No, the World Is Not Heading Toward 'Mass Extinction'
Despite an apocalyptic media narrative, the modern era has brought much longer lives and the greatest decline in poverty ever.
Panic
Elizabeth Warren's Crypto Bill Targets Financial Freedom, Not Fraud
Senator Warren wants to extend the financial surveillance state cooked up by drug warriors and anti-terrorism fearmongers to cryptocurrencies.
Don't Let Police, Media Mislead You About Fentanyl Exposure Overdoses
Another officer claims to have been laid out just by being close to the drug. That’s not how it works.
Undeterred by Past Failures, the Press Goes All in on 'Rainbow Fentanyl' Panic
Even though no one's trying to give your kid rainbow fentanyl this Halloween, it hasn't stopped journalists from repeating the myth.
The Fight To Stop Research Into a Cheap, Effective Backup Plan for Climate Change
Why are activists trying to stop research into a promising backup plan to handle climate change?
After 53 Earth Days, Society Still Hasn't Collapsed
The Limits to Growth is still “as wrongheaded as it is possible to be.”
The U.K. Government's Latest Encryption Fearmongering Relies on Child Sex-Trafficking Panics
British police want greater surveillance powers and they’re willing to destroy everybody’s cybersecurity to get them.
People Have Been Panicking About New Media Since Before the Printing Press
Politicians and activists claim social media is turning us into zombies. But new technologies have been greeted with skepticism since the dawn of time.
When Kidnappings Were All the Rage
With panic in the air, federal law enforcement seized the moment.
Tennessee Orders Private Businesses To Warn About Possible Trans People in the Bathrooms
Fearmongering culture panic leads to a new dumb low.
Be Skeptical of Stories About TikTok 'Benadryl Challenge' Overdoses
One very sketchy story about an Oklahoma City teen’s tragic death has gone viral.
Scary Stories About Vaping Aren't Helping Anyone
Feel free to reject the advice of this terrible new book.
There Is No China Crisis
Unless we cause one by overreacting to Asia's changing political and economic landscape
The Vaping Panic Is a Major Setback for Public Health
"There's no question public health would benefit dramatically if everybody switched completely to e-cigarettes."
Everyone Is Confused About Trump's Executive Order on Judaism
Plus: the foundations bankrolling bad tech policy, they is the word of the year, and more...
Pessimists Archive Podcaster Jason Feifer Debunks Past Panics About Elevators, Novels, and Bicycles
Why do new things reliably freak us out?
Vaping Panic Ignores How E-Cigarettes Save Lives
H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." The rub against vaping, and other smokeless tobacco products, is that people enjoy it.
Pittsburgh's U.S. Attorney Is Lying to Cops and Constituents About the Actual Risks of Fentanyl Exposure
Bad science and panics by those who want to escalate the opioid drug war.
Google Launches a Drone Delivery Service in Australia
Get food, coffee, medicine, and golf balls (if your aim is just that bad).
Nation's Top Safety Agency Sounds Alarm on #InMyFeelings Challenge
The Drake-inspired viral challenge has seen the nation's youth fling themselves out of moving vehicles.
Relax—You'll Probably Survive Until Tomorrow
Americans have a poor sense of risk, and media panics don't help.
Don't Feed President Troll
Four questions to ask yourself before you freak out about Trump's latest tweet