Episode #445

Mike looks at stories about Tesco removing Christmas from products to avoid causing offence, and Marsh has an encounter with a fan of Joe Rogan on the train home.Sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics.You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Marsh talks about what happened when he asked every Trading Standards office about consumer complaints and Cancer Act investigations. Meanwhile, Mike still has no luck trying to find a massage.The Good Thinking Society video investigating psychics in Blackpool can be found on YouTube.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics.You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Alice presents her top five favourite bits of Christmas gift wellness woo, before preparing to jet off to Lithuania for a long weekend.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics.You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Mike asks what is really happening when people report 'out of body experiences' and how we know. Meanwhile, Alice has to handle a job interview with a dislocated jaw.Watch Susan Blackmore's excellent talk on the science of out of body experiences for QED 2016 over on YouTube.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics.You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Alice looks at the increase in employers offering egg freezing as a perk of the job, and the knock-on effects of that. Meanwhile, Mike has trouble leaving Brighton.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics.You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

Mike takes a brief look at the human trials mentioned in the systematic review being used to support a link between autism and paracetamol.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics.You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

In the aftermath of QED, Marsh talks about the communities skepticism and built and ways they can be used to make a difference. Meanwhile, Mike visits a water park and Marsh goes to Hadrian's Wall.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics.You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.Mixed and edited by Morgan Clarke.

We are live from QED 2025! Alice talks about Nutmaxxing, where men try to enhance the volume of their semen, Marsh looks as a plug-in gadget which claims to reduce your electricity bills, and Mike asks what evidence there is that paracetamol really works.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics. We won't try and upsell you with perks and prizes, but your donations help us do the things we do.

Alice looks at what happens when you go on a 'dopamine fast' and whether the claims about it from influencers match the biology. Meanwhile, with just hours to go before QED, the team are remarkably relaxed.Online tickets for the final QED are still available, pick up yours today. You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics

Mike asks if the Turing Test is really a meaningful tool for gauging the state of artificial intelligence, and the team has the last few announcements for QED 2025.Online tickets for the final QED are still available, pick up yours today. You can also chat with us on the Skeptics in the Pub Discord server.You can sign up for the Skeptics with a K Patreon at https://patreon.com/skepticswithak, or to support Merseyside Skeptics as well as the podcast, donate at https://patreon.com/merseyskeptics