Zholia Gerson Loeb Circumcision War

We’ve covered some serious topics in this week’s podcast, and some that are thankfully a little more light-hearted. Mark talks about a media request the NZ Skeptics have received to answer questions about UFOs, hoping to make it abundantly clear that despite a number of UFO articles on our website, we don’t actually believe that little green men are visiting us. Bronwyn has delved into our project to collate events of skeptical interest, and looks at what skeptical events happened this fortnight in history. Katrina tackles a more serious topic, of Parental Alienation, asking whether this “syndrome” is even real. And finally Mark continues in this serious vein by looking into New Zealand’s main Men’s Rights website, wondering why the site’s members seem to spend most of their time denigrating women and posting pseudoscientific nonsense. About this episode Articles we talk about: Interview Request for Student Magazine Project This fortnight in skeptical history - October 28th to November 9th The Problem with Family Court Social Science MENZ vs Reality Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-10-28

We have more topics than usual on this week’s Yeah… Nah! podcast episode, with Bronwyn talking about Zholia Alemi and RFK Jr’s circumcision claims, Mark talking about the new book The War on Science and Avi Loeb’s doom and gloom predictions that aliens are coming to kill us, and finally Katrina talking about Gerson Therapy and another sad case of someone foregoing proper medical treatment, with dire consequences. Plus we have an update of sorts on the (non)Rapture of 2025. About this episode Articles we talk about: Wham, Bam, Autism scams: Circumcisions and Autism The Actual War on Science Gerson Therapy strikes again More bad medicine: Updates on the Zholia Alemi case Avi Loeb Strikes Again Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-10-13

Katrina’s back and in top form for this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, updating us on the latest research into keto diets, and recent experiments in mice. Mark has an up-date on the failed Rapture prediction, with a new date being suggested of the 7th of October, and a hand-waving excuse as to why it didn’t happen on the 24th. And there was no way Bronwyn wasn’t going to cover the recent claims by Trump and RFK Jr in the US that paracetamol use in pregnancy is the cause of autism. About this episode Articles we talk about: The 2025 Keto Mice Update Why was the Rapture predicted for September the 24th? And why didn’t it happen? Wham, Bam, Autism scams: Paracetamol. Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-09-29

Quick, you only have a few days left before the Antichrist turns up for the end of the world - make sure your room’s tidy, and say goodbye to any Christians in your life before they’re whisked away. In this week’s episode, Mark talks about an Official Information Act request warning the government that the Rapture is happening on Wednesday the 24th of September, 2025, and breaks down what all the mentions of conspiracy theories are in the request. Bronwyn has found a worrying trend on social media of using scare tactics to stop women taking the contraceptive pill. Finally, Bronwyn and Tim talk about a recent talk given by Devamrita Swami to Vic Uni students who were lured in with the promise of free (vegan) food. About this episode Our Guests: Tim Atkin Articles we talk about: Birth Control Blues: TikTok is pushing contraceptive skepticism, but are influencers getting the science right? The End of the World as we know it: September 24th Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2025-09-15

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 Our Guests: Janyce Boynton 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