International Skeptics United

Deaf gerbils, global consciousness and human chess. Plus more sports bracelets, hidden mormons and how not to argue. Oh, and all the latest news on QED (tickets now on sale http://qedcon.org). Making broad and over-reaching claims, it’s Skeptics with a K.

Tom Williamson's full interview with Cook'd and Bomb'd's Neil Kennedy about celebrity Twitter bullies

The next chapter in our continuing series on “How Dumb Can Arguments for Christianity Get?” is live! The answer: pretty dumb indeed. We cover Kirk’s gaffes on the manuscript evidence for the Old and New Testament, discuss the Amazon reviews for “What Is Truth?”, dramatically re-enact some of Kirk’s Irreligiosophy comics, and engage in serious [...]

This week on Skepticality, Derek presents another recording from the 2012 Skeptrack Panel at Dragon*Con on the topic of “Attracting A Mix: Skeptics and Believers,” featuring Sharon Hill, Tim Farley, and Nicole Gugliucci. Panelists discuss how to tailor your message so it may attract people from the widest range of world views for the greatest potential good.

History's greatest stringed instrument, the Stradivarius violin, has an amazing reputation for incomparable sound that no other can match. Is there a secret, or is the reputation perhaps undeserved?

Dr. Stuart Robbins returns to talk about Mike Barra's claim there's a Ziggurat on the moon and how all great scientific discoveries start on a zombie themed game board. Science, bitches!

Jon looks into the pairing of the Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz.  Adam taken on reports of toxic school supplies and Darren discusses the Post Hoc Fallacy.

0:00:00     Introduction Richard Saunders 0:07:55     Maynard's Spooky Action.. at TAM 2012 An interview with Brian Dunning from Skeptoid dot com 0:23:17     Dr Rachie Reports... with Dr Rachael Dunlop This week Dr Rachie looks at recent actions and decisions by the TGA - the Therapeutic Goods Administration 0:30:15     2012 Richard Dawkins Award goes to Eugenie Scott A message form Richard Dawkins about the award and then we hear from Eugenie Scott about the National Center for Science Education 0:47:40     Maynard chat to Garry Dalrymple about Freecon Freecon Sydney is a FREE Science Fiction and Fantasy convention.

Would you set sail with a robotic skipper? This week, the World Robotic Sailing Championships grace the waters of Cardiff Bay, and we meet the teams to find out how this could lead to a sea change in robot science. Plus, we find out how robots are coming out of the factory and into the home, to care for the elderly and help children learn. In the news, stem cells restore hearing to deaf gerbils, facebook alters voting behaviour, and why a blue berry is the brightest thing in nature...

This Day in Skepticism: Murray Gell-Mann and Alexander Flemming; News Items: Sun Myung Moon Dies, Company Apologies for Thalidomide, Super WiFi, Calorie Restriction and Longevity; Special Report: A Skeptical 12 Step Program; Science or Fiction; Skeptical Quote of the Week

Game of Life is a compelling new play inspired by the mathematical phenomenon of emergence, running from 5 – 22 September 2012 atThe Yard Theatre, Hackney Wick. In this episode of Little Atoms Neil Denny talks to playwright Rose Lewenstein and director Russell Bender about the production. Rose Lewenstein studied Performance Arts at the Central School of Speech & Drama and participated in the [...]

This week on MonsterTalk, we interview Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda, authors of Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, a book which details many folkloric monsters of Japan. From the slash-mouthed woman to a giant disgusting foot—these creatures have inspired fear and wonder in Japan and influenced books, movies and video-games. READ episode notes

This week Derek briefly re-caps the events of the Skeptic Track at Dragon*Con 2012. For those of you who could not make it out for the fun and excitement, he plays one of the group sessions from the event. It is a panel which involved JREF Outreach Coordinator, Brian Thompson, Best Selling Authors Michael Stackpole, Scott Sigler, and Gail Z. Martin, as well as Skepchicks Rebecca Watson and Amy Davis Roth. As they discuss using popular art and creative endeavors to get skeptical and critical thought into a segment of the population which would otherwise never seek out the information directly.

The Ark of the Covenant is regarded by many Biblical literalists as a real physical object, and it just so happens that that probably is indeed the case. Only, which Ark do they mean?

Jon rejoins the gang this week as the guest host.   Elan discusses whether you can influence the gender of your baby while conceiving, Pat takes on whether instant noodles or noodle containers are coated in harmful wax and Adam looks at whether sniper rifles have laser sights.