The Michael Shermer Show Shermer Says 9: The "Dead Scientists," Explained
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Apr 24, 2026 A skeptical investigation into a viral story about missing and dead scientists tied to aerospace, defense, and UFO claims. Political alarm and media amplification get examined. The podcast surveys individual cases, base-rate statistics, pattern-seeking bias, and how selective reporting creates false mysteries.
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Patternicity Explains Spooky Scientist Stories
- Apparent clusters of scientists dying or disappearing are often patternicity, not conspiracies.
- Michael Shermer shows how people glue unrelated incidents into a spooky narrative by ignoring base rates and context.
Amy Eskridge Case Shows Base Rate Reality
- Amy Eskridge's death was a verified suicide, not murder, despite online conspiracy claims.
- Shermer cites Johns Hopkins gun suicide stats and Eskridge's family's acceptance to illustrate base-rate explanations.
Hiking Disappearances Near Mount Waterman Are Common
- Monica Riza vanished while hiking in the Angeles National Forest, an area where people go missing every year.
- Shermer uses his own hiking and biking experiences in those mountains to explain how falls and disappearances happen naturally.