Numerous Silky Updates

This week in the Yeah… Nah! podcast, there’s a smorgasbord of skeptical topics for you to gorge yourself on. Bronwyn has updates to her previous articles on Cryonics, the Warrens, the Campbells and ISTA, while Katrina has concerns about how poor numeracy can have detrimental health outcomes. And Mark has been patiently waiting for a new game, Silksong, to be released, and has found an interesting parallel to how conspiracy theorists behave amongst the many people hyped up about the game’s long-awaited release. About this episode Articles we talk about: Skeptical Updates Numeracy and Health Outcomes Silkposting and Rabbit Holes Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-09-01

In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast there’s just one topic on all of our minds - The Telepathy Tapes. Bronwyn, Mark and Katrina talk to Janyce Boynton from the US about the world of Facilitated Communication (FC). Janyce is not only hugely knowledgeable about the world of FC, but was also once a practitioner herself. The conversation ranges from the 1990s through to today, covering not only FC but also RPM, S2C, telepathy, false abuse accusations, the complicity of higher education, copyright strikes, and a whole lot more. About this episode Articles we talk about: Wham, Bam, Autism scams: The Telepathy Tapes Part 1 Wham, Bam, Autism scams: The Telepathy Tapes Part 2 Quantum communication in telepathy The Talk Tracks The Telepathy Tapes Talk Tracks Two: Back for More Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-08-04 2025-08-18

Despite the fact that all our podcast hosts wrote about the same topic for our newsletter this week, we’ve still ended up with a variety of discussions for the podcast. Bronwyn and Mark not only talk about The Telepathy Tapes, but also about their visit to see a talk given by Brother Guy Consolmagno, the head Vatican Astronomer. Katrina thoroughly debunks the idea that quantum entanglement could explain telepathy between individuals who have been in close proximity to each other, and Mark laments the end of his regular Skeptical Activism evenings in Wellington. About this episode Articles we talk about: Wham, Bam, Autism scams: The Telepathy Tapes Part 1 Quantum communication in telepathy The Talk Tracks Goodbye Activism Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-08-04

Katrina’s back from her holiday, so we’re back to full strength for this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast. Mark and Bronwyn visited a faith healing night, and they recount their experiences and their thoughts on whether God was present on the night. Katrina’s been trying to figure out whether a mixture of nootropics and neuroplasticity can rewire your brain. Mark’s been looking into a “cult” that’s so new the paint’s not even dry yet. And Bronwyn wonders whether the latest event related to Ed and Lorraine Warren might be different to all the others, or if it’s just more of the same nonsense. About this episode Articles we talk about: Neuroplasticity and nootropics Pioneer Ministry’s Revival Night Possessed doll strikes again? Children of the Waning Star Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-07-21

Katrina’s been away on holiday, so we’ve replaced her in this episode with Aaron, an ex Jehovah’s Witness who’s spent some time on the NZ Skeptics committee. Mark and Aaron talk about Aaron’s attempt to prove Mark wrong about Diet Coke, and the lessons learned from this test about blind testing. Bronwyn completes her series on cryonics with a grab-bag of interesting facts she’s learned. And Mark seems to have got more than he bargained for when he looked into a silly idea about how you’re supposed to “implant” seeds so that they can better serve your needs. About this episode Articles we talk about: Diet Coke Blind Test Over-confidence and Cola Seed Imprinting and Anastasia’s Ringing Cedars Ringing Cedars in New Zealand? A brief history of immortality: 80 years of Cryonics Part 3 Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-06-09 2025-07-07

We figured there was a lot more life in the idea of people trying to live forever, so all three of our podcast hosts this week - Bronwyn, Katrina and Mark - have picked a topic related to human lifespans. Katrina lets us know how long we can expect people to live, and how both the average life expectancy and upper age limit of living people have changed over time. Mark has been looking into the people who try to use science to extend their lifespan for as long as possible, with some hoping to live forever - although they seem to be trusting more in pseudoscience than evidence-backed treatments. And Bronwyn has compared and contrasted the most well-known cryonics companies, as well as looking into a curious early attempt to bring cryonics to New Zealand. About this episode Articles we talk about: A brief history of immortality: 80 years of Cryonics Part 2 Radical Life Extension How long can humans live? Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-06-23

Having been a week late with the last episode, we’re following up with an on-time episode, meaning you can listen to Yeah… Nah! two weeks in a row. This week Katrina wonders whether Trump’s Golden Dome idea of a missile defence shield around the US has any merit, and Bronwyn talks about the history of cryonics (not cryogenics). We also chat about our plan to cover the Telepathy Tapes, and suggest that some of our more intrepid listeners might want to try to listen to that podcast before we start talking about it - but beware, it’s horrifically pseudoscientific and intellectually painful to listen to. About this episode Articles we talk about: The Golden Dome A brief history of immortality: 80 years of Cryonics, Part 1 Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-06-09

As Bronwyn’s been on holiday overseas and come back suffering from food poisoning, we’ve recorded this episode a little late - but we’re sure it’s worth the wait! Mark gives his thoughts on John Campbell’s recent documentary series Under His Command, about the controversial Destiny Church and its leader, “Apostle” Brian Tamaki. Katrina looks into the scientific evidence for and against the idea of Mansplaining as a phenomenon, Bronwyn gives us an update on recent bad behaviour by members of the secretive Two by Twos church, and Mark’s been seeing some worrying trends when it comes to what Google’s search AI chooses to answer or refuse to answer. About this episode Articles we talk about: Update on the Two by Twos Review: Under His Command Is ‘mansplaining’ a thing? Better a Skeptic than Two Geese Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-05-26

We’re all over the show with our new episode of Yeah… Nah!, starting with Mark talking about his recent visit to another Creationist talk - and this one was as inspiring as it was factual. Katrina’s been concerning herself with the question of whether octopuses are going to take over the world, and Bronwyn’s managed to dig up some archive material about a small church in Lower Hutt that appears to have had more than its fair share of controversy and bad behaviour during its lifetime. About this episode Articles we talk about: How Creationism Hurts My Brain Could Octopodes take over the world? Commonwealth Covenant Church: A forgotten NZ sect Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-05-12 Mentioned in this episode: Dr Kemp’s Petition Decult Film Night

In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast, the team ponder an email sent in by Barry Lennox, who knows a little more about EMF than the people selling EMF Rocks. Katrina finishes off her series on Sovereign Citizens, looking at how the courts have dealt with the madness, and Bronwyn and Mark both have some weird and wonderful stories about the Catholic church, just in time for the Conclave. About this episode Articles we talk about: Catholic Conspiracies Holy Weed and Holy Forgeries SoulCore - Catholic Yoga EMF WooWoo Sovereign Citizens: Part Three - the Courts Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-04-28