Conspiracy Theories

Reptile overlords. Pizzagate. QAnon. What makes conspiracy theories so alluring, and why are some more unshakeable than others? Today’s episode breaks down the driving forces behind false narratives, and what happens when true believers take extreme actions.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even expert primatologists can’t agree on whether Bigfoot exists. Is it all a hoax, or is the creature more intelligent — or cosmic — than we give it credit for? Maybe there really is undeniable evidence that could lay the sasquatch question to rest… but it’s being squashed by government agencies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the most-glimpsed creature that doesn’t exist. A mysterious ape-man whose legends date back centuries. But while the stories shift and morph, some elements remain the same: The giant footprints. The rancid smell. The hairy, humanoid shape. And the lingering question — if Bigfoot isn’t real, why does he keep showing up?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They say a Bonesman is for life… Their secret bond might have led to the creation of another clandestine organization: the CIA. Some even wonder if it was the Bonesmen who ordered the hit on JFK. But these might just be a few small steps in a master plan for a new world order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Formed at Yale in 1832, a fraternal secret society counts media moguls, CIA operatives, even U.S. presidents in its roster. But with only 800 living members, those odds seem too good to be true — which is why some wonder if Skull and Bones is part of a plan for world domination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In April 2021, Bitcoin hit its all time high of over 60K per coin — and it's still growing. While Bitcoin's creator still remains in the shadows, there are whispers that the cryptocurrency will one day replace the U.S. dollar as the world's global currency. Although some fear it will lead to the apocalypse… since Bitcoin was seemingly predicted in the Bible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An enigmatic creator. A much-hyped cryptocurrency. Bitcoin might be paving the way for a financial revolution, but critics say the digital dollar is a perfect cloak for criminals and cybercrimes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

RFID tags have become a paper-thin, barely detectable building block of our economy — but they aren’t without controversy. Skeptics cite concerns over data theft and privacy violations, while rumors of a Bill Gates-funded government plot to implant chips in people exploded in 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A spy device developed during the Cold War has evolved into ubiquity, used for everything from tracking cow medications to locating nuclear materials. But when companies began using the technology to gain intel on their customers, consumer and privacy groups sounded the alarm — igniting fears of unprecedented surveillance and even associations with the antichrist.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After boarding a plane to visit her estranged husband in 1986, Marcela Basteri disappeared. Her whereabouts are still a mystery. Some believe she suffered a psychotic break, or abandoned her family to start a new life. But others point to a different theory: the mother of the famed Luis Miguel was murdered.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices