SGUTranscripts - User contributions [en]

5X5 Episode 61

2013-08-08T08:07:45Z

JooBear:

{{5X5 editing required 
|proof-reading = y
|formatting = y
|links = y
|categories = y
|redirect = y 
|}}
{{Template:5X5 infobox 
|episodeNum = 61 
|Contents = Friday 13th Superstition 
|episodeDate = 13th March 2009 
|rebecca = y 
|bob = y 
|jay = y 
|evan = y 
|downloadLink = http://media.libsyn.com/media/sgu5x5/SGU5x52009-03-13.mp3 
|notesLink = http://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcast/5x5/61 
|forumLink = http://sguforums.com/index.php/topic,18834.0.html 
|}}

== Friday 13th Superstition == 
{{5x5intro}}

S: This is the SGU 5x5 and tonight we are talking about paraskevidekatriaphobia.

R: Nicely said.

J: What was that?

E: That's an awful disease.

S: Which is an irrational fear of Friday the 13th.

B: Are there rational fears of Friday the 13th?

S: The irrational fear of Friday the 13th. The term was coined by Dr. Donald Docy who was a specialist in phobias. And yes it refers to an irrational fear of Friday the 13th. Not just the movie series starring what was it Freddy Kruger?

R: Yeah, no Jason.

E: {{w|Jason Voorhees}} was the character.

J: So Steve I have, my first question about this is when you say an irrational fear you're talking about like someone who just might mildly think "Oh you know its Friday the 13th I got to be careful" or are we talking about like phobia level like don't leave the house, totally freaked out. What are we talking about?

S: Well that term specifically refers to a phobia, so you need to meet the criteria for that. It's not just getting creep'd out because its Friday the 13th or just having superstitious belief about it. You actually have to alter your behavior in order to qualify. According to polls about 10% of the U.S. population have some belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. Of course those surveys always depend on exactly how the questions are asked. And this is a not uncommon superstition, a belief in something magical or irrational largely based upon confirmation bias. You think that there is this correlation and then you look for instances that support that belief and you dismiss exceptions as the exceptions that prove the rule essentially.

E: Folks are going to have a tough time this year because we actually have three Friday the 13ths. This year we had one in February, we're having one, well right now - this month of march and also in November again we have a Friday the 13th coming up.

B: This is actually a combination of a couple fears, one is a fear of Friday which is kind of odd but some believe that this kind of fear came about because one possibility was that Christ was crucified on a Friday which was the execution day amongst the Romans apparently. Lets see Friday was also hangman's day in Britain so all of this might play into that fear and its also I think the bigger fear of the number 13 itself. And that is called the {{w|triskaidekaphobia}} that is very prevalent at least in the United States and people believe that possibly this originated from 13 people at the last supper, others think that it might have to do with {{w|Loki}} the Norse God of Evil who apparently started a riot when he crashed a banquet at {{w|Valhalla}} attended by 12 gods and he made the 13th.

S: That Loki, he's a crazy.

B: Yeah to this day I remember my mother in law actually is not comfortable when there are 13 guests seated at dinner and she will take steps to make sure that its one less or one more at least.

J: Is that why she uninvited me Bob that one time?

B: I cant talk about that.

R: There have been a lot of studies done on whether or not Friday the 13th actually is unlucky. Because if you think of it even from a skeptical standpoint it stands to reason that if people believe that its unlucky they may behave differently and therefore end up causing trouble accidentally. There was a study back in 2004 I believe, that looked at road accidents and whether or not people get injured more on Friday the 13th. And one study did find that females tended to be injured more often which caused a bit of a stir when it first came out but then there have been a couple of follow up studies that have shown no such effect, so it probably wasn't really all that valid.

J: There is a book written by {{w|Richard Wiseman}} called "The Luck Factor" which they study the concept of luck over a 10 year period with people and they basically conclude that people make their own good or bad luck so you know your state of mind definitely can have an effect on you know how things turn out for you.

S: So expectation becomes partly a self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to luck but I imagine with Friday the 13th as Rebecca said its not possible to really document it with a well controlled study and any effect is probably minimal. And again we come back to perpetuation being partly cultural I think most people probably look at it as fun just to talk about Friday the 13th being unlucky. In recent years skeptics in fact have taken to having Friday the 13th parties

E: That's right.

