | Michael Marshall

Websites promising an end to high energy costs, thanks to a miracle device developed by Elon Musk, draw people into a scam that's too good to be true.

www.skeptic.org.uk/2025/11/has-...
Has Elon Musk invented a magic device to reduce your electricity bill? (No) - The Skeptic
Websites promising an end to high energy costs, thanks to a miracle device developed by Elon Musk, are a scam that's too good to be true
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 AM
skeptic.org.uk
The BBC's NightWatch is a control group for Ghost Hunting TV - The Skeptic
West Country comedy siblings Daisy May and Charlie Cooper's Nightwatch shows how mundane ghost-hunting actually is, when you're not faking it
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 19, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
From the archives: Premanand, Scourge of the Indian Godmen - The Skeptic
From the archives in 1992, Lewis Jones reports from Indian skeptic and rationalist Premanand's public talk in London, about his life's work
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 18, 2025 at 10:01 AM
skeptic.org.uk
A forgotten sceptic: William M. Knox, the one-eyed atheist of Belfast - The Skeptic
Writing in the late 1800s, Irish atheist William M. Knox took aim at the emerging trend of spiritualism, séances, and communicating with the dead
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 17, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Schrödinger’s Client List: why the Epstein conspiracy theory will not go away |
Dave Hahn

www.skeptic.org.uk/2025/09/schr...
Schrödinger’s Client List: why the Epstein conspiracy theory will not go away - The Skeptic
Donald Trump's team has spent years cultivating a conspiracist base - it won't be so easy for him to move on from his close associations with Jeffrey Epstein
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 16, 2025 at 6:59 PM
skeptic.org.uk
The Skeptic Podcast: Episode #038 - The Skeptic
Featuring articles from Michael Marshall (Feb 2021), Alice Howarth (June 2023), Klaus Schmeh (Oct 2011), and Mark Horne (Feb 2021).
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
J.D. Vance, religious conversion, and the battle over identity - The Skeptic
J.D. Vance has been criticised for hoping his Hindu wife might become Catholic, but does that differ from skeptics and atheists spreading doubt?
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Exploring the limits of skepticism. Part 2: The plot thickens - The Skeptic
Lucid dreaming is a much-tested paranormal claim, never reliably showing positive results - so why did this new experiment seem to bear fruit?
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 12, 2025 at 10:01 AM
skeptic.org.uk
From the archives: examining the Creationists' Argument from Design - The Skeptic
From the archives in 1992, philosophy professor and author Antony Flew reviews the Creationist argument for a designer deity
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Polylaminin: a miracle cure for spinal injuries, or another media hype story? - The Skeptic
Polyamin was hyped as a miracle cure for spinal injuries in the media - despite no published scientific papers presenting the evidence
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Why are heart attacks in women so often misdiagnosed? | Alice Howarth

Coronary heart disease remains the largest cause of death in women, yet women suffering heart attacks often have their symptoms missed, or ignored.

www.skeptic.org.uk/2025/11/why-...
Why are heart attacks in women so often misdiagnosed? - The Skeptic
Coronary heart disease remains the largest cause of death in women, yet women suffering heart attacks often have symptoms missed, or ignored.
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 7, 2025 at 10:30 AM
skeptic.org.uk
The Skeptic Podcast: Episode #037 - The Skeptic
Featuring articles from Michael Marshall (April 2018), Alice Howarth (February 2021), Mark Williams (January 2011), and Mark Horne (April 2021).
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 7, 2025 at 10:02 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Phantom Time Hypothesis - the supposedly 'missing' fortnight in 1752 - The Skeptic
When the calendar skipped two weeks in 1752, the cause wasn't 'phantom time', but the incompatibility of the Julian and Gregorian calendars
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 5, 2025 at 10:01 AM
skeptic.org.uk
From the archives: the ‘Synchro-Energiser' – a pseudoscientific panacea? - The Skeptic
From the archives in 1992, psychiatrist Mike Heap looks at the Synchro-Energiser, a high-tech computer-driven 'brain balancer'.
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
The Grim Rea-purr? The cats claimed to be able to predict death - The Skeptic
Two feline care home residents have been claimed to be able to tell when elderly patients will die – so, are cats actually psychic?
www.skeptic.org.uk
November 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
Halloween for Skeptics: ‘Monsters on the Couch’ by Brian Sharpless - The Skeptic
Horror stories, as well as being entertaining, give us clues about the human experience, as 'Monsters on the Couch' by Brian Sharpless explores
www.skeptic.org.uk
October 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
skeptic.org.uk
bylinetimes.com/2025/10/29/r...
Reform UK Just Won Britain's Least-Prestigious Award – For 'Promoting Pseudoscience'
Nigel Farage's party was recognised for “widespread embrace of climate change denialism and antivaccine misinformation”
bylinetimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:28 PM
skeptic.org.uk
Predictive Programming: why conspiracists scour pop culture for sinister clues - The Skeptic
Predictive programming is the belief that those in power signal their nefarious intent via films and pop culture to normalise their schemes
www.skeptic.org.uk
October 29, 2025 at 10:01 AM
skeptic.org.uk
From the archives: Brainwashing a skeptic – escaping from a frightening cult - The Skeptic
From the archives in 1992, Arthur Chappell tells us how he fell into, and later escaped from, the Divine Light Mission cult.
www.skeptic.org.uk
October 28, 2025 at 10:00 AM