Skeptics with a K

With QED behind them, the team take a well deserved rest. Instead, we have this rare archive segment originally recorded for episode 200, when Mike, Marsh and Alice were joined by Colin to tackle a new Fantastic Fact.

Live from QED 2023, Marsh looks at what Gematria says about QED and Skeptics with a K, Alice pokes fun at supplement pedlars Black Forest, and Mike reads savage podcast reviews.

With QED looming, Alice looks at the burgeoning Kardashian wellness empire 'Poosh', and Marsh asks if there is more to recent calls to ban nitrates and nitrites from school dinners than there may first appear.This is your final call for QED tickets, with only the last couple of dozen remaining! Tickets are £149, £129 for students or under-18s, or just £39 to watch the live stream of the main stage. Pick up yours today at qedcon.org/tickets Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

This week, Mike talks about software piracy and copy protection, and the risk of a video game black hole, and Marsh looks at recent messaging from the World Health Organisation which seems to promote 'traditional medicine'.Meanwhile, Alice and Marsh watch the birds of prey display at a music festival.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.The final few tickets for QED are available now - grab yours before it's too late!

In this extended episode, Mike looks at the recent 82 minute video from the YouTuber Medlife Crisis about the amazing power of the placebo effect. Meanwhile, Alice and Marsh stumble upon an injured man and step in to help.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Alice looks into the supposed health benefits of mouth taping, and Marsh dives into the career of the controversial cardiologist, and critic of mRNA vaccines, Aseem Malhotra.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.For more information about the petition demanding action from the General Medical Council against Dr Malhotra, visit https://goodlawproject.org/petition/the-gmc-must-take-a-stand-against-doctors-who-spread-false-and-misleading-information-about-vaccines/To help support the judicial review, you can donate at https://actions.goodlawproject.org/gmc_crowdfunder

Marsh reports more on the Better Way conference, including the attendance of the MP for North West Leicestershire, Andrew Bridgen. Meanwhile, Mike returns from London to look at viral maths problems and why BODMAS isn't necessarily the answer.Tickets for QED are still available, and Skeptics with a K will be appearing live! If you want to see the show recorded live, or the live InKredulous, you can pick up your tickets now from the QED website.

This week, Alice looks at media reports around the IARC classification of aspartame as carcinogenic and Mike asks 'why did the chicken cross the road?' Meanwhile, Marsh faces off against crypto scammers and Mike takes a holiday.Tickets for QED are available now. Get yours today!If you want to sign up to speak at SkeptiCamp, you can do that at sitp.online/skepticampTo support Emma running to QED for the Prison Reform Trust, you can do that justgiving.com/page/emmarunstoqed

The regular team are joined again by Kat to talk about the recent Panorama documentary on the use of private clinics for ADHD diagnosis. Meanwhile, Mike finds out that his bathtub is incredibly tiny.Tickets for QED are available now, pick up yours at qedcon.org

Mike, Marsh and Alice are joined by Kat, to talk about the opening session of the Better Way Conference, a three-day anti-vaccine event which promises to unveil a 'better way for health, freedom & sovereignty'.If you want to donate to the Skeptics in the Pub Online QED attendance fund, or apply to the fund, you can do so at sitp.online/qed.If you want to donate to Emma's efforts to run from Liverpool to Manchester for QED, in support of prison reform, you can do that at justgiving.com/page/emmarunstoqedIf you'd like to apply to speak at SkeptiCamp 2023, you can do that at sitp.online/skepticampAnd, of course, if you want to meet Mike, Marsh, Kat - and especially Alice - at QED 2023, tickets are available now from qedcon.org.

Marsh looks at the 'Healy' bio-resonance tool that works to support the energetic field of your body, and Mike looks at how science communicators can get the placebo effect wrong. Meanwhile, Alice has a swarm of bees appear outside her house.If you want to donate to our Charity Walk in aid of Refugee Action, you can do that at justgiving.com/page/mss-charity-walk-2023.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

This week, Alice talks about the Alexander Technique and the claims it can help with breathing problems including asthma. And Mike looks at how end-to-end encryption is impacted by the Online Safety Bill. Meanwhile, Marsh and Alice return from a trip to Bratislava.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Marsh looks at the conspiracist reaction to the UK government Emergency Alerts test, and Alice looks into the TikTok trend of 'mewing' and the dental field of orthotropics. Meanwhile, Mike has been watching Porridge.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Marsh investigates the radicalisation of the conservative website The Conservative Woman, and Mike takes a look at ChatGPT and its inability to stop lying. Meanwhile, Emma runs 50 miles and Alice climbs Arthur's Seat.If you enjoy the podcast, please consider subscribing to our Patreon page. We don't take advertising or sponsorship on the show, all our funding comes from our listeners. We can't do this without you.

