Brian Dunning

Don't buy that extended warranty. No, really, REALLY don't buy it. Ever. There are at least two things you can do that are much, much better

Extended warranties — not only for your car but for any electronics or appliance — are ALWAYS bad deals. The reason they exist is because the house always wins. Never buy one. Today on my Substack:

The burden of proof is on the claimant — not on me OMG! Another alien autopsy! There is no other possible explanation

The burden of proof is always on the claimant — especially in this case, when the claim comes from someone with a long, proven history of hoaxing. No, I’m not going to waste my time researching your ridiculous alien autopsy

The Phantom Clown Panic - Skeptoid Clowns have a habit of terrifying many of us. So why shouldn't we be surprised to see mass clown panics?

Mass panics about marauding clowns have been around for a long time; despite actual people in clown suits being statistically virtually nonexistent. So why do they continue? Ben Radford guest hosts this week's Skeptoid Podcast: skep.us/1001

Death Valley 2025 Skeptoid event on October 21, 2025

It is that time again! Did you miss our Death Valley adventure last year? We're doing it again! Read the details at skeptoid.com/events/30309

Think twice before rounding up to support that Point-of-Sale charity... Point of sale charities lack transparency and often

Warning: Rounding up to support some unfamiliar charity at checkout just might be the worst way to spend your donation dollars.

US Army soldiers to receive mandatory religious training "Spiritual readiness must be leader-driven at every echelon," says the Army's new Spiritual Fitness Guide, which is required for all soldiers

US Army soldiers will now undergo mandatory religious instruction. On my latest Substack:

It will forever be known as a Chinese invention henceforth.

Yes, it is the famous French artist Mid Journey.

Candle on the Water - Skeptoid Today marks the 1000th Skeptoid episode. And it's time to raise the question: What are you going to do for it?

It was 19 years in the making, and Skeptoid episode #1000 finally dropped this week. In it, I ask you all the most important question: skeptoid.com/episodes/1000

The Endangerment Finding has always been a house of cards. Curbing carbon emissions needed its own Act from the EPA; it was never going to hold as part of the Clean Air Act. open.substack.com/pub/briandun...

Thank you! 🙏🏼

The "Endangerment Finding" on CO₂ Was Wrong from the Beginning Greenhouses gases that drive global warming should have had a much stronger position in the EPA's mandate.

When the 2009 EPA named CO₂ as “dangerous to human health,” they built a house of straw — and today’s EPA had no trouble blowing it down. It was a foolish move. Today on my Substack:

Washboarded roads!

Tuesday the 5th is Skeptoid #1000. What should I do to celebrate?

Jeremy Corbell's latest UFO is even dumber than most. Shot over Afghanistan in 2020, this alleged "disk" might look impressively unexplainable — until someone explains it.

You’ve likely seen the subject of today’s Substack on the news, perhaps a month or so ago. It’s a new UFO video in which a mysterious disk streaks across the sky, captured on thermal video by an unknown operator over Afghanistan. My piece today (partly paywalled):

YouTube video by BetterGeology Peaceful Geology of the Wood River in Oregon

I kind of like this guy. But I'm biased. youtube.com/shorts/jCpSy...

Day of the Medieval Dead Medieval tales of walking corpses reflect common misunderstandings of death and the era's blurred line between myth and reality.

Turn 666 upside down and you'll (appropriately) get this week's episode number, 999 — when the medieval dead arose and walked the Earth. A special Skeptoid Podcast by @deborahhyde.bsky.social: skeptoid.com/episodes/999

The skeptical community stinks — and other thumb-sucking complaints that should be ignored You don't like the schisms that divide the "skeptical community"? Horrors. Imagine if you also had to live in the rest of the world.

Contrary to popular opinion, the “skeptical community” or “organized skepticism” is alive and well. It is resilient, powerful, and not subject to the imagined problems some try to claim. Today on my Substack:

The Manifestation Trap: OCD and the Law of Attraction What began as 19th-century mind-cure mysticism has morphed into a billion-dollar culture that may be hurting more minds than it helps.

The "Law of Attraction" isn't just fake pseudoscience, it can actually be psychologically harmful for people suffering from OCD. On this week's Skeptoid: skep.us/998

Freedom Riders John Lewis and Jim Zwerg after having heard someone say something mean, and running home to tell their parents to have someone canceled.

A UFO has shot down a US fighter plane It is believed to be the first case of its kind.

For the first time, a UFO has brought down an American fighter plane. Today on my Substack:

My effort to make a poop emoji was a failure.

Because they are wrong.

Yay! You took my advice! 😉
Naturally, the universe has conspired to block my attendance, but i would be there if i could. Haven’t been to the UK in… 24 years??

Many Northern Lights aficionados say they can hear the popping sounds from an aurora. Is that possible? Can they really make sound, and if so, can some people hear it? We find out in this week's Skeptoid: skep.us/997

Tickets to watch live would go fast… 😉😉

Don't look now, but your church might be legitimately evil. While you've been paying attention to other things, the New Apostolic Reformation has been rolling its tank tracks over the skulls of both secular democracy and traditional Christianity.

You may have never heard of the New Apostolic Reformation or its Seven Mountains Mandate — but their Christian Supremacy objectives are taking shape in front of you. They are the stated enemy of both secular democracy and traditional Christianity, and they are taking power. Today on my Substack:

Skeptoid Adventures: The Bermuda Triangle! skeptoid.com/events

Where are we?
#SkeptoidAdventures

Our mini skeptics con at sea is underway! Part of our #SkeptoidAdventures trip to the Bermuda Triangle. Sign up here to get emails about upcoming Skeptoid Adventures: skeptoid.com/events