Squaring the Strange

Ben Radford, Celestia Ward and Pascual Romero

Not just another "skeptical" podcast, it's a show about critical thinking and evidence-based analysis, using science and critical thinking to examine the world around us, from the mysterious and paranormal to the mundane.

  1. 31 ENE

    Episode 272 - The Data Drought with Kyle Polich

    First, we discuss media coverage of Minneapolis, and also fake news among schools of tropical fish. Then Kyle Polich of "Data Skeptic" joins us to talk about a topic we've had simmering for a bit. What is going on with the data?? First, what is data, and can it ever really be neutral -- and even if it is, will the public ever trust it? Data on some topics, like public health studies on American gun violence, have been suppressed for years, while the past twelve months or so have seen a huge decrease in state-funded data collection. Between climate science, the EPA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC, there are several high-profile examples we look at. How will this play out? Kyle brings nuance to how data is collected an analyzed, and also reassures us that statisticians and data analysts are hearty folk, highly employable in the private sector . . . already, we see many contributing their time and talents to alternatives to the CDC and becoming "data preservationists." And there are things you, too, can do to help us get through this data drought.

    1 h y 26 min

  2. 17 ENE

    Episode 271 - What can the Taos Hum teach us?

    First, Ben and Celestia discuss some significant passings -- Erich von Däniken and Scott Adams, each skeptical cautionary tales in their own ways. They also touch on snuff films being in the news, the Trump DoJ admitting the Cartel de los Soles is not a thing, Dan Bongino (and others) giving up on their conspiracy theories once handed authority, the seeming ambiguity in how different groups are processing the shooting of Renee Good, and the spread of "Otohime" in Japan. Then we do a deep dive into the Taos hum. A mysterious and untraceable low-register noise experienced by 2% of the residents in Taos, New Mexico, this "hum" goes back to the early 1990s. Ben breaks down what the hum has to do with priming, conspiracy belief, confirmation bias, pareidolia, Havana syndrome, Marco Polo, mass sociogenic illness, and even djinn!

    1 h y 35 min

  3. 2 ENE

    Episode 270 - Listener Questions and Looking Back at 2025

    Yes, listeners! It's a "very special episode" of Squaring the Strange! Ben and Celestia continue some old arguments, go over things we've changed our minds about, pick our own "words of the year," give props to our favorite guests and episodes, and much, much more. How are you feeling about the state of skepticism, science, or the world in general as 2025 leaps over the flames and bolts out the exit with a stolen parachute? Grab one of those hot cocoa bombs your family member gifted you and pull up a chair, we'll talk about it all.

    1 h y 25 min

  4. 20/12/2025

    Episode 269: Fluoride fallacies and dentistry weirdness with Dr. Grant Ritchie, DDS

    This week we plumb current events to discuss microbe art, VAERS data and alleged covid vaccine deaths, the "sanpaku eyes" of a killer, AI kidnapping scams, and Tara Reid. Then our guest, Grant Ritchey (@SkepticalDDS) breaks down fluoride for us. How does it work, when did we start using it for dental care, and what makes it one of the most significant public health efforts of the modern era? What's the best way to dispell someone's fears about fluoride? He illuminates the holes in those studies RFK Jr. and others have pointed to as linking fluoride to lowering IQ in children, and we hit on some interesting parallels between fluoride, vaccines, and Chinese traditional medicine. And, a longstanding mystery: does anyone actually floss?

    1 h y 31 min

  5. 06/12/2025

    Episode 268 - Daniel Reed on Vegetable Man and Gray Barker

    First, Ben and Celestia ruminate on past Key Bridge conspiracy theories, RFK Jr.'s latest efforts to destroy public health, rage bait and the "Cártel de los Soles." Then for our main segment Daniel Reed, founder of the West Virginia Skeptics Society, joins us to discuss the Vegetable Man, a cryptid/alien one-hit-wonder. This blood-sucking, fiber-rich fiction is part of Gray Barker's menagerie -- Barker was a colorful character who loved a good story and had a few skeletons in his own closet, one of which led to the creation of the modern "men in black" mythos. Daniel has done his homework and culled heaps of information from the reams of original correspondence in Barker's archives.

    1 h y 23 min

  6. 22/11/2025

    Episode 267 - Billionaire Boogeymen with Brian Dunning

    First, Ben and Celestia go over the latest CDC website shenanigans, an unfortunate update on a Human Barbie, some voodoo accusations in the world of soccer, the true cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, and a djinn committing crimes in Pakistan. Then Brian Dunning joins us for a discussion on billionaires and why we all seem to hate them. Should we? Would the world be better off without them? Brian brings some economic research on the "two types of billionaires," and we also examine some tropes and memes -- folklore, that is -- about how billionaires hoard resources. Do they? Can they? Is money imaginary? It's a complicated topic, and we're not approaching it as economists, but we agree on a few things that might surprise you.

    1 h y 37 min

  7. 08/11/2025

    Episode 266 - Jon Michael visits, plus corporate lore and legends!

    Celestia is fresh from the Very Vegas SkeptiCamp, and a week earlier Jon Michael presented at the West Virginia SkeptiCamp, so he visits to compare notes and then chat about will o' the wisps, RFK's "walkback" on Tylenol, J.D. Vance speculating on UFOs being supernatural, and the resurgence of the Welfare Queen boogeyman. For our main segment, Ben and Celestia take a tour of legends involving brands, corporations and products. Anyone in marketing will appreciate the merging of folklore, commercial design and crisis communication all these stories bring to light. From Tootsie Pop contests to the allegedly Satanic imagery in the Proctor & Gamble logo, there's a lot to dig into. Did a Coke "magic can" kill someone? Did Pepsi have to give some teenager a military jet? Are secret symbols stamped into Oreo cookies, turning these delicious dunkers into a devilish communion wafer? And what was the real origin story behind Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer?

    1 h y 46 min

  8. 24/10/2025

    Episode 265 - The Alleged ghosts of the Territorial House, with Cody Polston

    First, Celestia and a voice from the past discuss a hat trick of rat stories (maybe a rat trick?). Then Ben chats with author, ghost story enthusiast and former ghost hunter Cody Polston about the historic Territorial House in Corrales, New Mexico. Cody led an investigation there, and Ben worked there as a teenage busboy, so their points of view collide as they talk about what they've heard about the venue and what they'd experienced in person. From moving chairs to lit cigarettes, people have reported strange phenomena, attributing the experiences to restless spirits, perhaps those who died on the enormous "hanging tree" out front. Built in the 1800s and converted to the Territorial House restaurant in 1903 and then later the Tea House, the building (destroyed in 2012 by a fire) was indeed the scene of a handful of murders over the years. The discussion branches off into a few things common to many ghost stories, the nature of folklore and the psychology of ghost hunting itself.

    1 h y 24 min
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Not just another "skeptical" podcast, it's a show about critical thinking and evidence-based analysis, using science and critical thinking to examine the world around us, from the mysterious and paranormal to the mundane.

Información

  • Creador
    Ben Radford, Celestia Ward and Pascual Romero
  • Años de actividad
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodios
    275
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2017-2025, Two Heads Studio LLC all rights reserved
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Squaring the Strange

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