Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [oil]

Any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents.

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Does Shell get $2 billion a year in subsidies from the US government?

While browsing reddit, I saw the following graphic from the Late Stage Capitalism subreddit: (Two stick figures are shown, the second one with Shell's logo for a head) This is Bob. Bob gets $1,500/year in food stamps so his family doesn't…
Mark Rogers
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Did 528 Hz sound broadcasts help clean polluted water in the Gulf of Mexico?

Attuned Vibrations is a vendor with articles making numerous claims about the benefits of certain audio frequencies. On the 528 Hz – The Love Frequency page, they claim that 528 Hz sound helped clean oil from the Gulf of Mexico. In 2010, John…
user1605665
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Is peak oil still set for 2013?

There have been various dates that I've read about the prediction of peak oil, when global petroleum production will stop growing theoretically. Some claim 2020s; others say the 2050s as the final decade oil extraction will decrease to drips.…
Chris S
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Is there a deep, hot biosphere?

Thomas Gold claims that oil is not aging vegetal or animal matter, but rather made continously from bacteria deep in the Earth's mantle (a 'deep hot biosphere') so that we would effectively never have to worry about running out. Gold's theory is…
Joseph Weissman
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Lung cancer due to inhaling oily steam in the restaurant kitchen for a long period of time

There is a rumour which states that chefs increase their likelihood of developing lung cancer if they work for long periods of time in the kitchen with oily steam. Does anybody here have such evidence?
Second Person Shooter
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Did the USA increase oil imports from Russia after the Ukraine invasion?

According to Zhao Lijian of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China (RDCY) [...] Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Mikhail Popov said, in a contrasting move to pressure its pressuring of European…
Evan Carroll
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Is coconut oil effective as a toothpaste or in promoting oral health?

There's a good deal of information about "oil pulling" which is the process by which you swish oil around your mouth for 20 minutes or so then spit it out. There are many claims about what it can heal, one of which has been asked about here. More…
user11643
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Is it not possible to swim in crude oil?

In the book Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, one of the characters falls into crude oil and state that one cannot swim in crude oil. The character can swim in water. If true, why would you not be able to swim in crude oil?
Sardathrion - against SE abuse
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Does every major pipeline in the US cut through Native American lands?

The above image claims that every major pipeline in the US cuts through Native American lands while avoiding white suburbs. The text of the image states: "It's interesting that every single big pipeline cuts right through the heart of Native…
ChrisR
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Are refined edible oils unhealthy compared to unrefined ones?

There are lots of articles like this one which say: Refining [of oils] is accomplished with the addition of sodium hydroxide and temperatures around 450 degrees. The refined oil is not considered edible without further processing, such as…
Dheeraj Vepakomma
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Is the United States now the largest oil producer?

It is claimed that the United States now produces more oil than Saudi Arabia: Total crude oil production in the US, including liquids separated from natural gas, was the highest compared to all other countries in the first quarter of this year,…
user20862
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Are plastics harder to wash?

I was once told that if a piece of plastic gets oily, it's harder to "de-oil" than other substances because plastics are actually made from a derivative of oil. Is this so?
Thursagen
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Are powerful entities preventing the development of free or extremely low cost energy sources?

This is a common claim of people selling "free energy" devices that the government or oil companies are trying to suppress their work. I'm wondering if there's any documented examples of an oil company or government going after someone, suing them,…
Jasmine
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Are oil supplies virtually endless?

I have found some articles, that have reported on people saying this: The increase in reserve estimates is fueling the offbeat theories of maverick scientists who believe that the expression "fossil fuels" is a misnomer and that the earth contains…
WR Sroufe
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Is food fried with cold-pressed oil dangerous?

An aunt of mine went to some sort of nutrition lecture course and claims to have been taught that using cold-pressed oils in frying would produce certain chemical compounds which are toxic to humans. Of course she wouldn’t remember the exact…
Timwi
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