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The Skeptic Zone

The Skeptic Zone #914 - 12.April.2026

·1 hr 4 min·5 clips
Richard Saunders faces a storm of online fury after expressing skeptical views on the 1966 Westall UFO case on national television.
The episode opens with host Richard Saunders reflecting on the Artemis II mission and his recent appearance on ABC's Australian Story discussing the Westall UFO case from 1966. He notes the intense negative reaction from parts of the UFO community, leading to a segment where he reads out and responds to critical YouTube comments, which range from personal insults to accusations of being a paid disinformation agent. Saunders defends his skeptical viewpoint, emphasizing that he does not dismiss the event but questions jumping to extraterrestrial conclusions, suggesting possibilities like high-altitude atomic testing balloons. The show then transitions to a segment by Cat McLeod, who explores the tradition of wishing, covering its history from ancient Greece to modern practices, and citing a 2017 study on bacterial spread from blown-out birthday candles. Following this, Adrienne Hill reads highlights from the Australian Skeptics newsletter, including items on UFO-related political statements, measles complacency, Lyme disease vaccine progress, and sovereign citizens. Saunders returns to delve into historical newspaper archives from Trove, searching for links between NASA and UFOs, finding articles from 1973 to 1991 that include claims of biblical UFOs by a NASA engineer and NASA's refusal to investigate flying saucers in 1977. The episode concludes with Saunders promoting Noticon 2026 and teasing next week's topic on Botox, while reflecting on the ongoing debate around skepticism and UFO beliefs.

As heard by us

A grounded skeptical tour from Artemis II and Westall memories to birthday cake bacteria.

The Skeptic Zone #914 moves between skywatching, old UFO memories, and wishing customs to look at the line between wonder and evidence. Richard Saunders begins in Sydney with Artemis II and the six minutes of terror, then shifts to the Royal Easter Show with Lara Benham, where…

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Want a guided stroll through wishes, omens and the evidence hiding under familiar rituals?

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