International Skeptics United

In 1955, at the height of the UFO craze, a rural Kentucky fought a protracted gun battle with with they thought were aliens from a landed spaceship. What really happened?

Darren McKee discusses sexism in science, Elan Dubrofsky asks whether blowing into Nintendo cartridges was an effective way to get games to work and Adam Gardner ponders whether Canadians say "zed" or "zee."

0:00:00     Introduction Richard Saunders 0:02:45     Maynard's Spooky Action.. From TAM 2012 - Maynard visits the room of Women Thinking Inc. and chats to Ashley Hamer about the importance of vaccination and other good work this group do. Maynard chats to TAM deligates about their thoughts of Australia. Maynard chats to Tim Medham form Australian Skeptics 0:24:30 Media Watch and the AVN. On the 1st of October 2012, the Media Watch TV show in Australia took aim at 'The Australian Vaccination Network'. Richard Saunders comments on this report and the issues for the media in general. 0:28:35 Maynard in the Pub! Interviews with Dr Rachie, Joanne Benhamu and pubbers. "What should the skeptics take on next?"

The tricks your mind plays on you are up for analysis this week as we explore the science of taste including why noise diminishes food flavour aboard an aeroplane and how much affects your choice of wine. We also speak to a synaesthete who, quite literally, tastes the people he meets, and we probe the workings of the placebo effect. Plus, pain killers from black mamba venom, why teenagers take risks and the age old chestnut of why names are so hard to remember...

This Day in Skepticism: The Billygoat Curse; News Items: The Physics of Roulette, Vitamin D and the Common Cold, Harpooning Satellites, Bee Brains; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: WTC7 Collapse; Science or Fiction

Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He is the author of three bestsellers, Them: Adventures with Extremists,The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Psychopath Test, and two collections, Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness andWhat I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness. The Men Who Stare at Goats was made into a major [...]

Musicals, cancer, Star Wars and Percy Shelley. Plus Magna Carta, doppelgängers, the Great Reform Act and Elizabeth I. Putting some maize into a rat, it’s Skeptics with a K.

This week on Skepticality, Derek first sits down with Dr. Ginger Campbell to chat about her new book, Are You Sure? The Unconscious Origins of Certainty, to find out more about why it is difficult for any of us to be certain about many things. Then, Derek has a discussion with Joanne Hanks, the author of “It’s Not About The Sex” My Ass, about her journey deep into the world of fundamentalist Mormomism, and her move to becoming a skeptic and critical thinker.

There are many popular misconceptions about the origins and capabilities of hypnotism, including skepticism over whether it's even real at all or not. We look at what's actually known.

Liz's full interview with Ben Goldacre about Bad Pharma - from episode 155 of The Pod Delusion.

Richard Dawkins is a world famous Atheist, having authored several books and popularising Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. He studies ethology which is the study of animal behaviour and evolutionary biology. Dawkins was the Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 till 2008 at Oxford University. After retiring from this position, he now travels internationally giving lectures and making documentaries to increase Atheism awareness.

This week's show is all about numbers.   Pat Roach faces his fears regarding Avogadro's number, Elan Dubrofsky tells us about the Golden Ratio and Darren McKee explains the Astronomical Unit.

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:05:30 A Grain of Salt with Eran Segev Hear Eran's address to TAM 2012 about the acton taken to support Dr Ken Harvey 0:24:50 Maynard's Spooky Action.. Maynard chats to one of the people behind the facebook page "Australian Phenomena". Is Australia being invaded by UFOs and big red woman or little green men? Find out more with Maynard. 0:32:45 A Penny for your Thoughts with Penny Chan The IIG Awards - The Independent Investigations Group 0:39:00 Music by Gary Stockdale - "Harmony" 0:43:45 A chat with Linley Kissick from the Victorian Skeptics Linley give us more informatioin about the upcoming Australian Skeptics Convention.

How can we stay sharp as a senior citizen? This week, we explore the different biological approaches to understanding healthy ageing, discover a protein that may prevents age-related nerve degeneration and find out how to preserve cognitive function as we age. Plus, why Eunuchs lived longer, and how to turn trousers into catalytic converters that filter polluted air!

Interview with Pamela Gay; This Day in Skepticism: CERN; News Items: Ig Nobels 2012, GM Corn Rat Study, HIV and Faith Healing, Emoticons turn 30; Who's That Noisy; Science or Fiction