Mocking antiscience and alt-med

Comedians wield skeptical leverage that resonates deeply, proving laughter is the best medicine.

Written byPhil Plait
| 1 min read
Google NewsGoogle News Preferred Source

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

I sometimes think that comedians wield more skeptical leverage than bloggers. Case in point: Dara O'Brian. (NSFW language) I love hearing people laugh at silliness. Sometimes it really is the best medicine. Tip o' the 30C nitrous oxide to Steve Lavoie.

Meet the Author

More on Discover
A close-up of a human chin
Only Humans Have Chins — and They Emerged as an Evolutionary Accident 
Medieval church at sunrise
Medieval Burial Sites in Denmark Show Illness Didn’t Erase Social Status
the claws on a bears paw
A Prehistoric Bear Attack Ended in the Gruesome Death of a Teenage Boy Around 27,000 Years Ago 
cosmic matter that makes up the universe.
Giant Galaxies Emerged Just 1.4 Billion Years After the Big Bang
Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) flying among other pelicans
Bird Poop Helped Power One of Ancient Peru's Wealthiest Kingdoms
Bison bones at an archaeological site in Montana.
Humans Abandoned a Bison-Hunting Site Around 1,100 Years Ago — Turns Out, Climate Change Was to Blame
Eel-looking animal with four eyes
One of The Earliest-Known Vertebrates Navigated the Cambrian Dark Forest with Four Eyes
Lizard like Tyrannoroter heberti eating plants
This 307-Million-Year-Old Animal May Have Been One of the First Plant Eaters
cichlid embryo with fluorescent lmx1b
Ancient Fish Fins May Have Given Rise to Human Hands
a colorful comet in space
Astronomers Spot a New Sungrazer Comet — Could It be Bright Enough to See in Daylight This Spring?
cold exoplanet in space
A Cold Earth 146 Lightyears Away Could Be Habitable
Depiction of Earth’s magnetic field lines surrounding the planet.
Earth’s Magnetic Field Flips Regularly — Some Reversals Last 70,000 Years

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe