Tuesday 13 October 2026 · Edition of the day

The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories: 2
Average plausibility: 66%
How to read the score: It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.

RegionAll Global Africa North America South America Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East

TopicAll Politics Conflict & Security Business Science Health

01HealthEurope

Cambridge study suggests gender gap in autoimmune diagnosis

Women were reportedly more likely to have symptoms labelled psychological, though the excerpt omits the study's methods.

The Guardian reports that a Cambridge University study suggests women with autoimmune conditions are up to 74% more likely than men to be told their symptoms are psychological or psychosomatic. It also reports longer waits for diagnosis and treatment among women. The supplied excerpt does not identify the study population or explain how the comparisons were calculated.

What holds up

✓The Guardian attributes the findings to a Cambridge University study rather than presenting them as an unsupported general assertion.
✓The report describes both psychological attribution of symptoms and delays in diagnosis and treatment.

What doesn't yet

?Only one outlet is supplied, with no paper, sample size, study location or methodology available for assessment.
?The phrase 'up to 74%' does not establish a uniform effect across conditions or populations, and no absolute rates are given.

Ask before you share

→Which conditions and populations were studied, and how representative were the participants?
→What were the absolute rates, uncertainty ranges and adjustments for other differences between patients?

Sources & original reporting

[1]The Guardian · Published 13 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com

02HealthAfrica

Monitor warns that conflict and drought are increasing Sudan's famine risk

Al Jazeera reports drought affecting roughly half the country, but the extract provides no assessment methodology.

Al Jazeera reports a monitor's warning that conflict and drought are increasing the risk of famine in Sudan. Its summary says El Niño-induced drought is affecting roughly half the country as a three-year war continues.