[ weird things ] | skepticism
articles tagged: skepticism
why we need to resurrect the skeptical movement
# politics

why we need to resurrect the skeptical movement

Organized skepticism was once covered in every major publication around the world. Why did it seemingly vanish overnight? And what damage did its implosion leave behind?

why a scientist wants to look for ufo shards in the ocean, and why he’ll fail
# astrobiology

why a scientist wants to look for ufo shards in the ocean, and why he’ll fail

An astronomer who keeps making wild claims about alien technology in our solar system now claims there are parts of an alien spaceship in the Pacific Ocean.

why your contrarian take is almost certainly wrong
# education

why your contrarian take is almost certainly wrong

Today’s media is addicted to contrarian takes on everything. And those takes are almost always just attention-grabbing clickbait.

what you don’t understand about anti-intellectualism can literally kill you
# science

what you don’t understand about anti-intellectualism can literally kill you

We often think anti-intellectualism and ignorance are the same thing. They're not. Anti-intellectualism is a lot eviler and more corrosive, and a lot more dangerous.

why skeptical groups died and why we need to bring them back
# politics

why skeptical groups died and why we need to bring them back

Skeptical groups were poised to bring science and critical thinking to the masses. They failed in their mission. But did they ever really have a chance to succeed?

how social media ruined expertise and how to get it back
# tech

how social media ruined expertise and how to get it back

Thanks to social media, everybody can be a pundit today, and that’s ruining how we build a factual understanding of our world and what’s happening in it.

world of weird things podcast: close encounters of the ufo kind
# podcast

world of weird things podcast: close encounters of the ufo kind

Once again, stories of military officers spotting UFOs and never getting answers to their questions are making their way through the media. Why are these tales so common?

how google learned to stop trying to make cold fusion happen
# science

how google learned to stop trying to make cold fusion happen

For some inexplicable reason, Google funded an experiment to test whether cold fusion is possible. It's not and can't be unless everything we know about physics is wrong.

how to dive into the belly of the fake news beast
# oddities

how to dive into the belly of the fake news beast

Both Finland and the United States have a serious fake news problem, but only one of them has been successful in tacking it. How this played out is both instructive and disturbing

world of weird things podcast: sci-fi’s worst weapons
# podcast

world of weird things podcast: sci-fi’s worst weapons

Some of the most frequently seen and impressive sci-fi weapons in movies and TV shows have a dirty little secret. They wouldn’t actually work as advertised, if they work at all.

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