Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What do snake oil, N-rays, and cold fusion have in common? They’re all cautionary tales reminding us why skepticism is essential to science—and to our future.
Watch my exclusive video Dark Biospheres: nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-dark-biospheres-life-on-worlds-without-sunlight
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Credits:
The Great Scientific Scams - From Snake Oil to Cold Fusion
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound epidemicsound.com/creator
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:21 The Roots of Scientific Deception
7:08 Snake Oil and the Selling of Science
10:55 Pseudoscience in the 20th Century—When Institutions Get It Wrong
14:59 Cold Fusion – A Hot Mess of Hype and Hope
19:07 A Road to the Future - Paved with Good Intentions
24:57 The Line Between Progress and Pitfall
What do snake oil, N-rays, and cold fusion have in common? They’re all cautionary tales reminding us why skepticism is essential to science—and to our future.
Watch my exclusive video Dark Biospheres: nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-dark-biospheres-life-on-worlds-without-sunlight
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isaacarthur
Use the link gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $36.
Visit our Website: isaacarthur.net
Join Nebula: go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Support us on Subscribestar: subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264
Reddit: reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur
Twitter: twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
The Great Scientific Scams - From Snake Oil to Cold Fusion
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound epidemicsound.com/creator
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:21 The Roots of Scientific Deception
7:08 Snake Oil and the Selling of Science
10:55 Pseudoscience in the 20th Century—When Institutions Get It Wrong
14:59 Cold Fusion – A Hot Mess of Hype and Hope
19:07 A Road to the Future - Paved with Good Intentions
24:57 The Line Between Progress and Pitfall
