Skepticism career
In 2003, after resigning from Neversoft, West's interest in debunking took hold. "I retired, I had lots of spare time, I didn't have vast other interests that I was pursuing, and so I was able to focus on these things. I could focus on Morgellons, and I wrote like a hundred little articles on Morgellons. Because I have this background in video game programming and debugging and investigating things, I was able to do fairly deep technical investigations of things." [3]
West now attempts to interact with his interviewees and his audience on his various media with empathy to help them see reality. These people, he says, see a different version of reality: "They prefer the one where the government is evil. Now, it doesn't mean the government isn't evil, it doesn't mean that people in power aren't corrupt, it doesn't mean politicians aren't corrupt, but it also doesn't mean that they planted bombs in the World Trade Center. Just because politicians are corrupt, it doesn't necessarily follow the World Trade Center was a controlled demolition." [3]
Contrail Science
West became interested in the chemtrail conspiracy theory while studying aviation weather for his pilot's license. He created the website "Contrail Science" with the aim of explaining contrails and debunking chemtrail theories. He believed initially that he could explain and debunk these theories quite quickly, but they were more resilient than he'd anticipated: he has now spent more than 10 years covering the topic. [5]
Academic work
In August 2016, West co-authored a paper with climate scientists Ken Caldeira, Christine Shearer, and Steven J. Davis published in the journal Environmental Research Letters titled Quantifying expert consensus against the existence of a secret, large-scale atmospheric spraying program (SLAP). The objective of the paper was to produce a peer-reviewed expert response to the chemtrail theory. The authors surveyed experts on atmospheric chemistry and deposition to scientifically evaluate the claims of chemtrail conspiracy theorists. Upon publication, it was recognized as the first study by a major science organization on the topic. [6] Its conclusion reported that "76 out of 77 (98.7%) scientists that took part in this study said there was no evidence of a SLAP, and that the data cited as evidence could be explained through other factors, such as typical contrail formation and poor data sampling instructions presented on SLAP websites" [7] Data science company Altmetric rated the paper in the top 5% of all research in terms of interest generated and it has been cited many times by scientific publications and news outlets. [8] This included the New York Times , where West said the new study should help sway people who might otherwise be convinced by a chemtrails website. "You're trying to hold back the tide to a certain degree, and hopefully have less people fall into that way of thinking." [9]
The discussion on the "Contrail Science" website eventually expanded to include other conspiracy theories, including that of 9/11. So West decided to create another website, "Metabunk", to expand the discussion to other alternative beliefs. Metabunk covers such topics as pseudoscience, UFOs and the paranormal. The website also includes a forum, "Skydentify", where West invites people to send photos and videos of UFOs and supposed ghosts. He analyzes these using his background in video game programming and Photoshop, and then he and other forum members attempt to explain what the photos and videos are actually depicting. They also discuss the best way to communicate the results of their debunking investigations. [10] Analysis from West and other experts on Metabunk has been cited in generalist publications. [11] [12] [13]
West describes the objective of his work as attempting to get people out of the "rabbit hole" of conspiratorial thinking. "Chemtrails is a surprisingly popular theory; it's right up there with things like the 9/11 conspiracy theories," he says. "It all stems from a fundamental distrust of science and authority. You are always going to get a percentage of people who are true believers. My goal is to minimize that as much as possible, stop people falling for it, and help them get out as easily as possible." [14]
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
West has written several articles for the Skeptical Inquirer , the journal of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), including "Curated Crowdsourcing in UFO Investigations", "In Defense of Debunkers", and "UFOs Come Out of the Shadows. Again. Perhaps." [15]
In 2016, West delivered a Sunday Papers presentation at the annual conference of CSI, CSICon, titled "Expert Elicitation vs. Chemtrails" in which he discussed his 2016 scientific paper on climate engineering. [14] In 2018, West again spoke at CSICon, this time as a featured speaker on the subject of debunking a 9/11 conspiracy theory involving microspheres. [16]
In 2020, West became a fellow of CSI. [17]
Escaping the Rabbit Hole (2018-2023)
In 2018, West published Escaping the Rabbit Hole. How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect with the goal of helping people understand and explain conspiracy theories, and then pass those explanations onto others. In a review of the book, British actor Stephen Fry wrote "Mick West demonstrates with exquisite style, wit, and insight how those three rare and valuable species, Fact, Logic and Respect (each now on the very brink of extinction) have in harness the power to shine light into darkness and dispel the miasma of bias, superstition and balefully proud ignorance that is threatening to poison our age." [18] The book was featured in an analysis released by the University of McGill Office for Science and Society in 2018. [19] Celestia Ward points out that "Debunking conspiracy theories is a lot of work. But it's worthwhile if you are helping a loved one out of a mindset that can cause them harm. Mick West has shouldered a tremendous amount of the work himself, summarizing some conspiracy beliefs and demonstrable facts to refute those beliefs..." [20]
He also created the online forum morgellonswatch.com to dispel the myths and misinformation surrounding the unconfirmed skin condition Morgellons. [21]
In 2023, a revised and expanded edition was published that included new chapters addressing contemporary conspiracy theories about COVID-19, election fraud, QAnon, and UFOs. [22]
Tales from the Rabbit Hole
West started a podcast in April 2019, Tales from the Rabbit Hole, in which he interviews "conspiracy culture" guests. [23]
Sitrec and recent UAP analysis (2023–present)
West continued open-source technical investigations of UAP videos and released Sitrec, an interactive 3D situation recreation tool used to model camera geometry, aircraft kinematics, and sensor artifacts. He open-sourced Sitrec in 2024 and iterated the tool with feature updates through 2025. [24] [25] [26]
