Yeah... Nah!

In this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, the team have found some very disparate topics to talk about. Firstly, Mark has some thoughts about Richard Dawkins’ recent article where he wonders out loud if Claude and other AI models may be conscious. Katrina has pulled on a thread she picked up in a sci-fi book, and has ended up trying to find out if there’s anything to the Buddhist idea of Tukdam - monks whose consciousness supposedly lives on in their bodies for days after they’ve died. Bronwyn has had enough of seeing AG1 adverts on YouTube and elsewhere, so has looked into the company’s founder and his shady past. And Mark covers all things looksmaxxing, focusing on the most popular looksmaxxer today, Clavicular, and the pseudoscientific beauty regime he puts himself through in the pursuit of physical perfection.

About this episode

Articles we talk about:

Clavicular: Looksmaxxing, Mogging and Bonesmashing

AG1: The Lazarus of supplements, part 1

Tukdam

The continuing problem of AI Sycophancy

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2026-05-11

In our shiny new episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, we’re all over the show. Mark starts by talking about Givealittle, and their lacklustre response to concerns he and Dan Ryan raised with them a couple of years ago. Then he transitions to talking about Iran’s issue with sycophancy and fake technological advances. Bronwyn looks into the Guinness World Records, and how the organisation has changed over the years - and not for the better. And finally Katrina has been pondering some recent Alzheimer’s Treatments in the context of both statistical and clinical significance.

About this episode

Articles we talk about:

Breaking the record for obsolescence? The history and controversies of Guinness World Records

Iran’s Potemkin Problem

Don’t say it don’t use it - Alzheimer’s treatments and the stats vs effect dilemma

When it’s not okay to Givealittle

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2026-04-28

We’re back with a guest for this episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast, as Aaron joins us to talk about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and a recent pamphlet created by Lloyd Evans that can be handed to members, warning them about being misled. Mark talks about Scientology Runs, and whether trespassing on Scientology property is a good thing or not. Bronwyn talks about how one of Edmund Hillary’s later expeditions promised to look for the Yeti, and Katrina debunks yet another claim that NASA has found aliens.

About this episode

Our Guests:

Aaron Davies

Articles we talk about:

Everything I know about Skepticism I learned from the Bible

Has NASA found alien technology in our skies?

Going on a Yeti hunt: Sir Edmund Hillary and the 1960 - 1961 Silver Hut Expedition

Speed Running Scientology

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2026-03-30

2026-04-13

We start off this week’s episode of the Yeah… Nah! Podcast talking about a recent change in New Zealand legislation, removing the alcohol restrictions on religious holidays in bars and restaurants. As well as this small but meaningful change, Katrina looks into microplastics to see if they’re a ticking timebomb inside our bodies, Mark double checks whether sugar feeds cancer, and where this idea came from, and Bronwyn looks into the history of Youth With a Mission (YWAM), a Christian mission organisation, and uncovers some interesting connections to New Zealand.

About this episode

Articles we talk about:

Should We Be Worried About Microplastics?

Sugar Feeds Cancer?

Youth with a Mission (YWAM)

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2026-03-30

We’re joined on this episode of the Yeah… Nah! podcast by NZ Skeptics committee member Dan Ryan, who recently found that Falun Gong were being less than honest when running stalls at his local market. We also hear from Katrina about Louis Theroux’s new documentary on the “manosphere”, Mark about the Auckland Deep Thinkers group, who don’t appear to be thinking very deeply, and Bronwyn, who has been looking into the history of Friday the 13th and its superstitious beliefs.

About this episode

Articles we talk about:

Friday the 13th x 3: The mayhem, the meme, and some math

Inside the Manosphere – Louis Theroux

Auckland Shallow Thinkers

A Cult has infiltrated my Market

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2026-03-16