S: where they deliberately break as many superstitions as possible.

E: We did that one year.

S: Yeah, like breaking mirrors and walking under ladders et cetera. But it remains in our culture the most common and widespread superstition and for skeptics I think its just one more thing specifically not to worry about.

{{5x5outro}}

{{5X5 Navigation}}

{{5X5 categories
|Myths & Misconceptions = y
}}

Template:5X5 episode list

2013-08-08T08:07:06Z

JooBear: added category

<noinclude>This template is used to display the list of 5X5 episodes on the [[Main Page]] and the [[5X5 Episodes]] page. Additions and amendments to this template will be reflected on those pages.

For help on how to add a new row, see [[Template:5X5 list entry]].
</noinclude>

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em 3em;"
!No.!!class="unsortable"|Date!!Status!!Contents!!Categories
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 113
|date = May 9 2012
|contents = What's the Harm?
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
|category3 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 112
|date = May 2 2012
|contents = Anecdotal Evidence
|category1 = Legal Issues & Regulations
|category2 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category3 = Neuroscience & Psychology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 111
|date = Apr 25 2012
|contents = Facilitated Communication
|category1 = Pseudoscience
|category2 = Myths & Misconceptions
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 110
|date = Apr 11 2012
|contents = Naturalistic Fallacy
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 109
|date = Apr 4 2012
|contents = Celebrity Pseudoscience
|category1 = Pseudoscience
|category2 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 108
|date = Mar 28 2012
|contents = Cancer Cure
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Conspiracy Theories
|category3 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 107
|date = Mar 21 2012
|contents = Chilean UFO
|category1 = UFOs & Aliens
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 106
|date = Mar 19 2012
|contents = Availability Heuristic
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 105
|date = Mar 7 2012
|contents = Representativeness Heuristic
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 104
|date = Feb 22 2012
|contents = WiFi
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 103
|date = Feb 15 2012
|contents = Creationism
|category1 = Creationism & ID
|category2 = Science & Education
|category3 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 102
|date = Feb 8 2012
|contents = Biofuels
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = General Science
|category3 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 101
|date = Jan 26 2011
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Slippery Slope/Post Hoc
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 100
|date = Jan 13 2011
|contents = Testable
|category1 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 99
|date = Jan 5 2011
|contents = Graphology
|category1 = History
|category2 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 98
|date = Dec 30 2010
|contents = Harry Houdini
|category1 = History
|category2 = Paranormal
|category3 = Ghosts & Demons
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 97
|date = Dec 20 2010
|contents = Repressed Memories
|category1 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 96
|date = Nov 9 2010
|contents = Magnets
|category1 = General Science
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 95
|date = Sep 21 2010
|contents = Chelation
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Alternative Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 94
|date = Sep 12 2010
|contents = Nostradamus
|category1 = Prophecy
|category2 = History
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 93
|date = Aug 13 2010
|contents = Chiropractic - Part 3
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 92
|date = Jul 28 2010
|contents = Chiropractic - Part 2
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = History
|category3 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 91
|date = Jul 13 2010
|contents = Chiropractic - Part 1
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = History
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 90
|date = Jun 29 2010
|contents = The Unification Church
|category1 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 89
|date = Jun 14 2010
|contents = Chemtrails
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 88
|date = May 19 2010
|contents = PSI - Part 2
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 87
|date = Mar 31 2010
|contents = PSI - The Ganzfeld Experiments
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 86
|date = Feb 21 2010
|contents = Psi
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 85
|date = Feb 9 2010
|contents = Prediction
|category1 = Prophecy
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 84
|date = Jan 25 2010
|contents = Bermuda Triangle
|category2 = Paranormal
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category3 = UFOs & Aliens
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 83
|date = Dec 20 2009
|contents = Irreducible Complexity
|category1 = Creationism & ID
|category2 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 82
|date = Dec 2 2009
|contents = Psychic Surgery
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 81
|date = Nov 18 2009
|contents = Naturopathy
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 80
|date = Oct 28 2009
|contents = Polygraphs
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 79
|date = Oct 14 2009
|contents = The Lunar Effect
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 78
|date = Sep 23 2009
|contents = Crop Circles
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 77
|date = Sep 9 2009
|contents = The Double-Blind Protocol in Science
|category1 = General Science
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 76
|date = Aug 18 2009
|contents = The Argument from Design
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 75
