Rephonic
Artwork for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

Dr. Steven Novella
Climate Change
Artificial Intelligence
NASA
Covid-19
Critical Thinking
Misinformation
Black Holes
Kansas
Gravitational Waves
Vaccines
Pseudoscience
CRISPR
Italy
Alzheimer's Disease
Science
Scientific Skepticism
Evolution
Nightmares
Conspiracy Theories
Vaccination

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is a weekly science podcast discussing the latest science news, critical thinking, bad science, conspiracies and controversies. -The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: Your escape to reality - Produced by SGU Productions, LLC: www.theskepticsguide.org

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes1108Founded21 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Science

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

Latest Episodes

Interview with Adam Kall and Troy Morris; What's the Word: Application; Whatever Happened to Lab Grown Meat; News Items: The Brain is a Composite Organ, Independence of Science Grants, NYT Shills for Fake Psychics; Who's That Noisy; Name That Logical... more

News Items: How Dangerous is AI, Memories of 9-11, Solar is Booming, GPT-6 Astra, Frisson; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Educating Children; Science or Fiction

With Special Guest Christian Hubicki; Updating the Matrix; News Items: Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, Training Baby Robots, Testing Gravity in Space; Science or Fiction

Live from LA with guests Andrea Jones Rooy and Brian Wecht; Living in LA; What Ever Happened To: Breakthrough Starshot, Fen-phen, The Coming Hydrogen Economy, String Theory, The Segway, Going to Mars; Science or Fiction

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Political Reality
Political RealityPolitical Reality
Skeptics with a K
Skeptics with a KSkeptic Media Limited
Skeptoid
SkeptoidBrian Dunning
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive DissonanceAtheist and Skeptical News

Recent Guests

Jesse Bullard
Inventor; Frisson researcher working on musical chills
Frisson research / Frisson Labs
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1106 - Sep 19 2026
Christian Hubicki
Roboticist
Robot development and exploration
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1105 - Sep 12 2026
Julia Novella
Elder daughter of hosts, participant in extended discussion
Guest on SGU live DragonCon segment
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1105 - Sep 12 2026
Jay Novella
Host/regular on SGU
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1104 - Sep 5 2026
Andrea Jones-Roy
Guest, social scientist
Columbia University (based on context); social psychology/sociology
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1100 - Aug 8 2026
George Hrab
Guest, musician and skeptic
Music/Skeptic community
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1100 - Aug 8 2026
David Kyle Johnson
Philosopher, guest on the show to discuss expertise vs. authority
Lehigh University (as referenced in discussion)
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1087 - May 9 2026
Christina Cook
Artemis II Astronaut
NASA
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1084 - Apr 18 2026
Kristian Andersen
Professor of Infectious Disease Genomics, Director of Infectious Disease Genomics at Scripps Research Translational Institute
Scripps Research Translational Institute
Episode: The Skeptics Guide #1080 - Mar 21 2026

Hosts

Stephen Novella
Primary host and long-time anchor of the show; key figure in scientific skepticism and science communication.
Bob Novella
Co-host with a focus on skepticism, science communication, and popular science topics.
Kara Santamaria
Co-host known for science communication and skeptical discussion.
Jay Novella
Co-host with emphasis on science topics and community engagement.
Steven Novella
Renowned neurologist and skeptic, frequent panelist and host figure.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 11.3k ratings
  • 10/10

    The only podcast I am loyal to... I feel like it touches very broad news topics and I learn about new things each week. They come from a very logical approach for everything, and it is nice to see they don't include politics all that much.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    niniIbeanie
    Canadaa month ago
  • Enjoy Australia

    Thanks for the show guys - crammed all episodes up till 5 years ago and have been a regular listener since. Welcome back to Australia and be sure to get your heads around the coffee in Sydney!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Redwreckingball
    Australia2 months ago
  • What happened!

    I have loved this podcast for the last 15 years listened every Sat, but over the last few years it has became so political, we are here for science and skeptical thinking not to have every segment have a political angle. And Now with Evan kicked off for having his own thoughts it just shows the bias even more…. When the answer was if Evan would have told us his views we would have shown him why he’s wrong and how he should obviously think like us, the hypocrisy is front and center….

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Driftediron
    United States3 months ago
  • 606

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Right more often than not
    3 months ago
  • Trolly problem?

    Can often be a

    great show, always interesting, informative, topical, but…pro-genocide zionism? No thanks.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Hugh Redds
    Canada3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some listeners feel episodes became more political or less objective over time; balance concerns persist.
The show is praised for rigorous science and skepticism, even when controversial topics arise.
Guests and hosts are repeatedly commended for accessible, engaging explanations of complex topics.
Audience notes a strong, durable format with deep, thoughtful discussions.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#60
United States/Science
Apple Podcasts
#37
Canada/Science
Apple Podcasts
#65
United Kingdom/Science
Apple Podcasts
#28
Australia/Science
Apple Podcasts
#187
Germany/Science
Apple Podcasts
#232
Argentina/Top Podcasts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Skeptics Guide #1093 - Jun 20 2026
Q: What did the battery testing reveal about the claimed solid-state battery?
Independent battery experts found the sample behaved like a lithium-ion battery, with voltage curves and an expansion fingerprint consistent with lithium, strongly suggesting fraud or misrepresentation at best.
The Skeptics Guide #1092 - Jun 13 2026
Q: Does the isopod study show a mechanism for true multitasking?
Yes, the study suggests that with extensive training and offloading of tasks to different brain regions, some multitasking can occur, though the frontal lobes still control core attention.
The Skeptics Guide #1092 - Jun 13 2026
Q: What is the biggest determinant of cooperation in the cross-cultural study they discussed?
The strongest predictor was belief in how many people cooperate; the more someone believes others cooperate, the more likely they are to cooperate themselves.
The Skeptics Guide #1092 - Jun 13 2026
Q: What is the likely spread of Ebola if isolation remains at 20 percent?
If isolation stays at around 20 percent, models project more than 20,000 cases in the next three months, indicating a much more severe outbreak.
The Skeptics Guide #1083 - Apr 11 2026
Q: What makes the Artemis II heat shield discussion important for mission safety?
The heat shield behavior was previously observed with some char loss and gas pockets; NASA says Artemis II will use a safer re-entry profile and that the anomaly does not compromise the core safety function, but Inspector General warnings suggest continued validation is needed.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

What is The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A long-running science and skepticism show offers weekly discussions on current science news, critical thinking, and the social implications of science and technology. Episodes mix rigorous analysis with accessible banter, covering topics from space, biology, and health policy to AI, science communication, and public trust in institutions. Guests range from researchers and philosophers to science communicators and pop culture figures, contributing diverse angles to evidence-based skepticism. The show often threads practical demonstrations, media literacy, and policy considerations into broad conversations, making it useful for listeners who want to sharpen critical-thinking skills while staying informed about how science interacts with soci... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe:

1. Political Reality
2. Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria
3. Skeptics with a K
4. Skeptoid
5. Cognitive Dissonance

How many episodes of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe are there?

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe launched 21 years ago and published 1108 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe?

Recent guests on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe include:

1. Jesse Bullard
2. Christian Hubicki
3. Julia Novella
4. Jay Novella
5. Andrea Jones-Roy
6. George Hrab
7. David Kyle Johnson
8. Christina Cook

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days