International Skeptics United

We to explore the question of whether Stanley Kubrick made The Shining as a confession that he was behind the alleged moon landing hoax; whether acupressure wristbands are a way to cure nausea or just a placebo; whether you should use hydrogen peroxide as a bactericide on minor wounds; the song Gloomy Sunday and if it has indeed been connected with an increased number of suicides; the true nature of whatever danger can be expected from common laser pointers; and whether we need to worry about hoards of human-animal hybrids swarming down from the mountains.

Introduction Richard Saunders 0:06:25 Dr Rachie Reports This week Dr Rachie chats to Rose Shapiro about her book, "Suckers: How Alternative Medicine Makes Fools of Us All". 0:19:00 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’. 0:23:00 The Australian Senate and the AVN We bring you part of the speech from Dr Richard Di Natale,Victoria's first Greens senator in the federal parliament. Hear what the senator has to say about the Australian Vaccination Network. 0:34:15 Maynard's Spooky Action... Maynard's guest this week is Dr Jonathan Roberts, the Research Director Autonomous Systems Lab at the CSIRO. Are robots going to take over? (I don't think so...) But if they did, how would they see? Find out more with Maynard.

This Day in Skepticism: Roy Wolford; News Items: Podcasting Patent, Class System in Mice, Anti-GMO Pseudoscience, Skunk Ape; Special Report: GyroStim and Science Journalism; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Staticman; Science or Fiction

With Adam away the remaining TRCers were privledged to be joined by Cristina Roach for episode 251. Elan leads things off with a look into whether buying local food is really all it's cracked up to be. Cristina then dives into the world of aphrodisiacs to find out which ones, if any, actually work. Darren closes out the show by asking what is the most recognized symbol in the world.

After qualifying from medical school in Edinburgh, Gavin Francis spent ten years travelling, visiting all seven continents. He has worked in Africa and India, made several trips to the Arctic, and crossed Eurasia and Australasia by motorcycle. His first book, True North: Travels in Arctic Europe was published in 2008. He has lectured at the Scott Polar Research Institute [...]

The Age of Transparency, the Playstation Generation, prior plausibility and the British X-Files.  Plus education policy, the Queen, laser eyes and blogging a pissy response.  Attempting to communicate peacefully with UFOs, it’s Skeptics with a K.

Miniature lungs, breasts and other organs are being grown in dishes so scientists can study how they form, why they succumb to disease and how toxins, drugs and poisons affect them. Organ models like these are rapidly replacing animals for many lab experiments. But are the days of the petri dish also numbered, as computer models, like the virtual physiological human, become more powerful. We talk to scientists using and developing all three. Plus, a new coating stops joint replacements loosening, magnetic therapy for strokes, and plants do long division...

Not every law passed by legislature is based on sound science. All too often, ideologues try to use the cloak of sciencey-sounding language to fool lawmakers and the public alike.

Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:00 Maynard's Spooky Action...  Special guest this week is Wilson da Silva, the departing editor of Cosmos Magazine. 0:18:10 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’. 0:22:30 A guest editorial  Sharon Hill - Cornered and Someone Wants to Tell Me Their Paranormal Story 0:26:50 Dr Rachie Reports  This week Dr Rachie chats about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine with Dr David Hawkes from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health

Interview with Daniel Loxton; This Day in Skepticism; News Items: Osteoarthritis, Patenting DNA, Foot Fungus, Chinese Fake Alien, New Type of Star; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Can We Know Everything; Science or Fiction

Jim Baggott has been studying and writing about the history of physics for more than 20 years and has won awards for his scientific research and his science writing. His previous books include A Beginner’s Guide to Reality and Beyond Measure: Modern Physics, Philosophy and the Meaning of Quantum Theory, and also Atomic: The First War of [...]

Episode 250 of The Reality Check is better than the previous 149 episodes COMBINED! Darren leads things off with a discussion of whether or not drinking alcohol increases the chances of a woman getting breast cancer. Elan then looks into the true odds of flipping a coin, as well as some other odds that aren't as they may seem. Pat closes things out by revealing whether or not a recent viral video is real or not.

Fungi go under the microscope this week as we explore how they barter minerals and carry chemical messages in return for sugars from plants; we also hear from someone who nearly died after consuming a deadly fungus, find out why fungi make the toxins they do, and hear how these organisms might hold the key to the next generation of packaging and building materials - and even surfboards! Plus, news of a light-powered retinal implant to restore sight, whether alcohol is dangerous in pregnancy, and why aspirin prevents cancers...

This week on Skepticality, Derek has a discussion with Geoffrey “Thor” Desmoulin, a Biomedical Engineer from Vancouver, Canada. Geoffrey works in accident reconstruction and medical device testing. Most people, however, know him best from his well-loved Spike TV show Deadliest Warrior. Using scientific testing and a bit of investigation, the show featured highly detailed dramatizations of historical combat scenarios to find answers to questions like: ‘Who would win in a toe to toe fight, a Ninja or a Spartan?’ It’s kind of like Mythbusters, but more dangerous.

Stories tell of a tall man in a shiny green suit with a maniacal grin on his face who appears to UFO witnesses and terrorizes them.