|date = Aug 12 2009
|contents = The Coriolis Effect
|category1 = Physics & Mechanics
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 74
|date = Aug 4 2009
|contents = Perpetual Motion Machines
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 73
|date = Jul 22 2009
|contents = The Age of the Earth
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 72
|date = Jul 16 2009
|contents = Randi Million Dollar Psychic Challenge and Connie Sonne
|category1 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
|category2 = ESP
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 71
|date = Jul 8 2009
|contents = The Roswell UFO Mythology
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 70
|date = Jun 30 2009
|contents = New Element Discovered
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 69
|date = Jun 5 2009
|contents = Einstein's Eclipse and General Relativity
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 68
|date = May 22 2009
|contents = Near-Death Experiences
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 67
|date = Apr 30 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Special Pleading
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 66
|date = Apr 22 2009
|contents = Plausibility in Science
|category1 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 65
|date = Apr 16 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Scientific Theory
|category1 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 64
|date = Apr 2 2009
|contents = The Clever Hans Effect
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 63
|date = Mar 25 2009
|contents = Possession and Exorcism
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 62
|date = Mar 19 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - How to Argue
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status =
|episode = 61
|date = Mar 13 2009
|contents = Friday 13th Superstition
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 60
|date = Mar 5 2009
|contents = Cryptozoology
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 59
|date = Feb 25 2009
|contents = Sprites and other atmospheric phenomena mistaken for UFOs
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 58
|date = Feb 17 2009
|contents = The Self-Corrective Nature of Science
|category1 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 57
|date = Feb 10 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Moving the Goalpost
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 56
|date = Feb 4 2009
|contents = Probability
|category1 = General Science
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 55
|date = Jan 28 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Poisoning the Well
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 54
|date = Jan 21 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - False Dichotomy
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 53
|status = verified
|date = Jan 13 2009
|contents = Anecdotal Evidence
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
|category3 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 52
|date = Jan 6 2009
|contents = Atlantis
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 51
|date = Dec 29 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Channeling
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 50
|date = Dec 15 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - The Argument from Ignorance
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 49
|date = Dec 8 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Argument from Authority
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 48
|date = Dec 1 2008
|contents = The 10% Brain Myth
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 47
|date = Nov 24 2008
|contents = Remote Viewing
|category1 = ESP
|category2 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 46
|date = Nov 18 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Correlation and Causation
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
|category2 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 45
|date = Nov 11 2008
|contents = Chi and other forms of vitalism
|category1 = Energy Healing
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 44
|date = Nov 4 2008
|contents = Homunculus-based Medical Pseudoscience
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 43
|date = Oct 29 2008
|contents = Holocaust Denial
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = History
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 42
|status = verified
|date = Oct 22 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Confirmation Bias
|category1 = Neuroscience & Psychology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 41
|status = verified
|date = Oct 15 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Logical Fallacies: Straw Man Argument
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 40
|date = Oct 8 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 39
|date = Aug 1 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - The Ideomotor Effect
|category1 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category2 = Paranormal
|category3 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 38
|date = Sep 24 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Pareidolia
|category1 = Nature & Evolution
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category3 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 37
|date = Sep 17 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - The Scientific Method
|category1 = General Science
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 36
|date = Sep 10 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Cold Reading
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category3 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 35
|date = Sep 3 2008
|contents = No sunspots in August - will this lead to a period of solar cooling?
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 34
|date = Aug 27 2008
|contents = Woman claims wires grow out of her body
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 33
|date = Aug 20 2008
