The best posts of Skeptics!

Question

It would be very useful to have a list of great posts to showcase our site to prominent skeptics. The idea is to get our site endorsed by influential skeptical bloggers and tweeters.

Without considering the number of views, can you select our most authoritative, interesting posts? The posts that showcase the best of Skeptics.SE?

What I am looking for are great, great questions with a great, great answer.

Instructions for posting

One post per answer
Include a URL to the question
Include a reason for nomination

Up vote the answers that you agree with, and down vote the ones you disagree with.

Once a sizable number or posts and a consensus has been reached I will proceed to contact the bloggers and tweeps to try and get us mentioned!

Of course, feel free to do the same. :-)

Wait, doesn't the normal voting system on questions accomplish exactly the same goal as this topic? Why not just visit skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions?sort=votes — Christian Oudard, Commented Apr 7, 2011 at 14:39
Not really - I am looking for exemplary questions to showcase the site. The sort by votes is heavily influenced by the number of views. — Sklivvz, Commented Apr 7, 2011 at 14:59
I'd vote for one of the countless question that shuts down homeopathy. — Alain, Commented Oct 21, 2011 at 19:51

2 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

14

Is popping your knuckles bad for you?

A surprisingly fresh question with a great answer - including a hilarious reference to the IgNobel prize.

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

2 revs
Sklivvz

+1 I never expected I would ask a question that would be in this sort of list.
– Peter Olson
Commented Apr 10, 2011 at 1:31

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2 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

12

Was Einstein a poor student?

Often said, but the first time I saw it questioned. Proved to be extremely popular.

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

2 revs
Borror0

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2 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

11

Does being cold increase your chances of catching the common cold?

The question is about a very well known idea, but questioning it skeptically is fresh and novel. Also the answer is well researched and good quality

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

2 revs
Sklivvz

Add a comment |

2 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

10

Does a car with a hybrid engine and Lithium batteries pollute more than a car with conventional technology?

The answer shows in-depth research on a complex topic. The result is a very complete and authoritative answer.

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

2 revs
Sklivvz

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3 revs, 2 users 67% · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

8

Does having late or heavy dinner make you fat?

A surprising debunking of a popular claim. The accepted answer is particularly good and well-referenced, and the outcome not obvious.

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

3 revs, 2 users 67%
Louis Rhys

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3 revs, 2 users 62% user288 · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

5

Demonstrable and repeatable examples of evolution

A perfect example how you need to answer broad questions in order to attract more people and keep existing users.

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

3 revs, 2 users 62%
user288

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2 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

Do cats always land on their feet?

I often use this as an attention grabbing example of a question how, at Skeptics.SE, you don't see answers that say:

'I reckon it is true, coz my cat landed on her feet when she fell off the shelf'.

Instead you get answers that say:

After experimentally dropping a cat 700 times, he landed on his feet only if the height was greater than one foot... Yes, the same cat.
Cats get different injuries after they reach terminal velocities. Here's an observational study.
Here is a high-speed footage of the cat turning, and some analysis of the physics involved
Here is a discussion of the experimental results of microgravity on blindfolded kittens and how it affects their falling reflexes.
...and here are the references.

2 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

4

Did Winston Churchill say that proof of alien spacecraft would threaten the Church?

Great answer to a commonly accepted myth, excellent research and references to what one would expect to be relatively arcane knowledge

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

2 revs
Brian M. Hunt

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2 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

3

Does torture work well as an interrogation technique?

Okay, so Larian is a persona friend of mine, but this is absolutely a tour de force answer to a question that has haunted human progress for milenia.

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

2 revs
JasonR

1

I actually feel sorta bad about that answer because it's so long!
– Larian LeQuella
Commented Nov 30, 2011 at 2:54

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3 revs, 2 users 73% · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

What is the most realistic estimate for how far the Vikings could have explored the western hemisphere?

The question offers a number of theories with links to sources describing those theories in more detail.

The single submitted answer does an admirable job of addressing the question. Although it does not provide any 'educated guesses' for the extant of Viking travel in the western hemisphere, it explains why any 'educated guesses' would be nothing more than speculation--there is no authenticated proof south of the L'Anse aux Meadows site on the northern tip of Newfoundland. Additional points are also raised concerning popular red herrings in the debate.

I'm blushing. :)
– Larian LeQuella
Commented Nov 30, 2011 at 2:53 — Larian LeQuella, Commented Nov 30, 2011 at 2:53

3 revs · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-13 12:46:42Z

2

Has man walked on the Moon?

Our first "hit" question, has a very popular answer with a very high upvote-to-visit ratio.

edited Apr 13, 2017 at 12:46

community wiki

3 revs
Sklivvz

3

C'mon! Really? It's probably one of the last questions I'd want to show.
– Borror0 Mod
Commented Apr 9, 2011 at 14:49
Statistically speaking, it's a shining question - even accounting for the number of visits.
– Sklivvz Mod
Commented Apr 9, 2011 at 15:37
2

@Sklivvz: Don't confuse popularity for quality.
– Borror0 Mod
Commented Apr 15, 2011 at 1:24
@Borror: that's taken into account (votes divided by log visits)... in any case the other 2 quetions I selected via this method are higher in this list.
– Sklivvz Mod
Commented Apr 15, 2011 at 5:31
3000 views/41 upvotes = 73 views/upvote
– Mateen Ulhaq
Commented Apr 26, 2011 at 1:57
@mun it's actually 128 upvotes (OP+first answer).
– Sklivvz Mod
Commented Apr 26, 2011 at 8:12
3

I'm with @Borror0 on this one. This is the last question I'd showcase. It would more likely be met with sideways glances of "Really? That's what you guys talk about?"
– Robert Cartaino
Commented Apr 27, 2011 at 3:40
@Robert: agreed. I put here mainly for voting and seeding the OP.
– Sklivvz Mod
Commented Apr 27, 2011 at 7:19
@Sklivvz: Neither of those are a good reasons to showcase this question. It's terribad.
– Borror0 Mod
Commented Apr 27, 2011 at 10:14
@Borror0: I disagree. The question+first answer has net +128 score. It's definitely worth voting on.
– Sklivvz Mod
Commented Apr 27, 2011 at 10:51