Best Skeptical Inquiry Podcasts (2025)

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Unlocking your DNA with sound! 34:03

1d ago34:03

34:03

Send us a text In this episode of The Internet Explorer’s Podcast, Jimmy finally delivers on his promise from the Sun Gazing episode and dives into the bizarre world of DNA activation through sound therapy. What starts as a reflection on a late-night moment of desperation quickly spirals into a hilarious breakdown of how pseudoscientific claims tak…

1
SIO480: Abortion Legislation Gets Embryonic Terminology and Facts All Wrong 1:02:03

7d ago1:02:03

1:02:03

Inspired by an Opening Arguments episode during the heartbeat bills, Dr. Nathan Thompson and soon-to-be-Dr. Rachel Feltman embarked on research where they collated "facts" from abortion legislation across the country and examined its medical/anatomical accuracy and misleadingness. Their work was published (read it here!) in the February 2025 issue …

1
039: Religious Liberty. We Also Kinda Talk About Women Being Pastors. With Lawrence Williams 1:02:53

8d ago1:02:53

1:02:53

Send us a text How did religious liberty in America become so entangled with political identity? This raw, thought-provoking conversation examines the troubling disconnect between Christian values and political actions. We begin by exploring how religious liberty has been weaponized to defend policies that contradict biblical teaching. The case of …

1
A little less livestock, a lot more action - with Mark Lynas 59:22

8d ago59:22

59:22

Mark Lynas is the author of several environmental books, including Seeds of Science (2018), Our Final Warning (2020), and the forthcoming Six Minutes to Winter. Until 2024 he was research and climate lead with the Alliance for Science at the Boyce Thompson Institute, an affiliate of Cornell University. Mark is now the policy lead with the pro-scien…

1
Why Bigfoot Loves Camping Gear 30:12

10d ago30:12

30:12

Send us a text In this episode, Jimmy welcomes back John Fike, a podcaster and YouTuber who’s spent years immersed in the Bigfoot community, interviewing people who claim to have had encounters. But this isn’t a debate about whether Bigfoot exists—John already believes he does. Instead, we’re diving into something even bigger: the culture of Bigfoo…

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SIO479: Does Speaking Your Partner's "Love Language" Foster a Happier Relationship? 36:30

8d ago36:30

36:30

Gary Chapman's model of five love languages has been well-embraced by people as they navigate dating, marriage, and other relationship moments. Dr. Sharon Flicker joins the show to discuss what exactly they are, how Chapman came up with them, and her research in evaluating whether your partner's ability to "speak" your love language actually result…

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038: Beyond the Scale: When Physical Discipline Transforms Your Life. With Stefan Hansen 37:18

13d ago37:18

37:18

Send us a text Stefan shares his remarkable journey of losing 70 pounds, transforming from approaching 300 pounds to his current weight of 230 pounds. His story reveals how physical discipline in fitness has translated to greater confidence, improved social skills, and better overall health. • Starting with small changes like cutting back on sugary…

1
Ghost Hunting 101 – A Skeptic’s Journey into the Unknown 30:53

17d ago30:53

30:53

Send us a text In this week’s episode, Jimmy takes a deep dive into the world of ghost hunting—a pursuit that exists somewhere between science, storytelling, and running around in the dark hoping something whispers your name. Armed with curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism, Jimmy unpacks the gadgets, the theories, and the quirks of paranormal…

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Nigerian Nightmare: The personal toll of being a Humanist, with Mubarak Bala 1:16:31

22d ago1:16:31

1:16:31

Mubarak Bala was born in Nigeria's Kano State, on the southern coasts of the Sahara Desert, in 1984. He was schooled in both the Islamic and modern education system. This makes him an outlier, since most families believe the two school systems are mutually exclusive. Boko, Western Education, is Haram, or unIslamic. When Mubarak started doubting the…

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Flatulence, Physics, and the Future of Fart-based Energy 33:59