|contents = The Shroud of Turin - Shroud scientists try to resurrect the controversy
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 32
|date = Aug 11 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Occam's Razor
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 31
|date = Aug 4 2008
|contents = Digital Homeopathy 20 years after Benveniste
|category1 = Homeopathy
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 30
|date = Jul 29 2008
|contents = Evaluation of a UCONN study of therapeutic touch on bone cells in culture
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = New Age
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 29
|date = Jul 20 2008
|contents = The SGU celebrates the 39th anniversary of Apollo 11 by debunking some moon landing hoax myths, and they are joined by Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 = Conspiracy Theories
|category3 = History
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 28
|date = Jul 13 2008
|contents = Exposing the logical fallacy of equating faith healing with medical care
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 27
|status = verified
|date = Jul 6 2008
|contents = Cracking the Dogu Code - Ancient Astronauts
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = UFOs & Aliens
|category3 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 26
|date = Jun 29 2008
|contents = New study sheds light on genetic vs environmental contributions to sexuality
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 25
|date = Jun 22 2008
|contents = NASA Plans Probe to the Sun
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 = Technology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 24
|date = Jun 15 2008
|contents = New strategy for SETI - The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 = Technology
|category3 = UFOs & Aliens
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 23
|date = Jun 8 2008
|contents = Lame car design analogy to intelligent design from the Discovery Institute
|category1 = Creationism & ID
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
|category3 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 22
|date = Jun 1 2008
|contents = Researchers allow monkey to control robotic arm with its mind
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 21
|date = May 25 2008
|contents = Family claims women miraculously brought back to life after rigor mortis
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Science & the Media
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 20
|date = May 18 2008
|contents = SPAM Chainletter e-mails do not spread as virally as thought
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 19
|date = May 11 2008
|contents = The Science of Science Fiction Movies
|category1 = Entertainment
|category2 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 18
|date = May 4 2008
|contents = Man Regenerates Finger - Bad Science News Reporting
|category1 = Science & the Media
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 17
|date = Apr 27 2008
|contents = T-Rex proteins closely related to chickens
|category1 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 16
|date = Apr 20 2008
|contents = Surgery under hypnosis
|category1 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 15
|date = Apr 13 2008
|contents = Examining a fossilized snake - with legs
|category1 = Nature & Evolution
|category2 = Creationism & ID
|category3 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 14
|date = Apr 6 2008
|contents = Nomophobia - the fear of being out of cell phone range
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Technology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 13
|date = Mar 30 2008
|contents = Man convicted of molestation claims he was raped by Bigfoot
|category1 = Cryptozoology
|category2 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 12
|date = Mar 23 2008
|contents = Faith-healing cult leads to child death from medical neglect
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Energy Healing
|category3 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 11
|date = Mar 16 2008
|contents = Art project to give the city of Portland, Oregon acupuncture
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Energy Healing
|category3 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 10
|status = verified
|date = Mar 9 2008
|contents = Steven Spielberg to create new paranormal online community
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 9
|status = verified
|date = Mar 2 2008
|contents = An Emmy award winning actress and her 911 conspiracy theory
|category1 = Conspiracy Theories
|category2 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 8
|status = verified
|date = Feb 23 2008
|contents = Cryptozoology - Hunting for the Thunderbird
|category1 = Cryptozoology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 7
|status = verified
|date = Feb 17 2008
|contents = Proposed center for exorcism in Poland
|category1 = Ghosts & Demons
|category2 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 6
|status = verified
|date = Feb 11 2008
|contents = Dr. Harris's Pain Relief Snake Oil Infomercial
|category1 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
|category2 = Alternative Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 5
|date = Feb 3 2008
|contents = Pope Benedict XVI takes on science
|category1 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 4
|date = Jan 28 2008
|contents = Do celebrity deaths come in threes? The rogues take on numerology
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 3
|date = Jan 21 2008
|contents = Multilevel Marketing and Pyramid Schemes
|category1 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 2
|date = Jan 13 2008
|contents = Ghost Photographs
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Ghosts & Demons
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 1
|date = Jan 6 2008
|contents = The National Health Service of the UK plans to regulate alternative medicine
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Pseudoscience
}}
|}
<noinclude>
[[Category: List templates]]
</noinclude>