Alice dives into what is meant by 'open research' and why that is valuable, and Mike looks at TikTok and the recent US congressional hearings about banning the app. Meanwhile, Marsh returns from a holiday in France and Mike goes to live with giraffes.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

In this one-off episode of Skeptics with a K, the regular team step aside for International Women's Day. Lana, Emma, and Kat get together to talk about co-sleeping and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, women's ultramarathon performance, and a recent paper which looks at young women and anal sex.If listeners want to skip Lana's story on SIDS, it finishes at 0:44:30.If you want to donate to Emma's efforts to raise money for Refugee Women Connect, visit refugeewomenconnect.org.uk/fundraisers/runningreallyfarforrefugeewomen.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Marsh looks at the Telegram furore around 15-Minute Cities and Alice investigates the practitioners of Kambo therapy, a folk medicine derived from tree-frog secretions. Meanwhile, Mike takes a last-minute trip to the Royal Shakespeare Company.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

With Marsh unwell, Alice and Mike are joined by Emma to talk about the efficacy of interventions for prisoners with personality disorders, and the people who cheat at speed running computer games.If you want to donate to Emma's efforts to raise money for Refugee Women Connect, visit refugeewomenconnect.org.uk/fundraisers/runningreallyfarforrefugeewomen.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Alice looks at the 'menstrual masking', the latest beauty trend from TikTok, while Mike looks closer at the Hawthorne Effect and whether the original Hawthorne experiments actually demonstrate the effect. Meanwhile, Marsh leads the rock 'n' roll life when he buys a new radiator.

Alice investigates the Tesla BioHealing medbed, which promises to recharge every cell in the body, and Marsh looks at the realtime slide of Andrew Bridgen MP into anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. Meanwhile, Mike plays the Good Samaritan on Christmas Day.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Welcome to 2023! This week, Mike talks about the promotion of misinformation on Twitter by its new owner Elon Musk, and Marsh looks into a website scam based around false copyright claims and backlinks. Meanwhile, Alice has a bad Christmas.You can support the show by donating via our Patreon, or by leaving us a positive review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or your podcatcher of choice.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

For the final episode of the year, Mike, Marsh and Alice take a break from the usual format to talk about QED, how the event works, and our top tips on how we think skeptical events can be run.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Alice looks at the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, while Mike looks at the evidence for mix-and-match vaccination. Plus, Mike has some very strange dreams.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Coming to you live from QED 2022, Marsh talks about the best-selling book ‘Greatest Forgiveness: Bring Joy and Peace to Your Life with the Power of Unconditional Forgiveness’ by Qigong Master Zhi Gang Sha, Mike looks at the Heatfiniti portable heater (which can heat a 500 square foot room for just a dime), and Alice runs down her top five pseudosciences exploiting anyone going through the menopause.

In the final episode of Skeptics with a K before the return of QED, Mike talks about claims that one episode of Doctor Who was stolen from a ten year old, while Marsh investigates Biofield patches, the new quantum technology that uses beneficial frequencies and titanium to tell your body what to do.If you want to donate to Emma’s efforts to raise money for the National Autistic Society by running around a prison, you can do so at justgiving.com/emmarunsaroundprisonIf you want to donate to support the Merseyside Skeptics Society efforts to raise money for the Stroke Association, you can do that at justgiving.com/mssq

Alice is back from holiday, to talk about how to read a scientific paper, and Mike talks about how the prison system disproportionately impacts autistic people. Meanwhile, the whole team goes to see Brian Cox and Robin Ince live in Liverpool - with unexpected results!Tickets for QED are still available, priced just £120 (£80 for students and under 18s).Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

With Alice away on holiday, Mike and Marsh are joined by Mark Horne to talk about the ancient aliens conference in Blackpool, and anti-aging claims of wave genetics. Meanwhile, Mike has been to Scotland.Tickets for QED 2022 are still available, grab yours now at qedcon.org.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Marsh talks about what a new Monarch and a new Prime Minister means for skepticism, and Mike discusses scientific models and when we should break with them. Meanwhile, Alice has been to the European Skeptics Congress.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Alice takes a look into the facts behind the painkiller fentanyl and the reported dangers of accidental exposure, while Mike talks about autistic-coded characters in fiction and how their treatment impacts autistic people. Plus Emma takes Mike to see Hamilton live in London.Tickets for QED are still available, priced £120 or £80 for students and under-18s.If you want to see Alice live at the European Skeptics Congress, you can register here, Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Mike, Marsh and Alice are joined by returning guest Emma to talk about the reasons behind the UK Barristers’ strike. Meanwhile, Marsh looks into a recent job posting for an NHS reiki practitioner, and Mike spills his drink on someone’s arse at the theatre.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.You can donate to the Marfan Trust, the beneficiary of our charity walk, at justgiving.com/merseyskeptics2022.Tickets for QED are on sale now, priced £120 or £80 for students and under-18s.

Marsh is back! He re-joins Mike and Alice to talk about new evidence which says the Loch Ness monster is plausible, and the speaker Mas Sajady, who claims to have changed everything we knew about human transformation.Tickets for QED are on sale now, pick up yours today.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

While Marsh is stranded in the USA, Mike and Alice are joined by special guest Lana to talk about Mindfulness Meditation, Breast Implant Illness, and the latest TikTok trend ‘vabbing’. Meanwhile, Alice takes up permanent residence in the sunshine and Mike hands back his Doctor Who fan card.Find Lana on Twitch at twitch.tv/alytanks.