24d ago33:59

33:59

Send us a text In this episode of The Internet Explorer’s Podcast, Jimmy takes on a question that no one needed answered but everyone has secretly wondered—could fart propulsion actually work? With equal parts curiosity and skepticism, we explore the physics of gas dynamics, the limits of human propulsion, and why science sometimes asks the weirdes…

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How the Great Wall of China Inspired Modern Firewalls 26:28

1M ago26:28

26:28

Send us a text In this week’s episode, Jimmy takes on the unexpected connection between ancient fortifications and modern cybersecurity. With his signature mix of humor, curiosity, and overconfidence, he explores how the Great Wall of China wasn’t just a wall—it was a symbol, a system, and a psychological statement. Drawing parallels to today’s fir…

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SIO478: This AI Is Not My Girlfriend, It's My... Social Agent... 41:14

1M ago41:14

41:14

It's part 2 with Alejandro and Julia from theluddite.org! We get the worst AI "research" of all, we talk big picture, and then Alejandro and Julia give us some tools for spotting bad AI research and coverage on our own! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episode…

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SIO477: Debunking Bad AI Research, and Bad Coverage of AI Research 44:16

1M ago44:16

44:16

Alejandro and Julia of theluddite.org join us to debunk some terrible AI research, and the bad reporting compounding the problems on top of that. Also, what is AI? Can it ever think for itself? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and oth…

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SIO476: Greg Palast Claims the Election Was Stolen. Let's Check His Work. PART 2 54:12

1M ago54:12

54:12

This is a part 2! Make sure to catch the previous episode in the feed. If you're on the left and at all active on the internet, you have probably seen this shared. It's called "Trump Lost. Vote Suppression Won." Here's the first bit: "Trump lost. That is, if all legal voters were allowed to vote, if all legal ballots were counted, Trump would have …

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Cell phones, Cinemas, and Comestibles: Canada’s Conundrum with Monopolies, with Vass Bednar 1:14:18

1M ago1:14:18

1:14:18

Vass Bednar is the Executive Director of McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy program, and the co-author of The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians. Our conversation starts with the observation that many sectors in Canada’s economy are dominated by one or only a few firms. Vass and Leslie discuss whether that is good …

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SIO475: Greg Palast Claims the Election Was Stolen. Let's Check His Work. 1:00:43

1M ago1:00:43

1:00:43

If you're on the left and at all active on the internet, you have probably seen this shared. It's called "Trump Lost. Vote Suppression Won." Here's the first bit: "Trump lost. That is, if all legal voters were allowed to vote, if all legal ballots were counted, Trump would have lost the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Vice-…

1
April Fool’s Day 29:23

1M ago29:23

29:23

Send us a text In this week's episode, Jimmy dives headfirst into the playful chaos of April Fool’s Day, exploring its mysterious origins, quirky traditions, and why humans just can’t resist a good prank. With his signature mix of humor and curiosity, Jimmy unpacks centuries-old theories, from calendar confusion in France to medieval mischief, whil…

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DIY Genetic Engineering: Risky or Revolutionary? 32:49

2M ago32:49

32:49

Send us a text In this episode, we dive headfirst into the wild world of DIY genetic engineering, where mail-order CRISPR kits promise to put the power of DNA editing into the hands of literally anyone with an internet connection. Jimmy breaks down what CRISPR actually is (spoiler: it’s not a fancy air fryer), how scientists discovered it by steali…

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Trials and tribulations trying to bring a refugee to Canada 50:43

2M ago50:43

50:43

In 2019, Brian and Brent (members of the Calgary-based Rocky Mountain Atheists) joined a “Group of Five (G5)” sponsorship committee (one of the ways Canada allows private citizens to resettle refugees in Canada) to bring a UN recognized refugee, Omer, to Canada. When Omer expressed doubts about his faith, he had to flee his native country of Pakist…

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Shadow People: interdimensional beings or bad lighting? 30:33