2013-07-25T09:45:29Z

JooBear: Work In Progress

{{5X5 editing required 
|transcription = y 
|formatting = y
|links = y
|categories = y
|redirect = y 
|}}
{{Template:5X5 infobox 
|episodeNum = 110 
|Contents = Naturalistic Fallacy 
|episodeDate = 11th April 2012 
|rebecca = y 
|bob = y 
|jay = y 
|evan = y 
|guest1 = RW: {{w|Richard Wiseman}} 
|downloadLink = http://media.libsyn.com/media/sgu5x5/SGU5x52009-09-09.mp3 
|notesLink = http://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcast/5x5/77 
|forumLink = http://sguforums.com/index.php/topic,22584.0.html 
|}}
== The Double-Blind Protocol in Science == 
{{5x5intro}}

S:
This is the SGU 5x5 and tonight we are talking about double blind testing. The double blind refers to a protocol in scientific studies in which both the examiner (the researcher) and the subject do not know critical details about the study itself. Specifically if we use for example a medical test, the subject receiving the treatment doesn't know if they are getting a real treatment or a placebo a fake treatment. And the person examining them to figure out how they are responding to the treatment also does not know if they received the real treatment or the placebo. The purpose for blinding is to control for variables in the study, just like science is always about controlling for variables, by doing this you eliminate all of the psychological and bias and expectation variables and you isolate the treatment itself or whatever, whatever is the subject of the scientific experiment.

E:
And ah one of the earliest suggestions that a blinded approach to doing experiments would be handy or valuable came from Claude Bernard who was once named one of the greatest men of all science. He was a physiologist from the mid-nineteenth century and he recommended that any scientific experiment should be split between the theorist who conceived the experiment and a naive observer who registers the results without foreknowledge of the theory or hypothesis that's being tested, and this suggestion was in stark contrast to the enlightenment area attitude that scientific observation can and should only be valid when it was undertaken by someone who was well educated and an informed scientist. So this was pretty much opposite of that mind set and it turned out to be revolutionary.

J:
A good example of double blinding involved forensics, specifically criminal identification. Often a police officer will show a witness pictures of people in hopes the main suspect will be picked. We have all seen that scenario played out over and over in many different TV shows and movies. This is a single blind test. the problem is that the officer could unknowingly steer the witness to the preferred suspect by the way he talks by the way even the hand gestures and all these subtle queues that the officer might not realize that he is giving to the witness. Therefore it is becoming more common nowadays to do double blind identification by bringing in an officer that is unfamiliar with the case to show the pictures to the witness which would then prevent any of these subtle ques from coming through because this police officer doesnt know who the primary suspect is so he cant unconciously que who it is.

R:
a good example of something that we could have investigated better if people looked a the placebo effect is the clever hahns phenomenon in which people thought that a horse could do math just by tapping out his hoof, which we've covered in the past on SGU. and what it turned out to be was that the man who owned the horse was giving the horse subtle queues as to what point to stop tapping his hoof. for instance someone from the audience would say what is 3+2 the horse would tap out 5 beats and uh even the person who owned the horse thought that he was for real. He didn't realize that he was giving the horse the subtle clue as to what point to stop tapping. If that experiment had been double blinded then they could have ruled out the experimenters own bias that was unconsciously influencing the experiment and they would have seen that it was actually that that was causing clever hahns to stop tapping his little hoof.

J:
You know double blind experiments don't only apply to scientists in a laboratory, you could do this at school like say you are performing some type of experiment in science class like the absorption of paper towels of different paper towels. you could use the double blind protocol in your experiment and see how the results are different when you use it versus when you don't use it.

S:
That's right and it does apply also out of uh not just in medicine which i think is the context that people most readily think of. For example N rays, N rays were all the rage back in 1903 after xrays were discovered other researchers thought they had discovered another kind of ray called N rays but they could only be seen under certain conditions by certain people. they were not observing it ina blinded way when the n rays were supposed to see them

{{5x5outro}}

{{5X5 Navigation}}

Template:5X5 episode list

2013-07-25T08:52:42Z

JooBear: I want to transcribe this ep.

<noinclude>This template is used to display the list of 5X5 episodes on the [[Main Page]] and the [[5X5 Episodes]] page. Additions and amendments to this template will be reflected on those pages.

