What good is a podcast that deconstructs urban legends if we only talk about some random

one each week that you may or may not have even heard of?

Well to help mitigate that, we take student questions.

Students can send us questions about something they heard and we'll give them the full

Skeptoid treatment right here.

So let's jump into another round and we've got five of them for you today.

It's coming up next on Skeptoid.

You're listening to Skeptoid.

I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.

Student questions, internet tracking and plasma cosmology.

Once again we're going to answer some questions sent in by students all around the world.

Are you skeptical about something in pop culture?

I'll do my best to give you a quick and accurate answer.

Today's questions pertain to HCG dietary supplements, the value of web browser extensions

that block cookies and browsing history, the value of ear cancelling and antibacterial

cleansers, and a freaky idea called plasma cosmology.

Let's get started with.

Hello Brian, this is Brad from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

My question is about HCG drops.

They appear to be a new diet fan.

I have a friend who lost about 60 pounds using the drops and managed to keep the weight

off for about a year and a half.

...