2M ago30:33

30:33

Send us a text In this week’s episode of The Internet Explorer's Podcast, Jimmy dives headfirst into the eerie phenomenon of shadow people. Are they interdimensional travelers, misbehaving ghosts, or just your brain playing tricks on you? In this episode about the penultimate human experience, Jimmy untangles the science behind sleep paralysis, the…

1
Why Aliens Prefer Crop Circles 30:16

2M ago30:16

30:16

Send us a text Jimmy ventures into the mysterious world of crop circles with a guest named Doug, a military aviator fascinated by symbols and patterns. They explore whether crop circles are elaborate pranks, artistic statements, or messages from inter-dimensional travelers. Through a mix of humor and insight, Jimmy and Doug examine the history of c…

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037: Christians And Secular Music. With Andy Sarmiento 1:01:32

2M ago1:01:32

1:01:32

Send us a text Andy and I navigate the complex relationship between Christianity and secular music, exploring how believers can maintain spiritual integrity while creating or consuming non-worship music. • Andy shares his journey into music starting with church influences and his uncle's rock music collection • We discuss whether Christians should …

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Taking Inspiration from Greek History With Evaggelos Vallianatos 49:03

2M ago49:03

49:03

The ancient Greeks had a profound influence not only on their own world, but also on what would become Western culture as a whole. In this episode of Point of Inquiry, Jim chats with Evaggelos Villianatos, a Greek scholar who sheds an interesting light on how his ancestors helped shape the science, arts, language and governments of the modern world…

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Distinguishing jargon from gobbledygook - Dr. Jonathan Stea on evidence-based medicine over wellness industry misinformation 1:05:15

2M ago1:05:15

1:05:15

Jonathan Stea (BlueSky, Facebook) is a full-time practicing clinical psychologist and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary. In today’s episode, Jonathan reveals that many mental health practitioners have no scientific grounding for their treatments, which can lead to disaster - yet it can be ve…

1
Sun Gazing for Better Vision 30:47

2M ago30:47

30:47

Send us a text I did something reckless. No, I didn’t stare at the sun—but I did go deep into the bizarre world of sun gazing, where people genuinely believe that frying their eyeballs is the key to unlocking hidden energy, healing their bodies, and maybe even gaining superpowers. Spoiler: It’s not. In this episode, I break down why people believe …

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SIO474: They've Been Telling Us They'd Do This for a Long Time. Many Just Weren't Listening 43:51

2M ago43:51

43:51

Katherine Stewart joins us again (she was on episode 439) to talk about her new book, Money, Lies, and God! Katherine's books have been vital to understanding the Right. This book tackles different factions - the billionaires, Christian Nationlists, and the New Right, among others - and their strange alliances that have successfully taken over our …

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The Truth About Medieval Alchemy 26:54

2M ago26:54

26:54

Send us a text In this week’s episode, Jimmy dives into the bizarre and captivating world of medieval alchemy, inspired by a cryptic fortune cookie that sent him spiraling down a rabbit hole of lead, gold, and questionable experiments. Joined by Alex Carter, a curator and archivist with a love for ancient technologies, the two unravel the mysteries…

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036: From TikTok Trends to Government Secrets 2:07:24

3M ago2:07:24

2:07:24

Send us a text An intriguing mix of humor and serious topics dives deep into airplane crashes, media influences, and the reality of gun control and justice. We explore how personal anecdotes shape our understanding of larger societal issues, ultimately challenging our listeners to reflect on their values and beliefs. - Opening conversation about wi…

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Burkas, beatings and bicycles - The life of Yasmine Mohammed 1:07:11

3M ago1:07:11

1:07:11

Yasmine Mohammed is a human rights activist and author of Unveiled: How the West Empowers Radical Muslims. Yasmine is one of the most prominent and vocal figures supporting persecuted freethinkers across the globe, from elevating the voices of marginalized freethinkers on her podcast, to creating a global network of allies across religious and poli…

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Skeptical Inquiry Podcasts

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