Updated monthly
Woo Index
The line between ‘fringe’ and ‘mainstream’ moves more than scientists like to admit. The Woo Index tracks the moves.
Every decade a few research areas slide from ’embarrassing’ to ‘serious.’ Quantum biology did it. Psychedelic therapy did it. Microbiome research did it. The Woo Index is my attempt to spot the next ones early.
The dashboard tracks twelve research areas across four axes: replication strength, funding momentum, institutional acceptance, and cultural permission. When all four are rising on the same area, something is about to break through.
Headline Metrics
Areas tracked
▲ +1 (NDE research)
Areas with all four axes rising
▲ +1
Replication wins this quarter
▲ +2
Institutional resistance index
▼ -0.04
Watchlist
What I’m tracking now
Quantum biology
Three textbooks now include it. The fight is mostly over.
Psi research
Two new endowed chairs. Nobody is announcing them.
Near-death experiences
Cardiology and neurology converging on a shared protocol.
Microtubule consciousness
From ‘laughed at’ to ‘cited.’ Trajectory matters more than current state.
Recent Signals
What just moved
May 25, 2026
Replication landed
A previously-contested finding replicated cleanly in two new labs. Quietly significant.
May 11, 2026
Funding announcement
A major foundation seeded three new programs in adjacent areas. Watch the next cohort of grants.
Apr 30, 2026
Conference shift
A skeptic-dominated annual meeting added a session that would have been unthinkable five years ago.
Other Dashboards
Geopolitical Power Map
Power doesn't move at the speed of headlines. This dashboard tracks the slower, more durable shifts.
AI Capability Tracker
There is a gap between what frontier labs can demonstrate and what they're allowed to ship. The Tracker measures that gap.
Narrative Heat Map
Every news cycle has a foreground and a background. The Heat Map tracks both, and the gap between them.
UAP Dashboard
The UAP story is no longer a fringe beat. It's a disclosure timeline, and the timeline has accelerated.
The Maze Files
Some stories don't break — they leak, slowly, through the cracks. The Maze Files are where I assemble the pieces.
Quantum Physics 101
Quantum physics is the closest thing modern science has to a mystical text. This dashboard treats it that way — carefully.