Following AARO’s 8 March 2024 historical report and later public briefings on Navy videos, West emphasized where official findings matched earlier independent reconstructions. GOFAST was widely claimed to show a small object skimming ocean waves at extreme speed. AARO calculated the target near 13,000 ft above sea level with a ground speed near 45 mph, consistent with a drifting object at the wind level, and showed that apparent rapid motion came from parallax produced by the fast-moving jet and the geometry of the tracking. West’s prior Sitrec and Metabunk work had modeled the same parallax and range relationships using ATFLIR angles and aircraft kinematics. [27] [28] [29] [30]
On 9 September 2025, a House Oversight hearing displayed new Yemen coast MQ 9 footage that was presented as a Hellfire missile striking a shiny orb and the orb surviving. West’s frame by frame breakdown highlighted a proximity fuze detonation offset from the camera line of sight to the orb, a brief luminous flash and debris water splash consistent with an airburst over the sea, loss and reacquisition of the sensor track during the event, and no measurable change in the orb’s apparent size or motion that would indicate an impact. He published stabilized crops, timing measurements, and Sitrec camera motion tests, and noted that claims of a direct hit were not supported by the imagery record available to the public. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
West maintained work on earlier Middle East clips that were often cited as metallic orbs demonstrating non-aerodynamic motion. For the Mosul sphere claim, he collated original reporting, extracted geometry from the single released frame, and showed how a small balloon or similar object closer to the camera can present a high-contrast circular signature with ambiguous range when platform motion dominates apparent movement. For the 2022 MQ 9 spherical object released via AARO, he demonstrated that the apparent path changes and speed are explained by the drone’s own turns and gimbal pointing changes, and that no propulsion or control surfaces are required by the data shown. [36] [37] [38]
He also published microscopy based critiques of claims from the television series The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. In August 2025 he posted scanning electron microscope images and energy-dispersive spectroscopy notes of a promoted self-healing ceramic sample, finding typical fracture and contamination features and no mechanism for autonomous repair in the material studied. [39]
West has been cited by a variety of media as an expert analyst on chemtrails, UFOs, and other conspiracy theories. [40] [41] [42] [43] [44]
In 2010, West appeared on the CBS evening news and KPCC radio news to comment on a viral video of what appeared to be a "mystery" missile launch. [40] [41]
In 2013, West appeared in the documentary film "Overcast" as a rebuttal to promoters of chemtrail conspiracy theories. [42] [43]
In September 2016, Radio New Zealand profiled West as a science writer and someone who "is dedicated to the art of debunking wild theories that circulate online and helping other people do the same, with his website, Metabunk." In the interview he described how his passion for debunking comes from a concern that real problems are being ignored because science is ignored. In particular he talked about the harm conspiracy theorists can cause when they accuse the families of victims of gun massacres as being crisis actors. He also explained that when "dealing with conspiracy theorists the best thing is to be polite. You've got to be a kind of gentleman scientist. If people are polite then you will get listened to. Never misrepresent yourself, never lie, never fake evidence, never indulge in hoaxes. You've got to be 100% beyond reproach at all times." [45]
In May 2020, Susan Gerbic of the About Time Project interviewed West regarding how people fall into the "rabbit hole" of conspiracy theories, and discussed ideas for helping friends and family come to reality. [46]
In late December 2020, West was one of the experts quoted in a BBC article regarding suggestions for talking to friends and relatives who believe in conspiracy theories. West said "My number one rule would be to not spoil Christmas...An angry, heated conversation will leave everyone feeling rubbish and further cement conspiracy beliefs." [47]
In May 2021, West was a guest on the CNN show Cuomo Prime Time where he provided his explanations for three recent high-profile UAP videos made by US Navy personnel. In each case West demonstrated that simple misinterpretations and video artifacts were likely explanations of the peculiar attributes of the recorded objects. [44] : 32:20
West has made a number of appearances on podcasts discussing his life and debunking career. These include being interviewed by Richard Saunders on the Skeptic Zone, [10] Benjamin Radford on Squaring the Strange, [21] and on Something You Should Know. [48] He has also made several appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience to discuss various conspiracy theories. [49]
In June 2021, in advance of the release of the Pentagon UAP Task Force's report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, West was interviewed in Scientific American as an expert analyst of the video evidence. Regarding the report, West said, "I expect much discussion and information about the real issues of unidentified flying objects. But I do not anticipate it will have much that will please the UFO enthusiasts." [50]
On August 2, 2022, an article by West was published that provides his detailed analysis of the optical effects he has suggested as the source of the images in the Gimbal Video. [51] He also wrote a 2023 Skeptical Inquirer column assessing the July 2023 House hearing that featured David Grusch. The column placed the testimony inside prior crash retrieval narratives. [52]
In February 2023, New York magazine's Intelligencer ran an interview on the balloon shoot-downs and contemporary UAP reporting practices. [53] In June 2023, The Guardian noted West's view that central claims from David Grusch were second-hand and required evidence. [54] In August 2023 he discussed recent UAP claims and investigation methods on WXXI's "Connections" radio program. [55]
In 2024, Scientific American referenced West's analyses of Navy videos when explaining non-extraordinary interpretations of those clips. [56] The outlet also covered his real-time commentary during late 2024 reports of mystery drones in the northeastern United States. [57] Popular Mechanics profiled West's workflow for public UAP footage analysis in July 2024. [58]
In 2025, West appeared on TWiT's "This Week in Space" to review recent UAP videos and public claims [59] , which Space.com later featured. [60]
