International Skeptics United

Darin Naish returns to MonsterTalk to discuss his latest book, Cryptozoologicon: Volume I. From the well known to the very obscure, this book takes three looks at monsters. It critically examines them, but also speculates on what they might be like if they were real — combined with fantastic illustrations by science illustrators John Conway and C. M. Koseman. READ the episode notes

With the coming anniversary of Isaac Newton's birthday, Derek , sat down to have a chat with Faisal Saeed Al Mutar. Until about 9 months ago, Faisal was living in Iraq where he was at odds with the Sunni, Shai, and Al-Qaeda. He now lives in the United States after being granted asylum. In his short time living in the United States, he was gone on to help build an amazing community of people dedicated to making society a better place through the promotion of humanism, secular values, and skeptical thinking.

Is Jesus really the “reason for the season?” Find out in this podcast all about Saint Nicholas, mistletoe, Christmas trees, winter solstice festivals, Saturnalia, and Coca-Cola. Also, an expanded Skunk Dick section featuring a couple of Fox News blondes being outraged by their misunderstanding of the holiday.

How balls of cells assemble into a baby, why cell shape is crucial in cancer, telling cells where to go in an embryo, and getting a handle on how limbs develop: this week's Naked Scientists explores the science of structure. Plus, does classical music make you brainier? News of what your Christmas dinner means to the microbes in your intestines and a breakthrough in tracking the international spread of pandemics...

Some believe that long hair provides great physical strength. Sometimes it's a cultural thing, sometimes religious. But what's the truth behind it?

Introduction Richard Saunders and Stefan Sojka 0:06:05 Maynard's Spooky Action...  Interviews with delegates and guests at the Australian Skeptics Convention. This week Maynard chats to...  Dr Paul Willis Agent Smith Tim Medham Dr Rachie 0:33:15 A Week in Science The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific not-for-profit organisation with a mission to bring science to people and people to science. 0:37:20 An interview with Sharon Hill A review of Doubtful News over the past 12 months

This Day in Skepticism: Tycho Brahe; News Items: Atmospheric Mystery, Mima Mounds, Exploding Pig Farms, False Memories, Oldest Human DNA, Mars Radiation; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Creationist Claims; Science Fiction

The gang brings out the big guns for episode 275 of the Reality Check as they give their special TRC take on some classic skeptical topics. Darren leads off the show with a segment analyzing the claims made by Astrology and whether or not they make sense. Next, Elan looks into the studies that have been done to determine the effectiveness of intercessory prayer on health outcomes. Adam closes things out with a look into whether or not suicide rates increase during the holidays. Enjoy the show! "I think it's a gem of an episode" - Pat Roach

Jonathan Meades is a writer, journalist, essayist and film-maker. His books include three works of fiction - Filthy English,  Pompey and The Fowler Family Business - and several anthologies including the recently published Museum Without Walls. He is currently working on a book entitled An Encyclopedia of Myself, which will be published in 2014. He has written and performed in more […]

The bid to create the world's largest marine reserve, diseases threatening corals in the Caribbean, what is the best way to conserve coral reefs in Fiji, and why fish microbes matter too. Plus news of DNA sequences extracted from a 400,000 human ancestor in Spain, contraceptive pills for men, pain-free injection patches and the brain basis of dyslexia...

Consumer ripoffs are everywhere, and many times the victims refuse to acknowledge it. Skeptoid responds to comments sent in by some such listeners.

Introduction Richard Saunders 0:05:00 Maynard's Spooky Action...  Interviews with delegates and guests at the Australian Skeptics Convention. This week Maynard chats to...  Heidi Robertson Postie Linley Eran Segev 0:30:52 A Week in Science The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific not-for-profit organisation with a mission to bring science to people and people to science. Happy 50th Dr Paul Willis! 0:36:25 Skeptoid 5 All the way from California, it's Brian Dunning with news of his new book, Skeptoid 5: Massacres, Monsters, and Miracles 0:46:15 Australian Skeptics $100,000 prize Want to win $100,000? All you need to is prove you have a supernatural or paranormal power or can access energies unknown to science.

The concluding segment of our interview with Kerry Jackson of X-96 and the Geekshow podcast is here! In this hour we talk about Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game,” Kerry beats Chuck up over not liking Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Matt reveals he has actually done some show prep. WARNING: GEEKINESS ABOUNDS.

Interview with Tim Farley and Susan Gerbic; This Day in Skepticism: Rube Goldberg and Eleanor Gibson; News Items: Male-Female Brain Wiring, Wormholes and Black Holes, Home Genetic Testing; Who's That Noisy; Science or Fiction

Aleks Krotoski is an academic and journalist who writes about and studies technology and interactivity. She is currently a Visiting Fellow in the Media and Communications Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Research Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute. Aleks writes for the Guardian and Observer newspapers, and hosts Tech Weekly, their technology podcast. […]