For help on how to add a new row, see [[Template:5X5 list entry]].
</noinclude>

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em 3em;"
!No.!!class="unsortable"|Date!!Status!!Contents!!Categories
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 113
|date = May 9 2012
|contents = What's the Harm?
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
|category3 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 112
|date = May 2 2012
|contents = Anecdotal Evidence
|category1 = Legal Issues & Regulations
|category2 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category3 = Neuroscience & Psychology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 111
|date = Apr 25 2012
|contents = Facilitated Communication
|category1 = Pseudoscience
|category2 = Myths & Misconceptions
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 110
|date = Apr 11 2012
|contents = Naturalistic Fallacy
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 109
|date = Apr 4 2012
|contents = Celebrity Pseudoscience
|category1 = Pseudoscience
|category2 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 108
|date = Mar 28 2012
|contents = Cancer Cure
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Conspiracy Theories
|category3 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 107
|date = Mar 21 2012
|contents = Chilean UFO
|category1 = UFOs & Aliens
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 106
|date = Mar 19 2012
|contents = Availability Heuristic
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 105
|date = Mar 7 2012
|contents = Representativeness Heuristic
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 104
|date = Feb 22 2012
|contents = WiFi
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 103
|date = Feb 15 2012
|contents = Creationism
|category1 = Creationism & ID
|category2 = Science & Education
|category3 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 102
|date = Feb 8 2012
|contents = Biofuels
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = General Science
|category3 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 101
|date = Jan 26 2011
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Slippery Slope/Post Hoc
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 100
|date = Jan 13 2011
|contents = Testable
|category1 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 99
|date = Jan 5 2011
|contents = Graphology
|category1 = History
|category2 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 98
|date = Dec 30 2010
|contents = Harry Houdini
|category1 = History
|category2 = Paranormal
|category3 = Ghosts & Demons
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 97
|date = Dec 20 2010
|contents = Repressed Memories
|category1 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 96
|date = Nov 9 2010
|contents = Magnets
|category1 = General Science
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 95
|date = Sep 21 2010
|contents = Chelation
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Alternative Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 94
|date = Sep 12 2010
|contents = Nostradamus
|category1 = Prophecy
|category2 = History
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 93
|date = Aug 13 2010
|contents = Chiropractic - Part 3
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 92
|date = Jul 28 2010
|contents = Chiropractic - Part 2
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = History
|category3 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 91
|date = Jul 13 2010
|contents = Chiropractic - Part 1
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = History
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 90
|date = Jun 29 2010
|contents = The Unification Church
|category1 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 89
|date = Jun 14 2010
|contents = Chemtrails
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 88
|date = May 19 2010
|contents = PSI - Part 2
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 87
|date = Mar 31 2010
|contents = PSI - The Ganzfeld Experiments
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 86
|date = Feb 21 2010
|contents = Psi
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 85
|date = Feb 9 2010
|contents = Prediction
|category1 = Prophecy
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 84
|date = Jan 25 2010
|contents = Bermuda Triangle
|category2 = Paranormal
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category3 = UFOs & Aliens
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 83
|date = Dec 20 2009
|contents = Irreducible Complexity
|category1 = Creationism & ID
|category2 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 82
|date = Dec 2 2009
|contents = Psychic Surgery
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 81
|date = Nov 18 2009
|contents = Naturopathy
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 80
|date = Oct 28 2009
|contents = Polygraphs