Mike looks into the academic history of one of the world’s most prominent placebo researchers, while Alice talks about Poppy Delbridge and her presentation on Emotional Freedom Technique at the Get Well conference.Tickets for QED are available now from qedcon.org.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Marsh and Alice take a long weekend in London to visit the Get Well conference, from the people behind What Doctor’s Don’t Tell You. Meanwhile, Mike looks into claims that Google has created a sentient artificial intelligence.Tickets for QED 2022 are now available, priced £120 or £80 for students or under 18s. You can pick up your ticket today at qedcon.org.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Mike, Marsh and Alice are joined by Emma and special guest Aaron Rabinowitz to talk about the anti-vaccine, Sovereign Citizen, Q-friendly conference Better Way. Meanwhile, everyone gets COVID.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.For more from Aaron, you can find him on twitter at @ETVpod, and as host of Embrace the Void and Philosophers in Space. He also writes regularly for The Skeptic.

Part two of Alice and Marsh talking about their experiences at the Great Awakening Tour in Birmingham, where the event turned to Gematria, cryptocurrency, soul contracts, and the bizarre predictive power of the movie Back to the Future.Mixed and edited by Morgan ClarkeNote: we made an edit to the show after publication to remove some comments about a statue that was made by a problematic sculptor (which we did not realise until after publication).

Marsh and Alice present part one of their experiences at the Great Awakening Tour in Birmingham, a nexus of conspiracy theories, anti-vaccine activism, sovereign citizens, and amateur poetry. Meanwhile, Mike is excited for the casting of the new Doctor.Mixed and edited by Morgan ClarkeNote: we made an edit to the show after publication to remove some comments about a statue that was made by a problematic sculptor (which we did not realise until after publication).

Emma returns to talk about the planned changes to the parole system, while Mike ponders what was the first ever science fiction story. Meanwhile, Alice and Marsh talk about their adventures in South Wales and Mike cuts a cake with a sword.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Alice digs into the evidence behind the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, and Marsh asks why charities who pedal nonsense about autism are able to maintain their charitable status. Meanwhile, Emma makes a flying visit to talk about the Manchester marathon.If you want to donate to Emma’s marathon effort for Refugee Women Connect, visit justgiving.com/emmarunsmanchestermarathonMixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Alice looks into the claims that the COVID-19 vaccine causes changes in menstruation, and Mike falls down a rabbit hole when he asks why dogs need to take vitamins. Meanwhile, the whole team is exhausted from celebrating the civil partnership of regular guest host Emma.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Marsh gives an update on Gerson therapy, and how the Charities Commission regulates the promotion of alternative medicine. Meanwhile, Mike looks into the apparently eerie and uncanny ability of The Simpsons to predict the future.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

This week, Mike, Marsh and Alice are joined again by Emma to talk about open prisons and the abscondment of Paul Robson. Meanwhile Alice talks about the human fascination with food and health, and Marsh gives an update about the White Rose and talks about reaching anti-vaxxers.Please note that Emma’s story contains some references to sexual offences.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.If you want to donate to support Emma fundraising for Women’s Refugee Connect, you can do so at justgiving.com/emmarunsmanchestermarathon

Alice talks about the conspiracy theory which claims HIV cases are rising because of vaccinations, while Mike explains why you probably don’t need a VPN and takes a quick trip to the Apple Store.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Marsh looks at the YouTube interview between former London mayoral candidate Brian Rose and the conspiracy theorist David Icke. Meanwhile Mike talks about the claim that placebos are getting more powerful, and Alice finds an unconventional use for chopsticks.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

This week, Marsh examines the nature of consensus and how people can be misled by it, while Alice looks into the topical Ayurvedic skin cream ‘Dermaved’, recently withdrawn after it was found to be adulterated with steroids. Meanwhile, Mike watches Hamilton.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke

Happy New Year! This episode, Mike annoys cryptocurrency fans talking about web3 and non-fungible tokens, and Marsh examines SEO-baiting ‘news’ articles and sponsored scientific studies. Meanwhile, Alice talks about her December commitment ceremony.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Mike exploits a captive Christmas audience to tell the story of the unknown actor who claims to have secretly played the lead in Doctor Who.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Alice and Marsh discuss what happened when they attended a raucous and public discussion on idea of Vaccine Passports.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Mike, Marsh and Alice are joined once again by Emma to talk about the recent decision to recall Colin Pitchfork to prison, and Marsh talks about the recent terrorist attack at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.Due to the nature of Colin Pitchfork’s offences, this episode makes occasional references to murder and rape which some listeners may wish to avoid.

Alice looks into Apitherapy, the practice of using bee stings for therapeutic purposes, and Marsh talks about COP26 and the ‘charitable’ lobbying efforts of climate change denial. Meanwhile Mike gets excited about the new series of Doctor Who.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.