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 79
|date = Oct 14 2009
|contents = The Lunar Effect
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 78
|date = Sep 23 2009
|contents = Crop Circles
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|incomplete = y
|episode = 77
|date = Sep 9 2009
|contents = The Double-Blind Protocol in Science
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 76
|date = Aug 18 2009
|contents = The Argument from Design
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 75
|date = Aug 12 2009
|contents = The Coriolis Effect
|category1 = Physics & Mechanics
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 74
|date = Aug 4 2009
|contents = Perpetual Motion Machines
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 73
|date = Jul 22 2009
|contents = The Age of the Earth
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|verified = y
|episode = 72
|date = Jul 16 2009
|contents = Randi Million Dollar Psychic Challenge and Connie Sonne
|category1 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
|category2 = ESP
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 71
|date = Jul 8 2009
|contents = The Roswell UFO Mythology
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 70
|date = Jun 30 2009
|contents = New Element Discovered
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 69
|date = Jun 5 2009
|contents = Einstein's Eclipse and General Relativity
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 68
|date = May 22 2009
|contents = Near-Death Experiences
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 67
|date = Apr 30 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Special Pleading
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 66
|date = Apr 22 2009
|contents = Plausibility in Science
|category1 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 65
|date = Apr 16 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Scientific Theory
|category1 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 64
|date = Apr 2 2009
|contents = The Clever Hans Effect
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 63
|date = Mar 25 2009
|contents = Possession and Exorcism
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 62
|date = Mar 19 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - How to Argue
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 61
|date = Mar 13 2009
|contents = Friday 13th Superstition
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 60
|date = Mar 5 2009
|contents = Cryptozoology
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 59
|date = Feb 25 2009
|contents = Sprites and other atmospheric phenomena mistaken for UFOs
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 58
|date = Feb 17 2009
|contents = The Self-Corrective Nature of Science
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 57
|date = Feb 10 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Moving the Goalpost
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 56
|date = Feb 4 2009
|contents = Probability
|category1 = General Science
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 55
|date = Jan 28 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Poisoning the Well
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 54
|date = Jan 21 2009
|contents = Skepticism 101 - False Dichotomy
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 53
|status = verified
|date = Jan 13 2009
|contents = Anecdotal Evidence
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
|category3 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 52
|date = Jan 6 2009
|contents = Atlantis
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = open
|episode = 51
|date = Dec 29 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Channeling
|category1 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 50
|date = Dec 15 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - The Argument from Ignorance
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 49
|date = Dec 8 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Argument from Authority
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 48
|date = Dec 1 2008
|contents = The 10% Brain Myth
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 47
|date = Nov 24 2008
|contents = Remote Viewing
|category1 = ESP
|category2 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 46
|date = Nov 18 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Correlation and Causation
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
|category2 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 45
|date = Nov 11 2008
|contents = Chi and other forms of vitalism
|category1 = Energy Healing
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 44
|date = Nov 4 2008
|contents = Homunculus-based Medical Pseudoscience
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 43
|date = Oct 29 2008
|contents = Holocaust Denial
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = History

}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 42
|status = verified
|date = Oct 22 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Confirmation Bias
|category1 = Neuroscience & Psychology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 41
|status = verified
|date = Oct 15 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Logical Fallacies: Straw Man Argument
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 40
|date = Oct 8 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 39
|date = Aug 1 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - The Ideomotor Effect
|category1 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category2 = Paranormal
|category3 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 38
|date = Sep 24 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Pareidolia
|category1 = Nature & Evolution
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category3 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 37
|date = Sep 17 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - The Scientific Method
|category1 = General Science
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status =
|episode = 36
|date = Sep 10 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Cold Reading
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category3 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 35
|date = Sep 3 2008
|contents = No sunspots in August - will this lead to a period of solar cooling?
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 =
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 34
|date = Aug 27 2008
|contents = Woman claims wires grow out of her body
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 33
|date = Aug 20 2008
|contents = The Shroud of Turin - Shroud scientists try to resurrect the controversy
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 32
|date = Aug 11 2008
|contents = Skepticism 101 - Occam's Razor
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 31
|date = Aug 4 2008
|contents = Digital Homeopathy 20 years after Benveniste
|category1 = Homeopathy
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 30
|date = Jul 29 2008
|contents = Evaluation of a UCONN study of therapeutic touch on bone cells in culture
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = New Age
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 29
|date = Jul 20 2008
|contents = The SGU celebrates the 39th anniversary of Apollo 11 by debunking some moon landing hoax myths, and they are joined by Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 = Conspiracy Theories
|category3 = History
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 28
|date = Jul 13 2008
|contents = Exposing the logical fallacy of equating faith healing with medical care
|category1 = Logic & Philosophy
|category2 = Pseudoscience
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 27
|status = verified
|date = Jul 6 2008
|contents = Cracking the Dogu Code - Ancient Astronauts
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = UFOs & Aliens
|category3 = Pseudoscience
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 26
|date = Jun 29 2008
|contents = New study sheds light on genetic vs environmental contributions to sexuality
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 25
|date = Jun 22 2008
|contents = NASA Plans Probe to the Sun
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 = Technology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 24
|date = Jun 15 2008
|contents = New strategy for SETI - The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence
|category1 = Astronomy & Space Science
|category2 = Technology
|category3 = UFOs & Aliens
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 23
|date = Jun 8 2008
|contents = Lame car design analogy to intelligent design from the Discovery Institute
|category1 = Creationism & ID
|category2 = Logic & Philosophy
|category3 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 22
|date = Jun 1 2008
|contents = Researchers allow monkey to control robotic arm with its mind
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = Neuroscience & Psychology
|category3 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 21
|date = May 25 2008
|contents = Family claims women miraculously brought back to life after rigor mortis
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Science & the Media
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 20
|date = May 18 2008
|contents = SPAM Chainletter e-mails do not spread as virally as thought
|category1 = Technology
|category2 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 19
|date = May 11 2008
|contents = The Science of Science Fiction Movies
|category1 = Entertainment
|category2 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 18
|date = May 4 2008
|contents = Man Regenerates Finger - Bad Science News Reporting
|category1 = Science & the Media
|category2 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 17
|date = Apr 27 2008
|contents = T-Rex proteins closely related to chickens
|category1 = Nature & Evolution
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 16
|date = Apr 20 2008
|contents = Surgery under hypnosis
|category1 = Science & Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 15
|date = Apr 13 2008
|contents = Examining a fossilized snake - with legs
|category1 = Nature & Evolution
|category2 = Creationism & ID
|category3 = General Science
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 14
|date = Apr 6 2008
|contents = Nomophobia - the fear of being out of cell phone range
|category1 = Science & Medicine
|category2 = Technology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 13
|date = Mar 30 2008
|contents = Man convicted of molestation claims he was raped by Bigfoot
|category1 = Cryptozoology
|category2 = Legal Issues & Regulations
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 12
|date = Mar 23 2008
|contents = Faith-healing cult leads to child death from medical neglect
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Energy Healing
|category3 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 11
|date = Mar 16 2008
|contents = Art project to give the city of Portland, Oregon acupuncture
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Energy Healing
|category3 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 10
|status = verified
|date = Mar 9 2008
|contents = Steven Spielberg to create new paranormal online community
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 9
|status = verified
|date = Mar 2 2008
|contents = An Emmy award winning actress and her 911 conspiracy theory
|category1 = Conspiracy Theories
|category2 = Entertainment
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 8
|status = verified
|date = Feb 23 2008
|contents = Cryptozoology - Hunting for the Thunderbird
|category1 = Cryptozoology
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 7
|status = verified
|date = Feb 17 2008
|contents = Proposed center for exorcism in Poland
|category1 = Ghosts & Demons
|category2 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|episode = 6
|status = verified
|date = Feb 11 2008
|contents = Dr. Harris's Pain Relief Snake Oil Infomercial
|category1 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
|category2 = Alternative Medicine
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 5
|date = Feb 3 2008
|contents = Pope Benedict XVI takes on science
|category1 = Religion & Faith
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 4
|date = Jan 28 2008
|contents = Do celebrity deaths come in threes? The rogues take on numerology
|category1 = Myths & Misconceptions
|category2 = Paranormal
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 3
|date = Jan 21 2008
|contents = Multilevel Marketing and Pyramid Schemes
|category1 = Cons, Scams & Hoaxes
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 2
|date = Jan 13 2008
|contents = Ghost Photographs
|category1 = Paranormal
|category2 = Ghosts & Demons
}}
|-
{{5X5 list entry
|status = verified
|episode = 1
|date = Jan 6 2008
|contents = The National Health Service of the UK plans to regulate alternative medicine
|category1 = Alternative Medicine
|category2 = Pseudoscience
}}
|}
<noinclude>
[[Category: List templates]]
</noinclude>